1. Jesus – His resurrection thine be the glory

2. Jesus – His resurrection
The views of Rudolf Bultmann and N.T. Wright on the relation of the resurrection event to history; interpretation and application to the understanding of death, the soul, resurrected body and the afterlife, with reference to Matthew 10:28; John 20-21; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 1:21-24.

3. Matthew 10:28
‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’ Page 1082

4. John 20-21 2. John 20 – summary of events
3. Analysis of the Resurrection in John 21 – read the sections and write a very brief summary.
John and Peter see but don’t believe
Mary Magdalene – doesn’t recognise JC –change in resurrected body
Jesus gives Mary a message for the apostles – will ascend to heaven and Holy Spirit will arrive
Jesus said ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’
Disciples go back to fishing
Disciples must go and carry on God’s work
Thomas – feels wounds and believes
Blessedness through faith
Jesus appears to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (1-14)
 Jesus commissions Peter to shepherd his people (21:15-23)
 There is a tradition in Christianity that Peter was crucified upside down in 67CE – So these words may not be the true words of Jesus. As John’s Gospel was not written until late in the 1st Century CE, the author would already know how Peter died.
John’s testimony confirmed
It might not actually have been written by John himself, it could have been a disciple based on John’s eyewitness accounts.

5. Resurrection Appearances and The Gospel of John Ch.20
Ch.20 contains four of the five resurrection appearances (fishing appearance & commission of Peter is in Ch.21) In Ch.20, the appearances in a very literary- structured way: chiastic structure. The arrangement and order of the stories is patterned, to repeat certain ideas, and to draw attention to a central, implicit, idea.(ABCBA)
What repeating ideas can you find across the pairs
A1 –A2
B1-B2
why is C central?
- The true disciple (represented by the Beloved Disciple, John, who enters tomb first – and those who follow his testimony) will believe on indirect evidence, by faith.
- Jesus can’t be immediately recognised: faith is a gift of Jesus’ own presence. His resurrected person brings people into a new relation with him : new community.
- Gift of HS “breathed” as in first creation of man: a new creation established. WHOLE PURPOSE of Jesus’ mission, so central. What does this mean? Not yet clear…need faith?
A2. John ends Ch.20 for his readers to believe “these things have been written in order that you might believe, and so have life” (20:31)
A1. Disciples have been told by MM that tomb is empty. John, running with Peter, enters the empty tomb and he “saw and believed” (20:8)
B1. MM, crying outside the tomb - Jesus approaches her – she doesn’t recognise him (10:8) She tries to cling to him physically but he says “I am ascending to My Father and Your Father”
B2. Thomas didn’t believe other disciples. Jesus offers his wounds for him to touch, and Thomas acknowledges him “My Lord and My God” (20:8) Jesus responds “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe”..
C. Jesus appears to disciples in locked room, shows them wounds. They recognise him (20:22) They receive HS for forgiveness of sins.(doesn’t seem to change them much)

6. What – new community and relationship with God How – through faith
JOHN
What – new community and relationship with God
How – through faith
Why – Holy Spirit
Paul
What – new resurrected body PIGS
How – seed planted
Why – Adam to Christ new nature

7. 1 Corinthians 15 Page 1276
4. Link to Acts 9 - St Paul claimed Jesus appeared to him on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christians in that city. 5. How does St Paul attempt to show that Christian believers will be resurrected? 6. What does St Paul mean by first fruits? 7. How does St Paul describe the resurrected body? 8. What evidence have we already read to support the view that that resurrected body will be different? e.g. Mary Magdalene, disciples, john 20:19 9. St Paul does not explain: How the body will change, when the change will occur – at an individual’s death or collectively at the end of time, if everyone will be resurrected or only believers. He does explain that both the body and soul will be resurrected.

8. Philippians 1:21-24
‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.’ Page 1302
10. Explain the highlighted points – What is St Paul saying to the Philippians about life after death?

