Johnny Skeptic

Jesus' followers did not believe that he would rise from the dead, and apparently, no one else did. Guards would only have been an issue if some other people had claimed that Jesus would rise from the dead. Merely the claim that Jesus said that he would rise from the dead would not have been enough to create interest in posting guards at the tomb unless some other people also claimed that he would rise from the dead.

Cege

Apparently, the chief priests and Pharisees believed Jesus might rise from the dead, or at least that Jesus' followers might make that claim:

GMatthew 27:62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how."
66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/...27&version=NIV

Johnny Skeptic

That is just Christian propaganda. Only Matthew mentions the guards. Even the Gospels indicate that virtually none of Jesus' followers believed that he would rise from the dead, and that Jesus criticized his disciples for their unbelief. Even the empty tomb did not convince Peter and Mary Magdalene that Jesus had risen from the dead.

It is nonsense for anyone to believe that the chief priests and the Pharisees believed that Jesus might rise from the dead. If Jesus was going to rise from the dead, if the disciples had stolen his body, he would still have risen from the dead, and he would still have risen from the dead if guards had been posted at the tomb.

spamandham

Of course they wouldn't believe that. But it is *possible* that having heard that Jesus claimed he would rise from the dead, they simply assumed his followers believed it as well, and so wished to prevent some con artist from stealing the body and faking a resurrection. This does not seem to me the simplest explanation, but it is slightly plausible.

SirTristanC

I believe this says all that needs to be said. Those guards probably got lazy by the third day and left, and his followers did exactly what the guards were posted to prevent. Can you imagine standing guard over a dead guy's tomb for three days in the middle east? Give me a break, it's hotter than hell out there (pun intended). It's amazing how nobody thought of that before creating an entire global religion out of it.

Johnny Skeptic

I believe that it is very improbable that any of Jesus' followers believed that he would rise from the dead, and would have been bold enough to publically admit it. Jesus criticized his disciples for their unbelief. Even the empty tomb did not convince Peter and Mary Magdalene.

Jesus' followers were a very small, uninfluential group of people. Virtually no one would have paid any to such a small group of religious fanatics.

If guards were not posted at the tomb, and it was found empty three days after the body was put there, Jesus' followers would not have had any success claiming that he had risen from the dead. Virtually everyone would have believed that the body had been stolen, or moved, or was never put there in the first place. Thus, there were not any good reasons for guards to be posted at the tomb, and there were not any good reasons for the chief priests and the Pharisees to watch the tomb.

Even if guards were posted at the tomb, and it was found empty, without claims of appearances by Jesus, the best case that anyone could have made would have been that Jesus spiritually rose from the dead and did not make any appearances.

Johnny Skeptic

Some Christians have countered that argument by claiming that Roman disciple was very strict, and the guards would have been put to death for misconduct if they had fallen asleep, or had left the tomb.

DCHindley

I suppose, that like many military organization, the seriousness of discipline in the Roman auxiliariy forces in Judea is proportional to the type of misconduct. Falling asleep on guard duty, especially in peacetime, is usually "minor" (non-lethal). In war time, it can get you whipped or worse. Then there is the difference between Roman Legionary discipline and that of Auxiliary troops, which I doubt was of the same standard. Now, if you are guarding prisoners (all Roman citizens) on their way for a hearing before the Emperor, then you can expect the discipline to be much greater, even capital in nature.

DCH

SirTristanC

Yes, but then again, the guards had probably been told by their superiors to merely watch out for intruders trying to remove the body and falsely claim the dead dude had risen from the grave. They weren't exactly expecting any major trouble, and throughout history some of the most important events were caused by lazy or sleeping individuals who failed to raise the alarm in time (Mongolians invade China because of guard towers not paying attention, Titanic runs into iceberg because crows nest wasn't paying attention...)

And considering the placement of the tomb outside any major cities, what guard would honestly expect to be under surveillance of superior officers? Remember, there were MANY prophets back then, I am certain that claims of resurrection were not uncommon, and since none of them obviously happened, the guards probably just felt like they were standing there for more ceremonial purposes than anything else. Kind of like the guards of the tomb of the unknown soldier. Nobody actually expects a raid or anything to happen on the tomb, so the guards are likely not all that vigilant when it comes down to it. In fact, my friends and I snuck past one of them once without being noticed during a trip to Arlington.

Johnny Skeptic

Even if Jesus was buried in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, and guards were posted at the tomb, and it was found empty, without appearances by Jesus, the best case that anyone could have made would have been that Jesus spiritually rose from the dead and did not make any appearances. Thus, all of the accounts of the events at the tomb are irreleveant without appearances by Jesus.

If I had realized that before, I would not have started this thread.