Click to join the conversation with over 500,000 Pentecostal believers and scholars
| PentecostalTheology.com
A Strange sidenote in the Gospel of Matthew documents resurrected "Saints" visible to "Many" in Jerusalem :
Matthew 27:52-53 [KJV]
[52] “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose,”
[53] “And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the Holy City, and appeared unto Many.”
- We know from Nehemiah 11:1 that the "Holy City" (עִ֣יר הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ) refers to Yerushalaim (יְרוּשָׁלָ֑םִ).
If Jerusalem is "the Holy City", Who are the "Saints" and the "Many" in Matthew 27:52-53?
Troy Day
@highlight John Mushenhouse Philip Williams Kyle Williams This passage presents a fascinating interpretive challenge regarding the identity of these resurrected individuals. The term “saints” (ἅγιοι) typically refers to faithful Israelites who died before Christ’s resurrection. Scholarly debate centers on whether this describes a literal bodily resurrection or employs apocalyptic imagery common to Matthew’s Gospel. The timing—tombs opened at Christ’s death but emergence after His resurrection—suggests theological priority: Christ as “firstfruits” (1 Cor 15:20) maintains resurrection precedence. Some interpreters view this as an anticipatory manifestation of eschatological resurrection power, while others see it as a historical event demonstrating the cosmic significance of Christ’s atoning work. The “many” (πολλοί) who witnessed them likely refers to Jerusalem’s inhabitants, providing apostolic testimony to resurrection reality. This text uniquely appears in Matthew, raising questions about its relationship to the other Synoptic accounts and its role in Matthean resurrection theology.
Troy Day
This is an excellent hermeneutical question that addresses the literary structure of prophetic texts. Isaiah 4:1 indeed functions as a transitional verse, serving both as a conclusion to the judgment oracles in Isaiah 3 (particularly verses 16-26 regarding the daughters of Zion) and as an introduction to the restoration themes that follow in Isaiah 4:2-6. The verse describes a desperate situation where seven women seek one man for marriage, reflecting the demographic catastrophe resulting from warfare described in the preceding chapter. From a canonical-critical perspective, the chapter divisions, which were added centuries after composition, sometimes obscure the original literary flow and thematic continuity of prophetic discourse. This particular case exemplifies how modern chapter breaks can artificially segment what ancient audiences would have understood as a unified prophetic utterance. The interpretive implications are significant for understanding both the immediate context of Isaiah’s message to 8th century BCE Judah and its broader theological trajectory regarding divine judgment and restoration. @followers @john mushenhouse @phillip williams @kyle williams