True origin of the empty tomb story of Jesus

 
The Christians believe that Jesus rose physically from the dead. They say that he was entombed and vanished from the tomb and appeared alive soon after. The tomb was found empty. The first task of the historian is to see if the authors of the story could have plaigerised or copied the story from somewhere. There is a source of the Jesus tomb tale. That is a sign of myth-making or lying or both.  It prevents history from considering the gospels to be good sources of information about what happened to Jesus' remains.
 
Chariton of Aphrodisias wrote a popular novel about a beautiful woman Callirhoe who was "dead" and left the tomb alive. This tale which would have been known to some early Christians might have led to one of the biggest lies of all time.
 
We have an empty tomb with the stone open just like the New Testament and which was discovered at daybreak. Like the women going to Jesus tomb with herbs and spices they did not need as if it were an excuse so Chaireas does something similar.
 
" THE robbers of the sepulcher had closed it very carelessly, as it was night, and as they were in great haste to get away: and Chaireas, so soon as it was daybreak, went thither; upon pretence of carrying crowns or chaplets and libations; but, in reality, with a resolution to kill himself. As he was unable to bear his separation from Kallirhoe, he thought that death only could heal his anguish. Being come to the Mausoleum, he found the stones of it had been moved, and that the entrance was open. Chaireas was terrified at the sight; and infinitely perplexed, as he did not know how to account for what he saw. Fame, that swift-winged messenger, soon spread through Syracuse the news of this unexpected event; whereupon the whole city ran to the sepulcher; though no one durst enter it, without an order from Hermocrates."
 
The Matthew gospel implies nobody could touch Jesus's tomb without an order from Pilate!
 
Of her tomb we read, "At last, a person going in, and making an exact report of what he had seen; no one would believe that the dead body was not there. Upon this Chaireas himself was determined to enter, from an ardent desire he had to see again his dear Kallirhoe, though dead; but searching every part of the tomb, he could not find the least traces of her. Many not believing that this could be possible, they themselves resolved to go in; and doing so, all were confounded, as not knowing what had happened. One of the spectators then (landing up, cried aloud: The funereal treasures deposited here are stolen, which must have been the horrid work of robbers. But where is the dead body?"
 
Her resurrection is implied. "The populace formed a great variety of conjectures on this occasion; when Chaireas, lifting up his hands towards heaven. What God (cried he) now become my rival, has snatched away Kallirhoe; and by the superiority of his power, withholds my struggling bride? She was carried off instantly, that me might not feel the stroke of death. Thus did Bacchus rob Theseus of Ariadne; and thus Jove stole Semele. But I knew not that my wife was a goddess; and worthy the bed of the immortals only. However, it was notn ecessary for her to have left the world so suddenly as me did, nor for such a cause. Thetis also was a goddess, and yet she continued true to Peleus, and even had a son by him. But I was abandoned in the very slower, the height of my passion."
 
Our "risen" heroine prays, "I conjure thee, (O Venus!) to be propitious to me, hence forward. My sufferings have already been very great. I have been dead to all appearance, and restored to life."

A source for the transfiguration and resurrection of Jesus

Lives of the Philosophers - Empedocles by Diogenes Laertius,

Thus Heraclides, after telling the story of the woman in a trance, how that Empedocles became famous because he had sent away the dead woman alive, goes on to say that he was offering a sacrifice close to the field of Peisianax. Some of his friends had been invited to the sacrifice, including Pausanias.  Then, after the feast, the remainder of the company dispersed and retired to rest, some under the trees in the adjoining field, others wherever they chose, while Empedocles himself remained on the spot where he had reclined at table. At daybreak all got up, and he was the only one missing. A search was made, and they questioned the servants, who said they did not know where he was. Thereupon someone said that in the middle of the night he heard an exceedingly loud voice calling Empedocles. Then he got up and beheld a light in the heavens and a glitter of lamps, but nothing else. His hearers were amazed at what had occurred, and Pausanias came down and sent people to search for him. But later he bade them take no further trouble, for things beyond expectation had happened to him, and it was their duty to sacrifice to him since he was now a god.

There is enough in this story to suggest to a religion monger that the Jesus he is concocting raised the dead, vanishes and ascends to Heaven and is now a god for he is still alive.

Conclusion

There would have been far more material out there than what we have here.  What we have is enough to suggest that the Jesus tale rose in an era used to such narratives and myths.  It was a boiling soup of religion mongering and outright miracle lies.  Mormonism looks impressive until you see that its claims were nothing special or out of the ordinary in its credulous and fantasy world day.  Christianity was the same.