Was the tomb opened or closed when the women arrived?

Three accounts begin with discovery of a moved stone, while Matthew supplies a supernatural account of its removal.

Textual conflict: Weak contradiction; The supplied passages do not establish incompatible claims. Different events, meanings, or conditions may account for the difference.
Importance: Foundational; A central claim about origins, salvation, divine justice, or religious authority.

Finding a moved tomb stone does not contradict an account of its removal that never explicitly places the women there during the opening.

An editorial assessment of the quoted passages. Importance describes the stakes; it does not increase certainty. Reading order weighs both.

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The visitors find the tomb stone already moved

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

Luke 24:2

Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)

Read the full chapter:Luke 24

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Mark 16:3-4

Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)

Read the full chapter:Mark 16

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The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

John 20:1

Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)

Read the full chapter:John 20

Matthew narrates an angel moving the tomb stone

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Matthew 28:2

Translation / edition: King James Version (KJV)

Read the full chapter:Matthew 28

Understanding the contradiction

Luke 24:2 says the women find the stone rolled away. Mark 16:3-4 contrasts their concern about moving it with their discovery that it has already moved. John 20:1 likewise has Mary see it taken away when she arrives.

Matthew 28:2 describes an earthquake, an angel descending and rolling the stone, and the angel sitting on it. That is an account of the opening event rather than merely its result. The isolated verse does not explicitly state that the women witness the removal or give its precise timing relative to their arrival. The excerpts therefore differ in whether they narrate cause or discovery, but do not alone establish that the tomb is both closed and open at one shared moment.

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contradictionLukeMarkJohnMatthew

The visitors find the tomb stone already moved

Matthew narrates an angel moving the tomb stone

Understanding the contradiction

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