The stone in front of our Lord's Tomb

Question

Did the stone in front of the tomb roll away or as in Greek terms it was Sizmos or fly away, from the front of the tomb?

Hi, welcome. I don't know if this question is really related to Christianity. There is a better site for questions related to Greek and Hebrew. Visit this site - http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/ — Mawia, Oct 25 '13 at 11:53
Thank you for asking this. My first reaction was that I did not remember that it was explicitly mentioned who moved it. And I turned to Matthew last (having prepared a "we don't know" answer). So, I have learnt something today. — Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE, Oct 25 '13 at 11:56
Just curious, Why would it matter if the stone rolled or flew? — Rick, Oct 25 '13 at 12:51

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 25 '13 at 11:51

An Angel moved it. Matthew 28:2 states:

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.

_{Footnote: the other Gospels (Mark, Luke and John) only mention that the stone was moved, but not by whom.}

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 25 '13 at 14:31

Matthew 28:2 uses the word απεκυλισεν (apekulisen, rolls away).
Mark 16:4 uses the word αποκεκυλισται (apokekulistai, has been rolled away).
Luke 24:2 uses the word αποκεκυλισμενον (apokekulismenon, having been rolled away).
John 20:1 uses the word ηρμενον (ermenon, having been lifted/taken away).

No mention of flying, and the word "lifted" only indicates that the stone was taken from one place and put in another.

Reference: Greek Interlinear Bible

The stone in front of our Lord's Tomb

2 Answers2