CHAPTER 6: WAS MATTHEW 27:52-53 ADDED TO MATTHEW?

CHAPTER 6: WAS MATTHEW 27:52-53 ADDED TO MATTHEW?

When studying the Old Testament, one of the first things that is noticed is that if Matthew 27:52-53are removed from the Gospel, chapter 27 reads more naturally. The connection between verse 51 and verse 54 would seem better suited to the story, than the included 52-53 verses as written.

Matthew 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that was with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that was done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

If these two verses, Matthew 27:52-53, were removed, the Four Gospels would more closely match in the telling of the crucifixion.

However, none of the acquired manuscripts of Matthew written in Greek, Latin, or Aramaic leave out Matthew 27:52-53. This is because these verses were in the original writers' texts. The inclusion would have been added during the distribution of handwritten copies of the original writing to the churches and approved by Matthew himself.

These scriptures appear to have been added as an afterthought by Matthew to his story by Matthew himself. This addition is called a stream of consciousness. A stream of consciousness is a form of afterthought or indirect internal dialogue referring to a character or writer. This is an additional point of thought that the writer felt was necessary to add.

This stream of consciousness is a literary style in which Matthew's thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue.

Bottom line: Matthew 27:52-53 is a legitimate part of the King James Version of the Bible as the unerring word of God, and they have the approval of not only Matthew but also Jesus and God Almighty.