Furthermore…

Today we discussed the Easter Sunday readings, following a study guide leaflet provided by the parish. With reference to Jesus’empty tomb, I wanted to mention something I heard on the radio during the last few days, about how the Jewish custom was to place the bodies on shelf-like areas in the tomb for a period of time until they decomposed, and then transfer the remaining bones into an ossuary or storage jar where they would rest in perpetuity.  A tomb might be used more than once in this manner, which to a degree illuminates the reason for the distinct mention in the scriptures that the tomb which Joseph of Arimethea provided was unused.

Tangently, I keep hearing various alternate ways of presenting the chronology of the days and hours  from the Last Supper through the Resurrection, based on different understandings of the calendar and customs of the time, and I hope all this is or can be pinned down with certainty if it is not already, as the existence of these conflicting interpretations lends an air of bumbling or incompetence to a most serious area of study.