Mark 16:5, How many angels at the tomb? Part I of II

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

//This verse comes from the book of Mark, our earliest gospel. All translations agree, the being is a “young man dressed in white.” There is no indication whatsoever that this young man is an angel. But the legend grows a bit as we reach Matthew, the second Gospel written:

Matthew 28:2-3, There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

Our young man in white has become an angel. Interesting. The third Gospel, Luke, like Matthew was also written with Mark in hand, but it elaborates in a different direction:

Luke 24:4, While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

So we’re back to men, not angels, but one man has become two. Luke may be unaware that Matthew changed the man into an angel … yet the robes they wear in Luke’s telling gleam like lightning. Regardless of whether it’s they or their robes that gleam, something is up with these guys! But why two men instead of one?

Stay tuned for part II, when we unmask the men/angels in a controversial finish.