Resurrection - strengths and weaknesses

• Spiritual

  Strength: Jesus appeared to walk through doors after his resurrection

  Weakness: his resurrection was still physical too

  Strength: there is biblical evidence for a soul

  Weakness: what's the point of another being having your soul? Or a being that doesn't have your body?

  Strength: church teaching confirms the idea of a soul

  Weakness: christianity contradicts itself
• Physical

  Strength: many eyewitness accounts

  Weakness: could be lying. Jesus was not the same, he was not instantly recognised. Something must have been different. It could've been a spiritual resurrection and his soul was placed into a temporary body so he was not recognised

  Strength: church teaching supports Augustine's theory of a physical resurrection

  Weakness: science denies this

  Strength: flesh is needed in resurrection to be healed by sin

  Weakness: how can a physical body be tainted by sin?
• Are Christian beliefs in resurrection reasonable?

  Yes: Augustine - stained with original sin

  No: it's not reasonable to believe our physical body needs healing. Did Jesus' resurrection not already wash away original sin? Why do we need to be resurrected too?

  Yes: resurrection was physical. Jesus appeared to women, ate with disciples, many eyewitnesses

  No: bultmann and Demythologisation. Disciples wanted Jesus to be alive again to bring them comfort. Did not happen

  Yes: Paul's letter. Worked with eyewitnesses.

  No: no scientific evidence