Did Jesus Appear to the Women First or to the Disciples?

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark state that the women were the first to see the risen Jesus.  However, in 1 Corinthains 15:5, Paul says that Peter or "Cephas" was the first one to see Christ after the resurrection.  Is this an example of a so-called Bible contradiction? I think not.

It is important to understand that in 1 Corinthians, it was not Paul's goal to give an ordered list of those who appeared to Jesus, but to list the most important appearances for the purpose of defending the resurrection.  We must remember that in the first century, only a man's testimony would have been considered legal or official.  Therefore, it makes sense that Paul would only list Peter and not the women.

For this reason, we can safely conclude that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, then to the other women (just as the gospels report), and then to Peter and the disciples.

Courage and Godspeed,
Chad

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