"How many disciples were there between the Resurrection and Ascension?" (Alleged Contradiction #E8150)
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve …
1 Corinthians 15:4-5
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:3-5
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. … And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:9, 26
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
Matthew 28:16
Response
There are two possibilities:
- There were eleven, and Paul was referring to “The Twelve” as the group of apostles (even though there were technically eleven) 1
- Matthias was with the other eleven when Jesus appeared to them, even though he was not officially numbered among them yet
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Notes
- We sometimes do the same sometimes; e.g., the “Hundred Years’ War” was technically 116 years ↩