The Bible records that after Jesus was buried, the Pharisees urged Pilate to place a guard at the tomb of Jesus because of His teachings proclaiming He would rise from the grave. Due to fear that His disciples would steal the body, Pilate approved. It is not 100% certain if it was the Jewish temple guard or the Roman guard, but the story in the Gospels implies Roman guards. Most scholars that do accept the guards at the tomb favor the Roman guards or even both parties ([James Orr](https://paperpile.com/app/p/c04d03b8-d757-040d-8428-3cc820a82aa4 'THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS'), [The Guard at the Tomb](https://paperpile.com/app/p/844801d6-b59a-0c6d-9124-95effab9d4ad 'The Guard at the Tomb'), [Gospel Of Peter](https://paperpile.com/app/p/8082d58a-8e78-03b4-adbc-790a3cd7218d 'The Gospel According To Peter: A Study'), [Gospel of Nicodemus](https://paperpile.com/app/p/e59a140a-0d2d-06e8-821a-e13001a17733 'Gospel of Nicodemus'), [The Report of Pilate to the Emperor Claudius](https://paperpile.com/app/p/f7a77cab-1567-0269-9ad0-ea244828dc2c 'The Report of Pilate to the Emperor Claudius'), [E. LeCamus](https://www.soh.church/the-roman-guard-evidence-for-the-resurrection/#:~:text=George%20Currie%20states-%20%E2%80%9CThe%20punishment%20for%20quitting%20post,to%20duty%2C%20especially%20night%20watches%E2%80%9D.%20Think%20about%20that.), [William Lane Craig](https://paperpile.com/app/p/024ab78b-ebc6-01c7-9a88-2c57eb8baeb5 'The Resurrection of the Son of God')). **If the guards were Roman** The Roman "guards" were several men that rotated throughout the night so that one set of guards could rest while the other kept watch. The cost for falling asleep or leaving the post in that time period was death, as we know from an official decree ([FF Bruce](https://paperpile.com/app/p/e93f58fd-8718-0333-90d5-193e8ef640d3 'Christianity Under Claudius')) where Caesar threatens capital punishment ([Eric M Meyers and James F Strange](https://paperpile.com/app/p/f7a51637-349a-0bb6-933e-9b4377400ea3 'Archaeology, the Rabbis and Early Christianity'), [Bruce M Metzger](https://paperpile.com/app/p/38ebb578-4151-0b52-b7ce-06a8825d8989 'The Nazareth Inscription Once Again'), [Craig A Evans and Robert Guelich](https://paperpile.com/app/p/672d17ba-f5ea-0340-810a-0142bb2f482c 'Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 34b, Mark 8:27-16:20 (evans)')). The work of Polybius and others also shows how men that left their post were executed ([Polybius](https://paperpile.com/app/p/caf6ca98-ff11-0399-97a2-7f04f9ba7ee6 'The Complete Histories of Polybius'), [Charles 1797-1867 Anthon and William Smith](https://paperpile.com/app/p/15001e2d-30f5-0c3a-a3cc-7b1878a66f1b 'A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'), [George Currie](https://paperpile.com/app/p/daf0d1b4-b902-0b60-9898-790d79b8c771 'The Military Discipline of the Romans from the Founding of the City to the Close of the Republic')). **If the guards were Jewish** Some have argued that the tomb was guarded by the Jewish Temple Guard given the facts of the story such as that Christians know what the guard reported to the Pharisees ([Hans Freiherr von Campenhausen](https://paperpile.com/app/p/7f1a135f-9306-0b9b-aae4-f38d23518c32 'Der Ablauf der Osterereignisse und das leere Grab')), and that the Pharisees' conversation with Pilate is a Christian inference of what occurred. Perry regards the placement of a Jewish temple guard at the tomb by the Jews as historically defensible ([Michael Charles Perry](https://paperpile.com/app/p/ca09c9a9-57ea-038a-99c7-a086be193f1b 'The Easter enigma an essay on the Resurrection with speical reference to the data of psychical research')). The biblical account notes that after Jesus' burial, the Pharisees, concerned about His prophecy of resurrection, requested Pilate to secure Jesus' tomb. This led to the deployment of guards, although it remains unclear whether they were Roman soldiers, Jewish temple guards, or a combination of both. The Gospels imply Roman involvement at the tomb, and many scholars lean towards this view due to the high stakes associated with guarding the tomb and the severe penalties for Roman soldiers abandoning their posts, which included death. Conversely, the presence of Jewish temple guards is considered plausible by some scholars based on the narrative details and interactions within the biblical texts, such as the guards' report to the Pharisees. The debate between whether Roman or Jewish guards were stationed is part of the broader discussion regarding the historical events surrounding Jesus' resurrection.