Hard passagesDraft · awaiting advisor review
Did dead saints really walk into Jerusalem (Matthew 27:52–53)?
In short
Only Matthew reports that when Jesus died, tombs opened and holy people were raised and appeared in Jerusalem after his resurrection. Christians differ on whether it describes a literal event or uses prophetic imagery to show what Jesus’ death and resurrection mean.
The Objection
If dead people had walked into Jerusalem, every historian would have mentioned it. Even the other Gospels don’t. Matthew invented it, so how can we trust the rest?
Put as its strongest advocates would put it.
The Christian Case
- Scripture
Matthew places the event with the earthquake at Jesus’ death and says they came out “after his resurrection”, linking it to Jesus as the first to rise.
- Scripture
The language echoes Ezekiel’s vision of God opening graves and bringing his people to life.
- Christians differ
Many Christians read it as a literal event; others, including some evangelical scholars, read it as apocalyptic imagery that signals the meaning of Jesus’ death, as darkness and earthquakes do in prophecy. The debate has been sharp.
- Historical evidence
The central claim of the Gospels, Jesus’ own resurrection, is reported by all four Gospels and by Paul. Matthew’s account here stands alone, so it is weighed differently.
Where the Evidence Is Weaker
No other source mentions the event, and the text gives few details, which is why Christians read it differently.
Arguments to Avoid
- Making this passage the test of whether someone believes the resurrection of Jesus.
Read for Yourself
Matthew 27:50–54
50Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Further Reading
- The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach · Michael R. Licona (2010)
Drafted with Opened AI and awaiting review by Opened’s apologetics advisors. Labels show the kind of support each point has: Scripture is what the Bible says; historical evidence and philosophical arguments can be checked by anyone; “Christians differ” marks questions on which faithful Christians disagree.
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