The account of the tomb guards and the high priests conspiring to cover up the resurrection of Jesus is found only in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 28:11-15). This raises the question: how did Matthew know about this secret meeting and agreement? There are several possibilities, none of which can be definitively proven:
* Divine Revelation: Some believe that Matthew received this information directly from God through inspiration. This aligns with the belief that the Gospels are divinely inspired and contain information not accessible through normal means.
* Eyewitness Account: It is possible that one of Matthew's sources was an eyewitness to the events. This could have been a sympathetic guard who later converted to Christianity, or someone who overheard the conversation. However, this is speculative as Matthew doesn't explicitly state that.
* Inferred Knowledge/Logical Deduction: Matthew might have inferred the conspiracy based on other evidence. For example, the fact that the tomb was empty and that the guards were silenced could have led him to conclude that a cover-up was in place. However, this doesn't explain how he knew the specific details of the bribe.
* Rumor and Testimony: It's possible that the story of the guards and the high priests circulated as a rumor within the early Christian community. Matthew may have included it in his Gospel based on this widespread belief.
* Apostolic Tradition: Matthew, being one of the twelve apostles, could have heard about the story from Jesus himself after the resurrection.
Ultimately, the exact source of Matthew's information remains a mystery. Scholars have different theories, but there is no definitive answer within the text itself.