The life of Jesus
The Sadducees and the Question about the Resurrection
The Sadducees, who deny the resurrection, pose a hypothetical question to Jesus about a woman who, according to Mosaic law, had been married to seven brothers in succession, intending to mock belief in the resurrection. Jesus replies that they are mistaken because they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God: in the resurrection people do not marry but are like angels in heaven. He points out that God called himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—he is not a God of the dead but of the living. The crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Matthew 22,23-33
23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question:
Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ προσῆλθον αὐτῷ Σαδδουκαῖοι, ⸀λέγοντες μὴ εἶναι ἀνάστασιν, καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν
24"Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies without children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
λέγοντες· Διδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· Ἐάν τις ἀποθάνῃ μὴ ἔχων τέκνα, ἐπιγαμβρεύσει ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναστήσει σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.
25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
ἦσαν δὲ παρʼ ἡμῖν ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοί· καὶ ὁ πρῶτος ⸀γήμας ἐτελεύτησεν, καὶ μὴ ἔχων σπέρμα ἀφῆκεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ·
26The same happened with the second and the third, down to the seventh.
ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ δεύτερος καὶ ὁ τρίτος, ἕως τῶν ἑπτά·
27Last of all, the woman died.
ὕστερον δὲ πάντων ἀπέθανεν ⸀ἡ γυνή.
28In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her."
ἐν τῇ ⸂ἀναστάσει οὖν⸃ τίνος τῶν ἑπτὰ ἔσται γυνή; πάντες γὰρ ἔσχον αὐτήν.
29Jesus answered them, "You are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Πλανᾶσθε μὴ εἰδότες τὰς γραφὰς μηδὲ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ θεοῦ·
30In the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage; they are like the angels of God in heaven.
ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε ⸀γαμίζονται, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἄγγελοι ⸀θεοῦ ἐν ⸀τῷ οὐρανῷ εἰσιν·
31And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
περὶ δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῶν νεκρῶν οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑμῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος·
32'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ; οὐκ ἔστιν ⸂ὁ θεὸς⸃ νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων.
33When the crowds heard this, they were astounded at his teaching.
καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ὄχλοι ἐξεπλήσσοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ.