“Upon this most momentous question every one of the Christian writers is at variance with every other.” (Amberley’s “Analysis of Religious Belief,” p. 273.)
They differ as to the number of women who visited the sepulcher. John mentions only one; Matthew names two, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Mark says there were three, the two Marys and Salome. Luke says there were more than three, the two Marys, Joanna, and certain others with them. They differ as to the number of persons in white seen at the sepulcher. Mark mentions one, “a young man.” Matthew speaks of one, an angel. Luke says there were two men, and John that there were two angels. They disagree us to what was said by the persons in white. According to Matthew and Mark, they spoke of the resurrection of Jesus and his departure into Galilee, and sent a message to his disciples commanding them to follow him thither. In Luke they simply said that he was risen, and referred to a former prediction of his to this effect. In John they simply asked Mary, “Woman! why weepest thou?”
Discrepancies as to where Jesus went after his resurrection. Matthew, dismissing Jesus from history with these words, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” ([28 : 19]), seems to know nothing of the ascension; for it in utterly incompatible with the assumption that he is an honest and faithful historian. He could not possibly neglect recording so important an event had he known it, and the plain inference—the irresistible conclusion is that if he did not record it, it was because no such thing had occurred.
See with what brevity Mark concludes the career of Jesus. Mark gives these as the parting words of Jesus: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.” (16 : 19.)
How brief is the description of this wonderful scene! No writer that had witnessed such a sight could possibly condense his thoughts and feelings concerning it into one sentence. He would have had much to say; namely, of his own thoughts and emotions on the occasion, and what other witnesses said and did at the time the event occurred. Writers who go into particulars on less marvelous affairs would not be likely to dash off the most wonderful event that had ever happened before human eyes in one sentence. The thing is utterly improbable and incredible. “He was received up into heaven” reveals the credulity and superstition of the times. How could the writer know where he had gone, if he had once passed away from his sight? Moreover, he knew nothing of a local heaven or of a personal God, yet he says that Jesus “sat (down) on the right hand of God,” as though the Infinite Power which pervades the universe had two hands and was made in the image of man!
The only rational explanation we can put upon such language is to suppose it written by one who was not present at the time referred to, but had heard of it and had undertaken to give his version of what he heard, perhaps in the attempt trying to reconcile two or three different versions of the story, and at the same time weave in his own opinion on the subject. At any rate, whoever wrote it, the writer does not claim to have been an eye-witness, and the legendary character of the account proves that the myth had been handed down to him.
Luke (24 : 50, 51) says: “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” This version leaves out the sitting on the right hand of God—yet it has the same superstition of a local heaven—of which the writer speaks as if he had as positive and distinct knowledge as he claims to have of Jesus and his resurrection.
If Matthew closes without giving us anything of the after life and death of Jesus—if he breaks off abruptly without giving us any insight into the feelings of the disciples, Luke does not. He says that after they had witnessed the departure of Jesus they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (24 : 52.) But this is totally unnatural. We cannot imagine disciples rejoicing in the loss of their friend. It is not human nature to be glad on such occasions. We always grieve in parting with friends. The father grieves when he parts with his son, the mother weeps when she gives the parting kiss to her daughter. It may be said in reply that the disciples had faith that Jesus had gone to heaven. But this will not meet the difficulty, for Christian mothers believe when they part with their sweet, innocent babes that they go straight to heaven, but does this belief dry their tears or soothe their anguished hearts? No, those mothers are frequently tormented to frenzy and even madness by the intense grief occasioned by loss of their dear ones. It is human nature to grieve upon the loss of friends, but here we find disciples who do not mourn when their dearest friend has departed from them. They were glad of it, and so they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Such a paragraph as this could have been inserted in the story by some subsequent writer, but never could have been written by one who had witnessed such an event. Another feature of this description, as given by Luke, is that it seems to be a slightly varied copy of the account given of Elijah. “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that behold there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” ([2 Kings 2 : 11].)
How closely Luke’s account seems to resemble this! “And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass while he blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” ([Luke 24 : 50, 51].) “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” ([Acts 1 : 9].)
How suggestive is the fact that the writers do not undertake to tell how he was translated! The writer of the book of Kings gives us a “chariot of fire” and “a whirlwind” as the modus operandi of translating Elijah from one world to the other (?), but here there are no agencies mentioned, and so far as the writers are concerned, there seems to be nothing incomplete or unreasonable in the statements that he “was carried up into heaven,” and “was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight.” We must suppose that persons witnessing such an extraordinary event would have some notions as to the means used in translating Jesus above the clouds, and that they could not fail to express them in giving an account of what they had seen. Their silence on this point, and the utter incredibility of the story make it apparent that the writer is merely recording myths.