Does Mark 16:8 and Matthew 28:8/John 20:2 Contradict?

This is probably one of the hardest "contradictions" to debunk yet, primarily because it is a lot to go over, but we shall not succumb.

"And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His(i.e. Jesus) disciples(i.e. the apostles)" (Matthew 28:8 NASB1995).

"So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him" (John 20:2 NASB1995).

"They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid" (Mark 16:8 NASB1995).

It seems that Mark and Matthew/John contradict, as Mark seems to deny the idea the women told while in John and Matthew the opposite seems to be true. What is happening here then? 

The researcher, Richard Bauckham notes a good point, "but there is still a problem about taking the woman's silence to be absolute: in that case, no one but the women would have ever known the story and Mark would have not been able to tell it" (Bauckham R. (2002) Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels. United Kingdom: Eerdmans Publishing Company. 289).

So clearly we can know that Matthew and John are correct, but what about for Mark? Well, there is plenty of evidence to suggest Mark 16:8 isn't literally saying they told no one ever. In Mark 1:44, this is written, "and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them" (Mark 1:44 NASB1995).

In the verse, Jesus tells the leper not to tell anyone except the priest, the same is likely true with Mark 16:8. It is possible that the verse in Mark meant they told no one on their way to the disciples. According to Dale Allison in his book, Resurrecting Jesus: The Earliest Christian Tradition and Its Interpreters, "This is quite plausible. Just as 1:44 means 'Say nothing to anyone (except the priest), so 16:8 may well mean the women 'said nothing to anyone (except his disciples). In accord with this, Matthew clearly read Mark so that the message entrusted to the women gets to the men without noticeable delay." 

It must also be noted, that in Mark 16:8, the word used for trembling is "τρόμος." This word can mean trembling or with fear and trembling, used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his ability completely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfill his duty. The women were scared, perhaps they even didn't share instantly, but they eventually did as it was their duty to do so.

Thus, by looking at the context as well as the Greek of the passage, it seems there is no contradiction after all.

Works Sited:

Allison, D. C. (2005). Resurrecting Jesus: The Earliest Christian Tradition and Its Interpreters. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Bauckham R. (2002) Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels. United Kingdom: Eerdmans Publishing Company. 289

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