Znaczenie pozycji aniołów w grobie Jezusa w J 20,12
The Meaning of the Angels’ Position in Jesus’ Tomb in John 20:12

Summary/Abstract: Compared with the Synoptics, the Johannine angels assume a particular andsignificant position inside Jesus’ tomb. The evangelist describes it precisely as one angelsitting at the place of Jesus’ head and another at the place of Jesus’ feet. Not all Johanninecommentators pay attention to this detail, yet a comparison with the descriptions of theangels’ positions in the different synoptic narratives demonstrates that they all reflectoriginal editorial work on the part of each the evangelist. Consequently, these accountscan – and indeed do – convey particular ideological or theological stances typical of eachgospel writer, including John. With regard to John 20:12, the article surveys proposalsadvanced by several Johannine commentators, beginning with some very obvious andprosaic explanations and ending with the most probable meanings behind the particularposture of Johannine angels. According to a strictly archeological-historical explanation,the position of the Johannine angles is no more than an indication that Jesus’ burialplace was not a tomb of kôkîm type. The article also presents allegorical interpretations,from St. Augustine to St. Thomas Aquinas; a religious-cultural exposition referring tothe Egyptian goddesses Isis and Nephthys; a few very literal explanations accentuatingthe physical emptiness between the angels; and an intertextual exposition based ona targumic reading of Isaiah 6. At the end, as the most persuasive solution, the articleproposes that the Johannine angels represent the cherubs of the Ark of the Covenant andthe mercy seat. This intertextual and symbolic interpretation likewise explains MaryMagdalene’s lack of fear and astonishment in her interaction with supernatural beings.

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