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Correction #2: [quote](28:1a) Now it is the evening of the Sabbath (end of the 15th). CLNT [/quote] Matthew 28:1 uses the plural form of Sabbath: σαββατων, not the singular and it is also Genetive, which means it is possesive - "of sabbaths". οψε δε σαββατων "δε" is almost always used as a contrast word, to indicate a new subject - it is sometimes translated "and" and frequently translated "but". Also, it usually follows the first word of a sentence, but in English is the first word. Example: νυν δε ζητειτε John 8:40 But now you seek... "οψε" - means "late" or "eve". Usually it is used in reference to time for a single day. This preposition however refers to a plural noun - in this case: "Sabbaths". Literally translated: But late of Sabbaths... If "after" was meant, Matthew could have used "meta"(in accusative), as here: μετα δε το εγερθηναι Matt 26:32 "But after I am risen" or he could have used "διαγενομενου" Mark 16:1 ..which means to "go through or pass" (in this case, a single Sabbath) Matthew is giving an indication of the time frame(of Sabbaths that fell on different days): "But late of Sabbaths, as it began to draw on to one of the Sabbaths" I've used "draw on" here because it is the same word used in Luke 23:54 - επεφωσκεν "And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on."

Correction number 3:

The word "day" being supplied is not neccessarily a product of biased translation. It has to do with Greek Grammer. In this short explanation I am correcting both myself and the author of article.

It must be noted that "Sabbath" in plural or singular forms, be it genetive, nominative or whichever case, is a *NEUTER* noun.

Adjectives must match the genders of the nouns they modify. For instance:

Matt 26:17 leaves out the word "day" in "the first day of Unleavened Bread". It literally reads "first of Unleavened"

"Unleavened" is Genetive and it's gender is Neuter
"first" in this passage is feminine

Therefore the adjective "first" cannot modify the noun "Unleavened". There must be a word supplied, a feminine noun. That noun is "day" - in feminine.

In any case, we know that this addition is correct not only because of the rules of Greek Grammer, but also because Mark 14:12 *does* supply the word "day" after "first" in the same passage.

The word "one", as differentiated from "first" like other adjectives and nouns, can be either masculine, feminine or neuter.

Here are some examples of "one" in nueter:

Luke 5:3 "...one of the ships"
Matt 12:11 "...one sheep"
Matt 5:18 "...one jot"
Matt 5:29 "one of thy members"

In all the examples above the word for "one" is "εν" (with the double accent above it - that I cannot display here. The double accent is important else the word has a different meaning) - and the nouns in these passages are neuter.

If a person wanted to say "one of the Sabbaths" with no word being implied by grammatical rules, one would say:

"εν των σαββατων" (remembering double accent above the (εν))
not
"μια των σαββατων"
where "μια" is feminine, not nueter

HOWEVER:

The addition of the word "day" does NOT magically change Cardinal "1" (μια) into Ordinal "first"(πρωτη)

"μια των σαββατων" with the word "day" added to fit the gramatical requirement would literally read:
"one [day] of Sabbaths"...or how we would say in English:

One Sabbath day, or
A certain Sabbath day

How do we know this? Well, "day of Sabbaths", without the word "one" being attached to it is used elsewhere in a number of places to say "The Sabbath day". Here are some examples:

Luke 4:16 "ημερα των σαββατων" - "day of Sabbaths" Christ went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, as per His custom
Acts 13:14 "ημερα των σαββατων" - "day of Sabbaths" Paul and Barnabas go into the Synagogue on the "day of Sabbaths" - or "the Sabbath day"
Acts 16:13 "ημερα των σαββατων" - "day of Sabbaths" - they go out of the city by the river on the Sabbath day

If (μια) is added to any of the above passages the phrase becomes:

"One day of Sabbaths" or "One of the Sabbath days" or "A certain Sabbath day" which all mean the same thing.

If instead (πρωτη) "first" were used instead of (μια) "one" then the phrase becomes:

"First day of Sabbaths".

Fortunately, all four Gospel writers used the word "1" not "first" do describe the "when" of the women comming to the tomb, excepting Mark 16:9 - which I explained above.

The use of the word "certain" can be justified by other texts that use "1" (in whatever gender) to describe a certain thing or person. Examples:

Mark 12:42 "μια χηρα πτωχη" - "a certain poor widow" or literally "one poor widow"
Luke 5:12 "μια των πολεων" "a certain city" or literally "one of the cities"

And one that pertains specifically to this study:

Luke 5:17 "μια των ημερων" - "a certain day" or literally "one of the days"

Now it is the evening of the Sabbath (end of the 15th). CLNT [/quote] Matthew 28:1 uses the plural form of Sabbath: σαββατων, not the singular and it is also Genetive, which means it is possesive - "of sabbaths". οψε δε σαββατων "δε" is almost always used as a contrast word, to indicate a new subject - it is sometimes translated "and" and frequently translated "but". Also, it usually follows the first word of a sentence, but in English is the first word. Example: νυν δε ζητειτε John 8:40 But now you seek... "οψε" - means "late" or "eve". Usually it is used in reference to time for a single day. This preposition however refers to a plural noun - in this case: "Sabbaths". Literally translated: But late of Sabbaths...

I think Matthew was referring to the "Later" of the two Sabbaths that appeared that week. The first, The Sabbath of Unleavened on Wednesday...and the second, the weekly Sabbath that is the subject of his sentence: The Greek word "OYE" is usually translated "after" but it primarily means "late" with reference to time.....as you say. It also can be used to denote "Eve"....depending on the context. "oye" de sabbatwn th epifwskoush eiV mian sabbatwn hlqen maria h magdalhnh kai h allh maria qewrhsai ton tafon

A good translation would be "On the later of the Sabbaths at the dawn to the first of the Sabbaths came Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary to see the tomb." [Matthew 28:1]

Matthew specifically relates that it is the latter of the two Sabbaths occurring that week....and one was known as "The first of the Sabbaths" since it was the first special Sabbath (SABBATWN) between Passover and Pentecost.