The resurrection: historical evidence and theological interpretations

Resurrection

Christ's resurrection from the dead is one of the central images of Christianity and a cornerstone of Christian belief. Referred to throughout the Gospels, the resurrection of the body is particularly meaningful to Pauline thought. Therefore, the 15th chapter of I Corinthians can aptly illustrate the meaning of the resurrection for the Christian community in general. Resurrection was not a unique feature of Christianity, as the notion of rising from the dead played a large part in the ancient religions of Egypt and the Middle East. However, Greek philosophy denied the possibility of resurrection. Paul anticipates the skepticism of his audience when he poses the rhetorical question in I Corinthians 15:12: "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Therefore, Paul's delivery of Christianity to Corinth, Greece could in large part be an attempt to underscore the potency of faith, and the importance of unconditional belief in God and Jesus Christ. Corinthians I establishes Paul as a first-person witness to Christ's resurrection. "last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born," (I Corinthians 15:8). Paul speaks of his vision almost as if it were a dream, for he admits that he was not one of the original twelve apostles: "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God," (I Corinthians 15:9). Therefore, Paul's implication that he personally witnessed the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead might be theoretical only. Paul further states to his Greek audience, "Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed." Belief and faith are therefore the primary intents of Paul's version of the resurrection of Christ; the resurrection's primary function as a central Christian concept is to inspire faith and solidify belief.

Moreover, the resurrection is provided as proof of God's grace. Throughout I Corinthians 15, the chapter of the epistle that refers to the resurrection in greater detail than any other, Paul emphasizes the concept of grace. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me," (I Corinthians 15:10). Paul was initially a detractor of the Christian faith and he portrays his conversion as a function of God's grace. By extension, the resurrection can be viewed also a function of grace, the divine intervention in mundane affairs. As grace is a central concept in Christian ideology, the resurrection is a central motif.

The resurrection also attests to the miraculous powers of the Christ as the only son of God. Christ assisted in the corporeal resurrections of others, such as Lazarus. In spite of Christ's purported special position as the sole son of God, Christ's resurrection is offered as an example of the potential resurrection of all believers. The image of physical resurrection implies that all believers can attain spiritual salvation through Christ. "We will all be changed," says Paul in I Corinthians 15:52). Jesus Christ serves as a symbol of the spiritual resurrection that comes from faith. Whether in spirit or in body, resurrection is possible through unconditional faith. Although for many Christians, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is literal, Paul further hints that the resurrection of the physical body might have purely symbolic meaning: "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable," (I Corinthians 15:50). The notion of actual physical resurrection -- the raising of a corpse from the dead -- might be reserved for a being as miraculous as the Christ.

Through belief in Christ as the son of God, all will attain eternal salvation, another central Christian concept Eternal salvation may be dependent on a symbolic, or spiritual, resurrection, if not a physical one. The resurrection is therefore offered by God as an example of the potential for all Christians to obtain God's grace and salvation. Therefore, Paul's message to the Corinthians in his epistle is that eternal salvation can only be won through faith. Because belief in the resurrection is potentially unpalatable and at least illogical, Paul attempts a logical, rhetorical analysis in light of his Greek audience: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith," (I Corinthians 15:13-14). Again, Paul sets forth faith as the fundamental reason for accepting the resurrection of Christ. Paul states that there is no reason to accept any Christian tenet unless the entire canon of Christianity is embraced.