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John 20 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
The tomb
The tomb in which Jesus was buried (John 20:1) was the kind of tomb in which wealthy Jewish families buried their dead. It was an actual room cut into a rock. It had a flat place on one side where they could place the body after they had put oil and spices on it and wrapped it in cloth. Then they would roll a large rock in front of the tomb so no one could see inside or enter.
"Receive the Holy Spirit"
The disciples had special power from the Holy Spirit given to them. He empowered their ministry.
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Rabboni
This is a Hebrew word. Mark "transliterate" its sounds by substituting the Hebrew letters with Greek letters. Then he explains that it means "Teacher." The translator should do the same, but transliterate it using letters of the target language.
Jesus' resurrection body
There is some mystery about Jesus' body at this point. He was physically present with the scars from the crucifixion but he could also enter into rooms without having to use a door. It is best to leave the mystery in place but explanation may be necessary if the translation does not make sense to the reader.
Two angels in white
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all wrote about angels in white clothing with the women at Jesus' tomb. Two of the authors called them men, but that is only because the angels were in human form. Two of the authors wrote about two angels, but the other two authors wrote about only one of them. It is best to translate each of these passages as it appears in the ULB without trying to make the passages all say exactly the same thing. (See: Matthew 28:1-2 and Mark 16:5 and Luke 24:4 and John 20:12)