Event New Testament
The empty tomb is discovered
Also known as The women at the tomb
Early on the first day of the week, women who had followed Jesus came to His tomb and found the stone moved and the body gone. Messengers told them He had risen. Mary Magdalene ran to Peter and John, who found the linen cloths lying where the body had been.
Why it matters. The empty tomb is the first sign of the resurrection and the point where every Gospel account begins its final chapter.
- Primary passages
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: medium
The four accounts name different women: Matthew names Mary Magdalene and the other Mary; Mark adds Salome; Luke names Joanna and Mary the mother of James; John narrates Mary Magdalene alone. The number and words of the messengers also vary. FaithGraph lists each witness rather than merging the lists, and notes that Mary Magdalene is named first in all four.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
The empty tomb is discovered precedes Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe narratives place these in this order on the cited verses.
Evidence:John the apostle participates in The empty tomb is discovered
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe text names John in this event at the cited verses.
Evidence:Mary Magdalene participates in The empty tomb is discovered
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe text names Mary Magdalene in this event at the cited verses.
Evidence:Peter participates in The empty tomb is discovered
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe text names Peter in this event at the cited verses.
Evidence:The empty tomb is discovered occurs at Jerusalem
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe tomb lies outside Jerusalem and the women return to the city to report.
The empty tomb is discovered develops the theme Resurrection
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe messengers announce that Jesus has risen as He said.
Evidence: