The Controversy Over Christ's Resurrection: Historical Event Or Symbol

The resurrection of Jesus himself is a concept that is hard to believe. How can a man come back to life, and why is this the first time this has happened? Jesus was not written about till after his death. The gospels were told by Jesus’ apostles and their recollection of Jesus and his teachings. The Council of Nicaea were Christian theologians who decided which stories about Jesus to include in the Bible. The Council of Nicaea left out the Gnostic gospels “hidden knowledge” which talked about Jesus’s early childhood. Why should we believe the council when they left out the parts of Jesus’ life they did not agree with.“Even those whose hearts were inclined to accept the new faith required some intellectual satisfaction before they were willing to commit: How can God be three separate beings- God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit- and one indivisible being at the same time? If Jesus is “coeternal” with God, why is there no mention of him in the two thousand-year tradition of Hebrew writings? If Jesus is the divine Son of God, how could he experience such human emotions as temptation, fear, and loneliness?” 1 (pg. 229)

The foundation of the Christian faith is cradled within truth of the virgin birth, life, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As diverse as the world-wide Christian culture is, the truth in the birth and life of Jesus stands without border and language limitations. Just as each individual life story can be adapted to be relevant for a variety of audiences, the birth story of the Messiah was also. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke are an example of the well-rounded and diverse narration of the birth story of Jesus—Matthew’s narration spoke to the history of the Jewish people and Luke presented to the citizen of Rome.

including the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Christ” ( Moran 191 ). This made

N.T. Wright releases “How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels” with the affirmation that the church has come to emphasis almost exclusively on Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. Although, the gospels devote the majority of their time on Jesus’ life. Jesus’s life, death, resurrection and rise did not hint the end of the old Israel story, but redirected it further to a worldwide effort of adaptation. Wright addresses several New Testament documented interpreters who present the gospels as simply “the prognosis of early Christian faith, reflecting the disputes and predicaments of the early church,” something Wright calls a “half-truth”. Wright argues that notwithstanding the gospels countless differences, none of

The resurrection of Christ is an event that if true provides good evidence that Jesus is truly the son of God. Christ 's resurrection is an event which only God himself could perform. This resurrection is far different from the everyday resurrection by medical equipment. This resurrection is an eternal

Through Matthew 27:11-66 it is evident that the governor Pontius Pilate plays a crucial role in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Scholars throughout history have provided support to see Pilate as positive, negative, or neutral role in the retelling of the crucifixion. Warren Carter is one of the many scholars who have taken note of Pilate’s role in history and within the source “Pontius Pilate. Portraits of a Roman Governor” Carter argues that Pilate is a negative character. He goes as far to claim that Pilate was one to actively seek conflict. While Carter argues that Pilate’s role is one of negativity, I would argue, that through a socio-culture view, that Pilate is not a negative figure, but an ambivalent one, due to his lack to enforce.

Death, resurrection and the afterlife have always been a topic of debate. The resurrection of the body itself has been an even more discussed topic. In NT Wrights youtube video, “Death, Resurrection, and the Afterlife” he discusses this very subject. He says that this question is rarely mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament this topic does arise more often, but does not show a great significance. However, he answers these questions. What is the importance of life after death during the time that Jesus lived? What are the teachings found in the New Testament that relate to the resurrection of Jesus,? Why are the theological teachings of the resurrection necessary and what is the portrayal that they Bible illustrates of a believer's death? Also, how will the resurrection effect the earth and how do the teachings in the Bible about death, resurrection and the afterlife differ from what most Christians believe today. NT Wright begins his video with his explanation of Life After Death.

There is far reaching agreement among researchers today over a wide religious spectrum that the resurrection of Jesus is the focal point of Christianity, asserted by conventional believers in light of New Testament passages like 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. However, it is also declared by secular analytical intellectuals also. One of the major confrontational arguments facing Christian theology or apologetics is the resurrection of Jesus being a significant part; therefore, if the

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most debated issues throughout history. Christians place their trust in a resurrected Christ for salvation and a promise of eternal life. If the resurrection never happened, Christianity is a lie and people have been mislead for generations. On the other hand if the resurrection is true, Christianity is true also. This issue is of extreme importance because one’s soul is at stake. If all the claims that Christians make for the resurrection are true, the evidence for these claims must be examined. Equally important, are the claims against the resurrection; they too need to be looked at with careful consideration. Because so much is at stake, the question must be answered: Is the

The four “facts” and subsequent points listed in this article, are the most convincing argument for Christ’s resurrection

The Historical Jesus: Five Views edited by J.K Beilby and P.R Eddy is a most interesting book to say the least. This is a great book to be introduced into the world of the historical Jesus. Along with the editors we have five contributors hence the name “Five Views”. This includes Robert M. Price, J.D Crossan, Luke Timothy Johnson, D.G Dunn and Darrel L. Bock. Each contributor presents their own views of the historical Jesus presented in the gospels and what they believe.

The Gnostic Gospels written by Elaine Pagel discusses the origins of the Christian faith and the true reasons behind some of the Christian’s beliefs. Pagel claims that the theological disputes between the Orthodox Church and Gnostics in the early stages of Christianity were largely motivated by the political struggle for leadership of the religion. Orthodox Christians supported texts and interpretations to strengthen their goal which was to create an organization of believers. Gnostics, who was not necessarily seeking authority over Christianity, were eventually overshadowed by the supremacy of the Orthodox. Prior to the discovery of the artifact at Nag Hammadi in Egypt 1945 there were only had texts that support the Orthodox Christians belief, now historians were able to fully evaluate the two groups in a new prospective. Some of the writings found in this newly discovered artifact are believed to be the Gospel of Thomas and Mary Magdalene. Although Mary Magdalene does not have a book in the current bible, it is believed by many gnostic Christians that Jesus came to her in spirit after his death and passed on to her the secret knowledge of enlightenment. The new gospels that were discovered in Nag Hammadi doesn’t emphases on the birth or death of Jesus as the current biblical gospels do, but focuses more on Jesus’ life. Each chapter is devoted to a major theological problem that divides the Orthodox from the Gnostic. Pagel makes a compelling case that theological beliefs

had blessed and broken it he took the cup again he gave it thanks and

Many people believe that there is only one account of the Passion of Jesus Christ or they believe that each story is the same; whereas there are four separate Gospel accounts of the Passion of Our Lord. Each of these Gospel accounts supplements the others, however each gospel account of the crucifixion of Jesus is unique, not only in how the story is told but also in the events and features themselves. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John clearly present different portrayals of the death of Jesus Christ. By examining each account the reader discovers the evangelist's understanding of the death accounts of the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The reader must examine and compare all of the Gospel accounts to have a full and

The word "gospel" is a translation of the Greek word "euangelion" which means "good news. The first three books in the New Testament (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels (from Greek synoptikos, "seen together") They bear greater similarity to each other than any of the other gospels in the New Testament. Along with these similarities come some differences among the gospels, suggesting that each gospel was written for a specific audience and for a specific purpose. This paper will examine the resurrection of Jesus, while identifying the significant differences between Mark, Matthew and Luke. This paper will also analyze the differences to suggest the prominent theological perspective each gospel author