9. The nature of death & the after-life
B. 1 Cor 15 Why we die
As Adam died, so we, like him can only expect physical, biological life. But if joined to Christ, like him, can expect new-physical, eternal life. A new creation.
If Christ is not raised, sins are not forgiven, we are dead to God. All depends on truth of resurrection occurring. (cf. Mt 10:28 The devil/ sin can kill).
C. Mt 10:28 Immortality of Soul
Soul is immortal: if Christians are killed, “only” their body dies. Still soul is in danger from “the devil” and can be destroyed because of sin, together with the body
D. Philipians
To live eternally is to be “in Christ”. This is Paul’s, desire, happiness
The 4 characteristics of resurrected body (PIGS):
Powerful: no longer depends on limitations of this physical world
Imperishable: can no longer die
Glorious: shares in holiness and splendour of God
Spiritual : it is a heavenly body ie body animated by an eternal spirit
A. John The Resurrection Body.
Unlimited by space/ time: goes through locked doors, appear at relevant moments.
All knowing – knows thoughts of Doubting Thomas even though was not present.
Eats at will, not from necessity: physical body following will of the spirit. Handles physical objects eg food, walking on a road.
Same person, but different: not immediately recognised as same person. Wounds. Same voice (Magdalene). Same memories / relationships.
Unexpectedly humble form: not “shining brightly” like an other-worldly figure, victorious Messiah to be. Mistaken for a gardener & fellow traveller.

10. Problems of Historicity
John is very keen to emphasise the eyewitness nature of his account. The resurrection of Christ is for him, as for Paul, an objective fact, witnessed to by many.
What are some contradictions/ differences from other gospels Luke?
Catch of fish & breakfast– Jn.21.
Earlier parallels?
Surprising details?
Mysterious aspects?
call of first disciples at start of gospel.
Miraculous provision of fish – also “revealing”.
So why don’t they recognise him? Only Peter?
charcoal fire of Peter’s denials? Threefold affirmation.
– aim is to reinstate Peter, in eyes of other disciples, not Jesus actual words to Peter…Peter already dead by time of writing, so what is the point of this “prophecy”? Who is it addressed to? Later addition..?
Luke Acts 2:1-13 Sending of Holy Spirit
– is this a different event? Or the same event being retold by John?
..meant to happen until after ascension “after I go” Jn16:7, cf.Acts 1:4
…In Acts, disciples filled with power, gifts of languages, healing. No change in John.
CONTRADICTIONS
Mary Magdalene – extra story in Jn: fit with chiasm on believing without physical proof
Location – Jersualem and Galilee in Jn, but only Jerusalem in Lk. (both in Mt/Mk)
Holy Spirit – in Jn, is given by Jesus, before ascension, & makes little difference to the disciples. (need for faith? Emphasising it as a gift of Jesus/ the new community is formed by him?) YET – still harmony with other accounts – manner of appearances, HS
Luke 24 Appearances
No story of Mary Magdalene. No doubting Thomas. Instead, disciples on way to Emmaus. Not the emphasis on faith without proof.
Jesus appears only in Jerusalem (tomb) not sea of Galilee
Commission to “be sent” and preach: in Jn - disciples sent as Jesus was, “as the Father sent me”, with his own spirit, given by himself.

11. Evaluate the extent to which the resurrection accounts are historical.
Examine what the New Testament reveals about the resurrection.
Evaluate the extent to which the resurrection accounts are historical.

12. Demythologisation Harry Potter and the deathly hallows
In the clip we started the topic with, Dumbledore says ‘Words are the most inexhaustible source of magic’ – words not wands!
Here, J K Rowling is demythologising her own created world (recognising the magic as myth but the message as true). None of Harry’s existential questions are answered concerning what is beyond as these issues are less important than the qualities of heroism, truth and love that the story is truly about.

13. When Harry asks whether this is real or just in his head, the answer is that it is in his head – but that doesn’t mean that it’s not real!
The debate between theologians regarding the resurrection of Jesus concerns whether or not it has to have been a historical reality to be meaningful.

14. How can this link to ideas about Jesus?
Bultmann
If you became world-famous, would future generations, who knew your name, know you? Would it be your fame?
The living public might be able to check out some details about what you are like, and confirm the reality of you – but for future generations, who only have “relics” of your existence (video, accounts), you are a construct, known only as an “object of tradition”. The person they admired, would be a stranger to you.
How can this link to ideas about Jesus?
Facts - -  Impressions/ Tradition  Beliefs = TRUTH

15. He always had a smile, and it would put me in a good mood…
Rudolf Bultmann
“Form” critic - analysed the “form” the gospels to find the styles that they are written in (hymns, sayings, prophecies, parables) This provides evidence that several authors may have been involved, and the text written in different stages and in different contexts. No “real words” of Jesus.
concluded that the gospels DO NOT record Jesus’ actual personality or teaching.
Rather they show the way Christians presented who Jesus was to them.
No point in trying to find actual historical facts about Jesus from the gospels. We can get at the meaning. we can’t get at the facts.
Bultmann thinks this lack of historical fact is not a problem.
The gospels aim to communicate existential truths. (truths about life, death, human purpose and destiny, God). Meaning, not facts.
They might use mythical language to communicate these. We today need to uncover these truths, and put them into our own way of speaking, so they can communicate something to us.
Why doesn’t Bultmann consider the gospel to be about transmission of facts? Is he right?
He always had a smile, and it would put me in a good mood…
We present meaning to each other, not facts..

16. is the true core of the gospel & has meaning for today.
How Bultmann reads the Gospel
Myth = the use of imagery to speak about other worldly realities. Myths are true when properly understood.
Early Christians present Jesus & his life in mythical language, because they are communicating meaning/ truths, not facts (eg “Son of God”, Jesus “died for our sins”, Jesus “walks on water” etc) Existential truths.
Today, we need to demythologise – strip back their mythical language, as it makes no sense to us, to get back to the existential truths they were trying to communicate.
We won’t ever get back to the “bare facts”, and these by themselves, are useless anyway. We need the understanding that the Apostles had: the kerygma – their preaching (which was not a preaching of facts, but of truths).
How does Bultmann think we should approach the Gospel?
Will this make the Gospel more accessible to modern minds?
Gospel is Myth
Eg heaven/ hell/ resurrection. Jesus is as the Son of God. Jesus’ death for our sins. This is all mythological language.
Kerygma
demythologised.
is the true core of the gospel & has meaning for today.
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 Word” - correctly understanding the apostolic preaching: facts by themselves mean nothing.

17. Have a go at “demythologising”
Demythologise the gospel story you have been given. What might you end up with?
Miracle of water into wine
Miracle of loaves and fishes
Miraculous healing
Rules:
you need to identify any language that is symbolic, representional, expressive
“translate” such mythical language into truths it might be trying to convey
do not take miraculous details literally
uncover their existential meaning

18. What do you get, if you “demythologise” the resurrection accounts
What do you get, if you “demythologise” the resurrection accounts? Answers
Match them up.
Demythologised Existential Truths
there is a higher power beyond physical universe (God)
this power sees and judges human actions
it vindicates the just & affirms universal justice. Possibility of knowing forgiveness & hope; the defeat of despair
Resurrected life is life of a different kind: (hope and power of the spirit).
Human life now has the possibility of having the life of God within it
we can live this spirit-filled life if we are baptised in Jesus’ name
Mythological Elements
Heaven / hell
earthquakes/ darkness
Jesus’ physical resurrection
Jesus’ transformed super-body
sudden appearances eg locked doors
miraculous catch of fish
Jesus the Son of God
What do you think of the result?
Does it make better sense of the resurrection, than a literal understanding? Does this way of reading the gospel, lose out in any way?

19. Bultmann and demythologisation
It boiled down to three options for him:
Retreat from this modernist / enlightened world into the mythical world, suspending the intellect
Find all mythological passages in the New Testament and reduce Christianity down to ethical teaching or
Find the deeper meaning of the mythological passages and discover the true meanings within them. This was Bultmann’s preference, accepting that there was a transcendent reality and arguing that we need to live in that reality / future now.

20. Bultmann
11. What does demythologised mean? 12. How does Bultmann interpret the resurrection? He insisted that the resurrection was not a historical event, but a story invented to sustain faith. The early disciples believed it to be true but it is unreasonable for scientifically aware modernists to believe in a resurrection of a corpse. Despite upsetting Conservative Christians and dismissing the historicity of much of the Gospels, Bultmann defined himself as a Christian and preached in church!!

