Night of the Living Dead: Matthew's Forgotten Resurrection (vIDEO)

Welcome to the home of Episode 158 of the Misquoting Jesus Podcast with Bart Ehrman. Below, you can watch the entire episode, read its description, and see links to related resources.

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episode description

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In Episode 158 of Misquoting Jesus, Megan Lewis and Dr. Bart Ehrman investigate one of the New Testament’s strangest passages: Matthew’s account of dead holy people emerging from their tombs after Jesus’ crucifixion and appearing in Jerusalem following his resurrection. Are these biblical zombies, a theological metaphor, or an apocalyptic sign?

Ehrman first distinguishes resurrection, in which someone is raised never to die again, from resuscitation, in which someone returns to life but eventually dies again. Matthew’s mass resurrection is unique in the New Testament. Ehrman argues that the passage’s central message is that Jesus’ death brings life, potentially extending salvation to righteous people who died before him. The earthquake, splitting rocks, and opened tombs also evoke divine appearances and Jewish apocalyptic expectations of the end times.

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The conversation explores why the resurrected figures are holy people rather than sinners, why they remain in their tombs until after Jesus rises, and what happens to them afterward. Ehrman discusses later Christian traditions connecting the episode with Jesus’ descent into Hades and the harrowing of hell, as well as legends identifying some of the resurrected figures. He explains that these people were generally understood to die again rather than share Jesus’ permanent resurrection.

The episode also examines disagreements among evangelical scholars over whether the passage describes literal events or conveys a theological message metaphorically. Ehrman highlights the difficult question of where interpreters would draw the line between literal miracles and figurative storytelling.

In the listener Q&A, Ehrman explains why Jesus’ resurrection differs from the resuscitations attributed to his disciples, interprets “the beginning” in John’s prologue, discusses authorship and community theories concerning the Johannine writings, considers whether the historical Jesus anticipated his death, and rejects claims that Jesus’ biological father was a Roman soldier or that Mary came from Sepphoris.