Recap – what do we know about the resurrection? Paul and John

How do we explain the resurrection?

Lessons 5&6 NT Wright and R Bultmann WALT: Describe and explain challenges to the resurrection. Explain, Analyse and evaluate views of Bultmann and Wright. R Bultmann 1884-1976 NT Wright 1948 - present

How could you oppose the claim that Jesus resurrected? The Jesus Appearances Hallucinations, from grief (eg sense of a loved one’s presence) Wish fulfillment: did not want Messiah they had believed in to be dead Fraud: disciples did not want the Jesus-movement to die, so invented appearances. No corroborating evidence: no external historical documents record resurrection eg Tacitus, Josephus (do mention crucifixion) No impartial witnesses eg Jews, romans Others myths of resurrection eg Mithras The Missing Body Someone could have just taken the body away, to give the impression he had risen It could have been the wrong tomb Swoon theory - Jesus never died, just “swooned” and recovered later, so he was not buried

Bultmann “Form” critic - analyses the “form” the gospels to find that they are written in (hymns, sayings, prophecies, parables..not by one single author writing history!) concluded that the gospels DO NOT record Jesus’ actual personality or teaching. Rather they show the way Christians remembered and passed on who Jesus was to them. No point in trying to find actual historical facts about Jesus from the gospels. Is this “lack of hard facts” a problem for faith? Bultmann thinks this lack of historical fact is not a problem. The gospels use mythical language to communicate deep, life-changing truths. We today need to uncover these truths, and pu them into our own way of speaking, so they can mean something to us.

the central meaning of the gospel message for today. Demythologised. DON’T FRET ABOUT THE FACTS No facts you can be sure of. Facts by themselves don’t lead to faith - faith comes from hearing the apostolic preaching: without this, facts mean nothing. How Bultmann sees the gospel Early Christians “tell” the story of Jesus in mythical language (eg “Son of God”, Jesus “died for our sins”, Jesus “walks on water” etc) Today, we need to demythologise – strip away the mythical language, to get back to the inside “truths” they were trying to tell us The demythologised gospel makes better sense to modern minds. But we won’t ever get back to the “bare facts”. The “bare facts” do not teach us anything by themselves anyway. We need the apostolic preaching. (the kerygma) Gospel as Myth Eg heaven/ hell/ resurrection. Jesus is as the Son of God. Jesus’ death is death for our sins. This is all mythological language. Not helpful.. Kerygma the central meaning of the gospel message for today. Demythologised. Myth = the use of imagery to speak about other worldly realities. Myths are true when properly understood.

myth The kerygma demythologising No certain facts Explain what Bultmann’s project is. Do you think demythologizing the gospel is a good way to read the gospel? Do you stand to lose anything if you do this? The kerygma demythologising No certain facts

What do you get, if you try to “demythologise” the resurrection? An other-worldly afterlife What are the “mythological elements” you might need to strip away? What do you get left with? God’s wrath Heaven / hell Resurrected bodies Jesus the divine Son of God there is a higher power (God) this power sees and judges human actions it vindicates the just Resurrected life is life of a different kind: defeating death in the hope and power of the spirit. Human life now has the possibility of having the life of God within it. we can live this resurrected life now if we are baptised in Jesus’ name

If the resurrection were an historical fact, faith would become superfluous. What is decisive is not that Jesus came to life again but that he is, for you, the Risen One. The one who was crucified is alive again if you see him as such with the eyes of faith.”

Which alternative? Reduces to ethical teachings: The resurrection, like the rest of the gospel, is to teach us ethics – truths about living in our life today. And tells us about our final hope as humans: (eschatology) the resurrection reveals God’s ultimate judgement, forgiveness and gift of resurrection life (hope and love that defeats death & despair) Believe the mythological: ignore the scientific evidence Believe in people rising from the dead Believe in another actual life apart from biological life Believe in heaven/ hell

Harry Potter gets told that “it’s all happening in his mind” – but is it less true for that?

The Resurrection as “Truth” not “Fact” Can the resurrection be seen as a “truth”, rather than a fact? Do facts matter? Or believing the kerygma the key to faith? Whatever the “facts” of the resurrection might be, we can never know. We only know that it happened. The resurrection is a truth about reality. (God’s judgment, saving presence, forgiveness) Faith is not faith in facts, but belief in the preaching of the Apostles. The Apostles preached the kerygma, not facts You cannot know that we have been forgiven from sin, from just looking at the fact that Jesus died on a cross. You cannot know that God gives us resurrected life, just from the fact of the resurrection. You need the Apostles’ preaching for this. What matters is believing the kerygma - the gospel message preached by the disciples. They knew Jesus, what he meant for them. It changed them. We put our faith in their preaching.

REDEFINES TRUTH!

Summarise…