21. Therefore his position was:
Jesus is the Son of God, not in a literal sense but as an expression of God
Belief in his resurrection is unnecessary to faith, indeed it is contrary to faith. ‘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.’
Modern Christians cannot accept the resurrection with integrity because it can never be proved and even if it could, it could not in itself give meaning to the event of the crucifixion.
The resurrection in its demythologised form is seen as the realisation that the cross of Christ was not a defeat but a victory. The disciples suddenly realised when he suffered death that Jesus was already the Son of God. The Lord of Life had given himself over to death and therefore death was a type of victory over the power of death; death was conquered.
Thus the crucifixion of Jesus contained the resurrection within it. There was no second historical event.
The victory comes through the cross. Faith in the resurrection is really the same things as faith in the saving efficacy of the cross.
This faith comes through faith in the preaching of the gospel, which originates from the rise of that belief in the disciples themselves.
The significance is not in the idea that this actually happened but in the belief in it – in its meaning.
Easter is thus about the arising, not of Jesus, but of the faith of the Early Church.
Faith is important! We don’t need the Jesus of history but the Christ of faith!

22. Bultmann – demythologising approach, to uncover the kerygma - more reliable and relevant than facts
NT Wright – the resurrection is more than myth – only if it really happened can we explain changes from Jewish and Greek afterlife beliefs, and explain puzzles in the actual story. St. Paul: if Christ is not raised, you are still in your sins..
Can the resurrection be seen as a “truth”, rather than a fact?
Do facts matter?
Or is believing the kerygma the key to faith?

23. N.T. Wright
Type in this link and watch the six minute video on Youtube – there are other useful videos to watch too.
N.T. Wright summary

24. The Resurrection: Evidence for its historicity?
To consider challenges that the resurrection really happened
To describe and evaluate NT Wright’s argument
NT Wright present

25. 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

26. NT Wright argues that the missing body + the appearances by themselves, might be explained…but together, they make a persuasive case. Why?
If there is no body, and simultaneously there are appearances of that person – there is a physical and logical link. The missing body makes you wonder if the hallucinations are only hallucinations; the appearances make you wonder if the body really is missing…
For either Part A or Part B, evaluate how convincing Wright’s points are, with a comment.
Feedback your evaluation to the class.
Has Wright convinced you to take the Resurrection as historically true?
NT Wright develops two arguments
Based on the Gospel texts, only Jesus’ real, physical resurrection solves some problems:
Jesus’ appearances – how we explain them
the important role of women, countercultural
style of writing: brief, sparse, factitive, puzzled .
B. How else do we explain early Christians’ change in behaviour and beliefs, if not because it really happened?
why did they risk death and danger, travel, leave livelihoods, join communities, live differently?
why did they make resurrection as a central part of their faith and have different ideas about it, than the Jews – unanimously? They made 7 key changes in their afterlife/ Messiah beliefs “The 7 Mutations”

27. How did NT Wright score? Were his points persuasive for you?
Jewish Messiah beliefs – would die
range of Jewish belief in Resurrection, but Christians united
Empty tomb AND appearances – both together convincing
Centrality of res. to Christians, not Jews
Women witnesses
Hallucinations? - unlikely to persuade Jesus had actually died
Christians believe same things about what happens at “resurrection”
Style of narrative
Individual resurrection in middle of history, unthinkable to Jews
Disciples’ reaction – go preaching, scorn death
Resurrection brings real newness for Christians, not just metaphorically
No expectation of physical, bodily resurrection – wouldn’t have been suggested.
Early tradition of calling Jesus “Lord”

28. Outline NT Wright’s arguments in support of the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.
Complete the diagram
The Gospel accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus are historically true. Evaluate this view.

29. http://resource. download. wjec. co. uk. s3. amazonaws
16/15-16_37/eng/theme01/unit02/04-resurrection-3.html

30. AO2 Resurrection The nature of the resurrected body.
The historical reliability of the resurrection.

31. The nature of the resurrected body.

32. The historical reliability of the resurrection.