How many earthquakes occurred in the New Testament?

Answer 1

A:Two earthquakes occurred in Matthew's Gospel at especially auspicious times, although neither earthquake was reported by other gospel authors. The first earthquake, occurring at the moment of Jesus' death, opened the graves and the dead arose and walked into Jerusalem, where they were seen by many (Matthew 28:2). The second occurred at the moment the women arrived at the sepulchre, when an angel came down and told them that Jesus was risen (Matthew 27:51). It has been remarked that Matthew was fond of dramatic events.

A third earthquake occurs in Acts of the Apostles, again at a most auspicious time. Paul and Silas had been imprisoned and were singing hymns at midnight, when an earthquake freed them from their shackles (Acts 16:25-26). However, it is not as simple as that - both this and the story of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus appear to have been inspired by the ancient play known as the Bacchae, by Euripides.