Resurrecting Jesus: Embodying the Spirit of a Revolutionary Mystic

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According to Hurtado, powerful religious experiences were an indispensable factor in the emergence of Christ-devotion. [177] [note 20] Those experiences "seem to have included visions of (and/or ascents to) God's heaven, in which the glorified Christ was seen in an exalted position." [5] [note 3] Those experiences were interpreted in the framework of God's redemptive purposes, as reflected in the scriptures, in a "dynamic interaction between devout, prayerful searching for, and pondering over, scriptural texts and continuing powerful religious experiences." [180] This initiated a "new devotional pattern unprecedented in Jewish monotheism," that is, the worship of Jesus next to God, [181] giving Jesus a central place because his ministry, and its consequences, had a strong impact on his early followers. [182] Revelations, including those visions, but also inspired and spontaneous utterances, and "charismatic exegesis" of the Jewish scriptures, convinced them that this devotion was commanded by God. [183] Allison refers to "Crossan, Historical Jesus, 391–4; idem, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994), 123–58; idem, Who Killed Jesus? Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996), 160–77))" After surviving the crucifixion, Jesus and his mother migrated to another land [295] where he continued his mission.

Géza Vermes notes that the story of the empty tomb conflicts with notions of a spiritual resurrection. According to Vermes, "[t]he strictly Jewish bond of spirit and body is better served by the idea of the empty tomb and is no doubt responsible for the introduction of the notions of palpability (Thomas in John) and eating (Luke and John)." [129] Ahmadi Muslims believe that, as Jesus is the Messiah to the Children of Israel [288] his objective was to gather their following. For this reason, Ahmadis believe that Jesus survived the crucifixion, as supported by the Qur'an, [289] [290] [291] [292] as a death on the cross would be a cursed one, supported by the Bible. [293] This belief is held as Jesus had other "sheep" to tend to. [294] He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Where is your focus today? The pain? The problem? The unknown? Don’t look past the fact that the tomb is empty. Don’t look past what the empty tomb means. Realize the empty tomb speaks of resurrection hope.Corinthians 15:3–7: "...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..." [44] The dream of spiritual restoration and spiritual healing is possible. The dream of physical, relational, emotional healing is possible. All things are possible. Eternal life with Christ in glory is possible. No longer does a person need to be burdened down with guilt and sin. No longer hopeless regarding the curse of sin and death. The hope of forgiveness of sin is possible in Jesus’ name. Main articles: Acheiropoieta, Shroud of Turin, and Veil of Veronica Secondo Pia's 1898 negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin has an appearance suggesting a positive image. It is used as part of the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.

Belief in bodily resurrection was a constant note of the Christian church in antiquity. Augustine of Hippo accepted it at the time of his conversion in 386. [254] Augustine defended resurrection, and argued that given that Christ has risen, there is resurrection of the dead. [255] [256] Moreover, he argued that the death and resurrection of Jesus was for the salvation of man, stating: "to achieve each resurrection of ours, the savior paid with his single life, and he pre-enacted and presented his one and only one by way of sacrament and by way of model." [257] New Testament historian Bart D. Ehrman writes that it can't be known what happened to Jesus's body; he doubts that Jesus had a decent burial, [101] and also thinks that it is doubtful that Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea specifically. [102] According to Ehrman, "what was originally a vague statement that the unnamed Jewish leaders buried Jesus becomes a story of one leader in particular, who is named, doing so." [103] [note 10] Ehrman gives three reasons for doubting a decent burial. Referring to Hengel and Crossan, Ehrman argues that crucifixion was meant "to torture and humiliate a person as fully as possible," and the body was normally left on the stake to be eaten by animals. [105] Ehrman further argues that criminals were usually buried in common graves; [106] and Pilate had no concern for Jewish sensitivities, which makes it unlikely that he would have allowed Jesus to be buried. [107]

The Resurrection of Jesus is the Hope of Humanity

James F. McGrath refers to 4 Maccabees, [30] "which presents a martyr praying "Be merciful to your people, and let our punishment suffice for them. Make my blood their purification, and take my life in exchange for theirs". [31] Clearly, there were ideas that existed in the Judaism of the time that helped make sense of the death of the righteous in terms of atonement." [web 4] The kerygma of 1 Corinthians 15:3 states that "Christ died for our sins." [note 7] The meaning of that kerygma is a matter of debate, and open to multiple interpretations. Traditionally, this kerygma is interpreted as meaning that Jesus's death was an atonement or ransom for, or propitiation or expiation of, God's wrath against humanity because of their sins. With Jesus's death, humanity was freed from this wrath. [238] [web 14] [note 25] In the classical Protestant understanding, which has dominated the understanding of Paul's writings, humans partake in this salvation by faith in Jesus Christ; this faith is a grace given by God, and people are justified by God through Jesus Christ and faith in Him. [239] As Mary turns away in despair from the empty tomb, Jesus confronts Mary regarding her sadness of heart and her tears of sorrow.

For the Christian tradition, the bodily resurrection was the restoration to life of a transformed body powered by spirit, [web 3] as described by Paul and the Gospel authors, that led to the establishment of Christianity. In Christian theology, the resurrection of Jesus is "the central mystery of the Christian faith". [2] It provides the foundation for that faith, as commemorated by Easter, along with Jesus's life, death and sayings. [3] For Christians, his resurrection is the guarantee that all the Christian dead will be resurrected at Christ's parousia (second coming). [4] During the first millennium AD, the ransom theory of atonement was the dominant metaphor, both in eastern and western Christianity, until it was replaced in the west by Anselmus's satisfaction theory of atonement. [247] The ransom theory of atonement says that Christ liberated humanity from slavery to sin and Satan, and thus death, by giving his own life as a ransom sacrifice to Satan, swapping the life of the perfect (Jesus), for the lives of the imperfect (humans). It entails the idea that God deceived the devil, [248] and that Satan, or death, had "legitimate rights" [248] over sinful souls in the afterlife, due to the fall of man and inherited sin. Jesus told his disciples and tells us today: I am the resurrection and the life. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.Although the Resurrection was an historical event that could be verified by the sign of the empty tomb and by the reality of the apostles' encounters with the risen Christ, still it remains at the very heart of the mystery of faith as something that transcends and surpasses history. [152] [153] The resurrection of Jesus Christ not only validates His deity, but it also validates the Old Testament prophecies that foretold of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection (see Acts 17:2–3). Christ’s resurrection also authenticated His own claims that He would be raised on the third day (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). If Jesus Christ is not resurrected, then we have no hope that we will be, either. In fact, apart from Christ’s resurrection, we have no Savior, no salvation, and no hope of eternal life. As Paul said, our faith would be “useless,” the gospel would be altogether powerless, and our sins would remain unforgiven (1 Corinthians 15:14–19). See also: Gospel harmony, Passion of Jesus, Burial of Jesus, Empty tomb, and Myrrhbearers Germain Pilon (French, d. 1590), Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Marble, before 1572 Contra a decent burial, Martin Hengel has argued that Jesus was buried in disgrace as an executed criminal who died a shameful death, [91] [92] a view which is "now widely accepted and has become entrenched in scholarly literature." [91] John Dominic Crossan argued that Jesus's followers did not know what happened to the body. [93] [note 8] According to Crossan, Joseph of Arimathea is "a total Markan creation in name, in place, and in function", [94] [note 9] arguing that Jesus's followers inferred from Deut. 21:22–23 that Jesus was buried by a group of law-abiding Jews, as described in Acts 13:29. Most Fellows of the Jesus Seminar also concluded that this tradition dates to before Paul's conversion, c. AD 33. [24]