Is the Markan expression, “the first day of the week,” evidence that the empty tomb story is primitive?
Craig’s fourth argument for the historicity of the empty tomb is that Mark’s account (16:2) contains the expression “the first day of the week” to describe the day on which the women discovered the empty tomb. According to Craig, that expression must “be very old and very primitive because it lacks altogether the third day motif prominent in the kerygma, which is itself extremely old, as evident by its appearance in I Cor. 15:4.”[55] Furthermore, although the expression is very awkward in the Greek, when translated back into Aramaic it is perfectly smooth and normal. This suggests that the empty tomb tradition reaches all the way back to the original language spoken by the first disciples themselves.[56] Thus, Craig insists, the empty tomb tradition is too early to be legendary. However, I do not think Craig has been able to show that the empty tomb story is early. Although Craig is correct that the kerygma uses the third day motif, the kerygma uses that motif in reference to the resur
