The resurrection of Jesus

• belief in life after death was a late development in jewish thinking in the old testament era, and was not a prominent belief in Judaism, but belief in the resurrection of Jesus was from the very start and still is, for many christians, a central tenet of the christian faith for a number of reasons
• reasons why resurrection of Jesus is so central to christianity:

  it forms the basis of the christian hope of life after death
• reasons why resurrection of Jesus is so central to christianity:

  Paul expressed memorably the sheer pointlessness of life and faith if the resurrection of Jesus is a fiction. 1 corinthians 15:17-19: 'and if christ has not been raised, your faith is futile... if only for this life we have hope in christ, we are of all people most to be pitied'
• 1 corinthians 15:17-19: 'and if christ has not been raised, your faith is futile... if only for this life we have hope in christ, we are of all people most to be pitied'
• reasons why resurrection of Jesus is so central to christianity:

  all four gospels state that the tomb was empty:

  • all accounts of the resurrection appearances have in common the fact that his friends knew it was Jesus, though not necessarily immediately
  • he was the same, yet different, and not subject to human limitations
• reasons why resurrection of Jesus is so central to christianity:

  it was a unique event:

  • those whom Jesus was said to have raised to life would in the future have faced death again
  • Jesus through god's power conquered death, which opened up the possibility of eternal life after death for humanity
• reasons why resurrection of Jesus is so central to christianity:

  christians interpret this idea of resurrection for humanity in different ways:

  • some think in terms of physical resurrection
  • others think in terms of spiritual resurrection