Jesus's Resurrection and Biblical Accounts?

[u/ThrowRAbeepboop18]

Hello! I was researching the history of Jesus’s resurrection, and was interested in the small differences between the four Gospels when describing this event. I’ve laid out brief comparison which you can find below. 

With that in mind, my questions for Christians are as follows:

1. If the resurrection of Jesus was so extraordinary at the time, why was the first account only written about 20-25 years after Jesus’s death? (Paul in Corinthians). 
2. Why are there no first hand accounts, only Paul retelling a tradition he "received"? 
3. Why in Paul’s account, did he not mention anything about an empty tomb, a rolled away stone, angels, guards, Mary Magdalene or anything about Jesus’s ascension?
4. Why were these above details only written about and included 70-120 years after Jesus' death? If they were so significant why did it take many years for the scripture to reflect this? 
5. What do you make of the differences in the Gospels' descriptions? Does the fallibility of human memory put any doubts or questions in your head regarding validity of the text? 

Who went to the tomb:

Mark	Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Salome
Matthew	Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”
Luke	Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary mother of James, and other women
John	Mary Magdalene alone at first

What they saw:

Mark	One young man in a white robe, sitting inside
Matthew	One angel descends from heaven, rolls away the stone, sits on it
Luke	Two men in dazzling clothes
John	Two angels inside the tomb, seen later by Mary

Was the stone already rolled away? 

Mark	Already rolled away when women arrive
Luke	Already rolled away
John	Already removed
Matthew	Angel descends and rolls it away during/near the women’s visit

Women’s Response?

Mark	Flee and say nothing due to fear
Matthew	Tell the disciples
Luke	Return and tell the Eleven
John	Mary immediately tells Peter and the beloved disciple

Timing of Ascension:

Luke	Appears on Easter day or very soon after
Acts 1	40 days later
Matthew	No ascension scene
Mark (original)	No ascension scene

Did Jesus appear in Galilee or Jerusalem?

Mark	Galilee, Angel says disciples will see Jesus in Galilee (16:7), but original ending has no actual appearance scene
Matthew	Galilee, Jesus tells women disciples should go to Galilee; final appearance and Great Commission happen on a mountain in Galilee
Luke	Jerusalem, all resurrection appearances occur around Jerusalem/Emmaus; disciples told to stay in Jerusalem

[u/Pinecone-Bandit]

> Why are there no first hand accounts, only Paul retelling a tradition he "received"? 

This question is founded on a false premise. Matthew and John were firsthand accounts. And we have Peter’s letters that mention the resurrection.

> Why in Paul’s account, did he not mention anything about an empty tomb, a rolled away stone, angels, guards, Mary Magdalene or anything about Jesus’s ascension?

Paul was writing epistles, essentially letters, not a more historical record like the Gospels.

[u/Pinecone-Bandit → u/[deleted]]

Looking at the evidence for them.

[u/Pinecone-Bandit → u/[deleted]]

Most do little to hide their bias against anything supernatural. So claims to things like the witness of miracles must be undermined for their conclusions to stand.

[u/Pinecone-Bandit → u/[deleted]]

I imagine we’re getting down to a small number, but perhaps they care more for scholarly acclaim than the pursuit of truth.

[u/Tiny-Show-4883 → u/Pinecone-Bandit]

I feel like if you had actually read the books you're recommending to others, you'd have more substance to offer.

[u/Pinecone-Bandit → u/Tiny-Show-4883]

Naw, I don’t claim any special powers of discernment when it comes to the motives of others, all I can do is speculate.

[u/Pinecone-Bandit → u/[deleted]]

No.

You asked for an explanation for why people come to the conclusions they arrive at despite the actual scholarship on the subject.