John 20:7

John 20:7 is the seventh verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. In this verse, Peter is standing in Jesus' empty tomb. The Beloved Disciple and perhaps Mary Magdalene are outside. This verse describes the arrangement of the grave clothes they see.

John 20:7
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The ark that contains the Sudarium of Oviedo.
BookGospel of John
Christian Bible partNew Testament

Content

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

And the napkin, that was about
his head, not lying with the
linen clothes, but wrapped
together in a place by itself.

The English Standard Version translates the passage as:

and the face cloth, which had been
on Jesus' head, not lying with the
linen cloths but folded up
in a place by itself.

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub John 20:7

Analysis

The translation and meaning of this verse are much debated. The napkin/face cloth in Greek is a soudarium, from the Latin sudarium, literally a "sweat rag", a piece of cloth used to wipe the sweat from one's brow. Most scholars believe it refers to a cloth wrapped around the head of the deceased, perhaps to keep the mouth from falling open. Ader has a different reading, seeing soudarium as meaning the same thing as the word sindon, which in the synoptic gospels refers to any of the burial cloths. The word soudarium is used in a different context in Luke 19:20, where a servant uses one to wrap his money.

The exact relationship between this headpiece and the other clothes is not certain. The passage can be read either as meaning the cloth is not in the same location of the others or as meaning the cloth is not lying in the same manner of the others. Is the cloth separated from the others, and if so where is it? One interpretation is that this separation merely reflects the distance from the head to the torso. Others see the cloth as being moved to a part of the burial place or tomb well away from the other cloths. Those who believe the phrase is closer to "not lying like" believe that it simply refers to the head cloth being in a ball rather than lying flat like the others.[1]

The two different readings imply two visions of the resurrection, an event which is never directly described in the Bible. (Though it is described in the Gospel of Peter)[2] If the head cloth remained in the same location where Jesus' head had lain, it suggests that the resurrection process saw Jesus lifted through his clothing or that he dematerialized while in them. If the head cloth had been balled up and put to the side, it suggests that Jesus returned to life while lying in the clothes and himself removed the wrapping from his head leaving it beside him.

Schnackenberg compares this to the resurrection of Lazarus. The revived Lazarus needed aid in removing his grave goods while Jesus transcended them.[3]

A side issue is that if the grave clothes were abandoned by the risen Jesus, what was he then wearing? To Kastner, this is evidence that Jesus was naked upon his resurrection. Most other scholars reject this theory, arguing that providing a new set of clothing would be a comparatively minor issue beside raising Jesus from the dead. Alternatively, there could have been multiple layers of cloth wrapping Jesus and he kept wearing one of these while abandoning the others.

The level of detail the author of John adds to this section is to Westcott evidence that the author was an eyewitness to the events described. Proof to Westcott that the Beloved Disciple was the author of John.[4] C.K. Barrett disagrees. He argues that such details are exactly what a modern author adds to a fictional account to give it a feeling of verisimilitude, and there is no reason to believe an ancient writer would not have these same skills.[5] To Dodd, the level of detail reflects the narrative arc of the Gospel of John. Dodd argues the crucifixion is the climax of the work and that these later sections are the dénouement and that the author thus deliberately slows the pace of the narrative. Schnackenberg sees the level of detail as apologetic in origin. To him, the detailed description is an attempt to disprove the allegation that Jesus's tomb had simply been robbed.[6]

Artefacts

The Shroud of Turin is said to be one of the linens left behind by Jesus,[7] while the head cloth is said to be the Sudarium of Oviedo, though the veracity of these claims is doubted by many. In the work Asarim, the Sudarium is described as a Turban. It can be seen in the Cathedral of Oviedo, Spain.[8]

References
  1. Brown, Raymond E. "The Gospel According to John: XIII-XI" The Anchor Bible Series Volume 29A. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.
  2. France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. pg. 405
  3. Schnackenberg, Rudolf . The Gospel According to St. John: Volume III. Crossroad, 1990.
  4. Westcott, B.F The Gospel of St. John. London: John Murray, 1889.
  5. Barrett, C.K. The Gospel According to John, 2nd Edition. London:SPCK, 1978.
  6. Schnackenberg, Rudolf . The Gospel According to St. John: Volume III. Crossroad, 1990.
  7. Heller, John H. (1983). Report on the Shroud of Turin. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-33967-1.
  8. Comparative study of the sudarium of Oviedo and the shroud of Turin
Preceded by
John 20:6		 Gospel of John
Chapter 20		 Succeeded by
John 20:8
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