The Resurrection
Resurrection is the rising from the dead of a divine or human being who still retains
his own personhood, or individuality, though the body may or may not be
changed. The belief in the resurrection of the body is usually associated
with Christianity, because of the doctrine of the Resurrection of Christ,
but it also is associated with later Judaism, which provided basic ideas
that were expanded in Christianity and Islam.
Ancient Middle Eastern religious thought provided a background for
belief in the resurrection of a divine being (e.g., the Babylonian
vegetation god Tammuz), but belief in personal resurrection of humans was
unknown.
In Greco-Roman religious thought there was a belief in the immortality
of the soul, but not in the resurrection of the body. Symbolic
resurrection, or rebirth of the spirit, occurred in the Hellenistic
mystery religions, such as the religion of the goddess Isis, but
postmortem corporeal resurrection was not recognized.
The expectation of the resurrection of the dead is found in several Old
Testament works. In the Book of Ezekiel, there is an anticipation that the
righteous Israelites will rise from the dead. The Book of Daniel further
developed the hope of resurrection with both the righteous and unrighteous
Israelites being raised from the dead, after which will occur a judgment,
with the righteous participating in an eternal messianic kingdom and the
unrighteous being excluded. In some intertestamental literature, such as
The Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, there is an expectation of a universal
resurrection at the advent of the Messiah.
The Resurrection of Christ, a central doctrine of Christianity, is
based on the belief that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the
third day after his Crucifixion and that through his conquering of death
all believers will subsequently share in his victory over "sin, death, and
the devil." The celebration of this event, called Easter, or the Festival
of the Resurrection, is the major feast day of the church. The accounts of
the Resurrection of Jesus are found in the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John—and various theological expressions of the early church's
universal conviction and consensus that Christ rose from the dead are
found throughout the rest of the New Testament, especially in the letters
of the Apostle Paul (e.g., 1 Cor. 15).According to the Gospel accounts,
certain woman disciples went to the tomb of Jesus, which was located in
the garden of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin (the supreme
Jewish religious court) and a secret disciple of Jesus. They found the
stone sealing the tomb moved and the tomb empty, and they informed Peter
and other disciples that the body of Jesus was not there. Later, various
disciples saw Jesus in Jerusalem, even entering a room that was locked; he
was also seen in Galilee. (Accounts of the locations and occasions of the
appearances differ in various Gospels.) Other than such appearances noted
in the Gospels, the account of the resurrected Lord's walking the Earth
for 40 days and subsequently ascending into heaven is found only in the
book of the Acts of the Apostles.
Islam also teaches a doctrine of the resurrection. First, at Doomsday,
all men will die and then be raised from the dead. Second, each person
will be judged according to the record of his life that is kept in two
books, one listing the good deeds, the other the evil deeds. After the
Judgment the unbelievers will be placed in hell and the faithful Muslims
will go to paradise, a place of happiness and bliss.
Zoroastrianism holds a belief in a final overthrow of
Evil, a general resurrection, a Last Judgment, and the restoration of a
cleansed world to the righteous.
|
