Second-century legends (Gospel of Peter) feature absurd embellishments absent from canonical Gospels

The Gospel of Peter (a late second-century apocryphal work) has a giant talking cross emerge from the tomb, with Jesus exiting so tall his head is above the clouds. The witnesses are the Pharisees and Romans gathered around. This is what legendary development actually looks like — bizarre, supernatural embellishment with impossible details. The canonical Gospels' empty tomb accounts, featuring women going to prepare a body, are historically plausible and mundane by comparison.