In this session of Theology and Religion with J.D. Reiner, we will examine the five earliest references to Jesus’ burial in the New Testament. In the next session, we will look at three early non-canonical references, that is, the three earliest accounts outside the New Testament. We will compare the documents to each other, and then we will discuss their significance both to the secular study of religion and to Christian theology. Visit jdreiner.com to read or listen to more content and learn about my work. To donate through PayPal, paste this link into your browser: paypal.me/jonathandreiner To donate Bitcoin for my work, use this public key: bc1qwnu9exmhp3ugcepvxvhn5tyw765zgeskgfm200 Footnotes from Web Post: 1. For a discussion of Paul’s quotation, see Bart D. Ehrman, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee (New York: HarperOne, 2014), 90-95, 137. 2. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, KJV. 3. For the date of composition of Mark, see The Gospels, ed. John Barton and John Muddiman (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 85. 4. Mark 15:42-47, KJV. 5. For Matthew’s date of composition, Barton and Muddiman, 27-28. 6. Matthew 27:57-61, KJV. 7. For Luke’s date of composition, see Barton and Muddiman, 137. 8. Luke 23:50-56, KJV. 9. For John’s date of composition, see Barton and Muddiman, 187. 10. For a discussion of John’s relationship with the Synoptic Gospels, see Dwight Moody Smith, John Among the Gospels: The Relationship in Twentieth-Century Research (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992); see also the introduction to my M.A. thesis, “The Johannine Community, the Synoptic Gospels, and the Source behind John’s Resurrection Narrative” (Ann Arbor: Proquest, 2020), 1-13. 11. John 19:38-42, KJV. 12. For a discussion of the archaeology, history, and social science surrounding Jewish burial practices, see Byron McCane, Roll Back the Stone: Death and Burial in the World of Jesus (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2003). 13. For the development of Christian traditions about Jesus’ burial, see my peer-reviewed article, “The Dishonorable Burial of Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph of Arimathea,” FCH Annals vol. 27 (2021), 36; see also Bart D. Ehrman, Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don’t Know About Them) (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 21-22. 14. For more examples of theological reflection on the burial stories, see the footnotes of Patristic quotations on Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Ancient Faith Study Bible (Nashville: Holman, 2019).

Historians have discussed the burial of Jesus for a long time. What can we know about it? How did it happen? What kind of burial was it? In this video, we will discuss two views about the sort of burial that Jesus had. The first view is that of Byron McCane, who believes that the burial was a dishonorable one. The second view is that of William Lane Craig, who thinks that the burial was honorable. Sources Craig, William Lane. “Was Jesus Buried in Shame? Reflections on B. McCane’s Proposal.” The Expository Times 115 (2004): 404–409. McCane, Byron R. “‘Where No One Had Yet Been Laid’: The Shame of Jesus’ Burial.” In Authenticating the Activities of Jesus, 431–52. Edited by Bruce Chilton and Craig Evans. Leiden: Brill, 1999.