Errors in Greenleaf's Harmony

There are some errors in Greenleaf's harmony of the resurrection accounts, as adapted by W. R. Miller below:

The Greenleaf's Harmony of the Resurrection Accounts
http://www.tektonics.org/harmonize/greenharmony.htm

Nevertheless, it is a great work by Professor Greenleaf, a Harvard law school professor, who was first an unbeliever, but as he studied the Scripture to find evidence against the resurrection account, and thus to overthrow the whole Christiandom, eventually became a believer, quite the opposite to his initial goal of study.

Let us first get a more accurate understanding of John 20:1-2, as is a key:

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.(John 20:1-2, KJV)

John's account did not mention that Mary had met the LORD, but according to the principle behind Le Clerc's canon, no mentioning does not mean nonexistence, we shall not assume that Mary did not tell that. According to what happened later, it should be clear that the opposite is true:

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. (John 20:7-9, KJV)

So after John examined the situation in the sepulchre, he believed. Believed what? From the context, the details inside the sepulchre as described herein, he believed the resurrection! Now it also explicitly mentions that "they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead", then where comes the information of resurrection? The only possible answer here is Mary! The reason of not mentioning it might be that what really motivated John and Peter to run to the sepulcre is the missing of the body of the LORD, not the resurrection -- since her words "seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." (Luke 24:11) Also, the Gospel according to John was written much later than the other three, and at the time of writing it was well known that the other Gospels already gave more details.

So Mary did tell them about her meeting Jesus after she came out of the sepulchre. This understanding of John 20:1-2 is then in perfect harmony with the accounts in the other Gospels (Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10). The account in Luke 24:11-12 clearly shows that Mary was not alone when she told Peter and John about that, and in Matthew 28:8-10, they were found to have met the LORD alive early that morning. The reason that only Mary Magdalene was mentioned by John, and that she was mentioned before the other women with her by the other Gospels, should be found by Mark 16:9, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." This meeting was recorded in Matthew 28:8-10, but Mary was not singled out. Since Mark 16:8 mentioned the other women, then in the next verse Mary Magdalene was singled out, it is likely that Mary Magdalene met Jesus alone first, then her reaction caused the others to come to meet Jesus.

Then in John 20:11-18, Mary met the LORD the second time, which is not mentioned in the other three Gospels. From the account, it seems obvious that Mary believed not the resurrection then, even after her first meeting with the LORD. We do not know for sure why, a possible reason could be that she overly worried about the disappearance of the body of the LORD and she was extremely sorrowful. Her unbelief may partly explain why the disciples did not believe from her account, or on the contrary, may be the result of the unbelief of the disciples, not taking her account seriously. But she really loved Jesus, that she followed the two disciples again back to the sepulchre. I bet that's why the LORD appeared to her again, so as to turn her sorrow into joy.

Now, let us come back to Greenleaf's harmony. The errors lie in that Mark 16:9-11 were considered to be parallel with John 20:11-18, which should not be, for the reasons given above. Once these errors are corrected, we found perfect harmony in the four Gospels. Harmony, perfect harmony!!!

No reasonable man can study these evidences and deny that our LORD was raised the third day!