So just how many angels were at the tomb of Jesus? We have the four Gospels appearing to say four different things. This alleged contradiction is a favorite for people who try to prove the Bible to be nothing but a book full of contradictions.
One Angel?
(Mathew 28:2-7) There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you.”
One Man?
(Mark 16:5-7) As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Two Men?
(Luke 24:2-4) They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
Two Angels?
(John 20:11-12) Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
Angels Or Men?
Angels appear as men many times in the Bible. It is no surprise or problem for Mark and Luke to refer to the angels as a man or men. Luke says the two men had clothes that gleamed like lightning. There is no doubt he is referring to angels.
So How Many Angels Were At The Tomb?
Each one of these authors chose to write what happened from their perspective. Mathew and Mark write about one angel at the tomb of Jesus, while Luke and John refer to two angels. Just because two authors choose to mention only one of the angels doesn’t mean there is a contradiction in scripture. If Mathew or Mark had said there was only one angel, then that would have contradicted the other two writers. These first two Gospels never say there was only one angel, they just simply chose to write about one of the two.
No Contradiction Required
If these writers were worried about people trying to nitpick what they wrote in search of contradictions, they could have compared each others accounts of what happened to make sure everything matched perfectly, including how many angels were at the tomb. With each author choosing to write about certain details of this event while leaving other details out, it is obvious this was not a concern of theirs. By reading all four gospels, we get a complete picture of what happened with contradictions not included.
This is no different from having four people today write about or describe an event. It is very likely one of the four people will include a detail about what happened that the others will leave out. This doesn’t make the event any less true, or make the individuals dishonest. Because every person’s perspective will be slightly different, the details of what happened may also be different.
