chapter 11: spiritual meaning of the...

Chapter 11: Spiritual meaning of the Resurrection“For Christ … being put to death in the flesh, but quickened

[made alive] by the Spirit …” (I Peter 3:18)

IntroductionEaster is a time of great celebrations. It is a major event in the

Christian calendar. First, there is the sadness of ‘Good Friday’, theday when Jesus was crucified. This is the time when all reflect onthe suffering and pain of Jesus. Then on Sunday comes the time ofrejoicing with the remembrance of the Resurrection.

Until the end of the 19th century, all Christians accepted theResurrection and the Ascension of Jesus as two different eventsseparated by a period of forty days in which the risen Jesus appearedto his followers. But during the 20th century when Bible scholarsstarted to study the Bible more critically they came to differentconclusions. Some Christians take the Resurrection stories of theBible literally whilst others are not sure of their real intention. TheBahá’í Writings offer guidance for a better understanding of thegreat significance of the Resurrection in which Jesus was raised up.

Spiritual meaning of the ‘Resurrection of the Saints’Several stories about dead people who arose from their graves are

found in the New Testament. Matthew tells us about a strange eventthat occurred when Jesus died on the cross:

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saintswhich slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection,and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

(Matt. 27:52–3)In this passage Matthew tells that the saints arose from their

graves after His Resurrection. Yet according to the text this eventoccurred just after Jesus died on the cross. So this statement ofMatthew is telling us that the death and the Resurrection occurred atapproximately the same time (in other words – there is no three daysin between). Much later the Christian calendar began tocommemorate the death of Jesus on Friday whilst the Resurrection iscelebrated on Sunday.

We could also ask ourselves what happened to those saints whocame out of the grave. There are only three possibilities; either they

Spiritual meaning of the Resurrection

2

are still walking around; or they returned back to the grave; or thatthe story has a symbolic meaning.

It is indeed very unlikely that an event such as bodies of thesaints arising physically from the dead really happened. If such anamazing incident had really occurred it would certainly have beenmentioned in history books. Also, everyone who witnessed it wouldhave been compelled into belief. Other than this Gospel, no mentionof such an occurrence has ever been made by historians. Even therenowned Jewish historian, Josephus, who recorded in detail manyevents in Jerusalem during that time, did not mention it.

The fact that this story only appears in the Gospel of Matthewand not the other three Gospels, further supports the idea that it has asymbolic or spiritual meaning. Perhaps the reason why Matthewrelated these events was because he was trying to convince a hostileJewish population that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the OldTestament. He knew that the day of the coming of the Messiahwould also be the day of Judgement. Jews believed that on the dayof Judgement the dead would be physically resurrected and appearbefore the Lord to be judged. For Matthew, the day of Judgementhad now come.

The transfiguration of JesusMark’s gospel tells us that Jesus took Peter, James and John up

on a mountain. Jesus becomes radiant (transfigured) and suddenlyMoses and Elijah appeared to them “And there appeared unto themElijah with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.” (Mark 9:4)This story has many spiritual meanings.

The transfiguration convinced the three that Jesus was indeed thePromised One as it raised Jesus to the same level as the pre-eminentfigures of Judaism. (Also Moses was transfigured on Mount Sinai)

But they were very confused as they knew that according to thescripture Elijah had to come before the coming of the Messiah.Jesus told them plainly Elijah had returned as John the Baptist .1

This appearance of Moses and Elijah both of whom had diedmany centuries ago must have been a tremendous shock for the


3

disciples but the appearance was of a spiritual nature and not anappearance of the body.

In this way, they received an understanding that the spirit ofMoses and Elijah had eternal life and that this spiritual existence wasnot dependent on a body.

The sorrowful heart finds it hard to accept separation. Byshowing the disciples that Moses and Elijah still existed in a spiritualway, Jesus gave them strength and prepared them to accept Hisphysical death. Those three disciples Peter, James and John laterunderstood the spiritual meaning of the resurrection of Jesus. “ForChrist also hath once suffered for sins … being put to death in theflesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1 Peter 3:18)

They remembered the promise of Jesus: “… I am with youalways, even until the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:20). Belief in theresurrection meant that God raised Jesus up and placed Him on Hisexalted, eternal throne. Modern theologians call the resurrection`the act of God to raise Jesus in the meaning of God’.

Raising from the deadWe should note that there are several stories in the Bible about

the bringing of the dead back to life. We have already in theprevious chapter on miracles mentioned how Elisha raised a deadchild.

The story of how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, after he hadbeen in the tomb for four days, is only told in the spiritual Gospel ofJohn. (Surprisingly, Mark, Mathew and Luke do not mention thissensational raising of Lazarus from the dead at the gates ofJerusalem). Since the story of such an extraordinary event is notfound in the other Gospels, one could understand that John wasgiving us a spiritual truth within a story that only serves as anillustration. Indeed John’s Gospel, the last Gospel to be written,places the greatest importance in presenting Jesus as a divinemiracle worker. Many of the stories told about miracles have a deepspiritual meaning as their foundation. The stories mostly illustratespiritual principles. Most theologians believe that the story ofLazarus was told in the early church to illustrate the power of Jesus


4

and that John used this story to bring us a spiritual truth. Let usstudy the spiritual meaning behind the story. This is found at theend of the story when Jesus concluded:

“… I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,though he were dead, yet shall he live …” (John 11:25)

Obviously, Lazarus, and all the others who believed in Jesus,would later have died physically anyway. Therefore, what Jesusmeant by ‘life’ was to believe in Him and accept His Teachings.What Jesus meant by ‘dead’ is made very clear in the followingsentence: “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall neverdie.” (John 11:26) Naturally, everyone has to die one day. It is bestto understand this statement spiritually - that those who do notbelieve in Jesus are spiritually dead.

Resurrection in the Old TestamentThe oldest reference to the resurrection of the dead is found in the

Book of Daniel: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of theearth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame andeverlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2) This verse reminds us howSaint Paul employs similar terminology describing the Resurrectionin his Epistles.

Another reference is found in the second book of the Maccabeeswhich describes the cruel torture and agonising death of sevenJewish martyrs (brothers) in detail. The reason for execution is thatthey refused to eat pork. The King is outraged but even under thegreatest torture they refuse to break this Jewish law.

The second brother exclaimed with his last breath “the King ofthe world will raise us up, since it is for his laws that we die, to liveagain for ever” (2 Maccabees 7:9)

In Judaism the injustice of martyrdom is answered by the abovequotation. Indeed what is the meaning of a martyr’s death if aftersuffering the greatest injustice in this life they are not raised up byGod in the life hereafter?

There can be no doubt that this was the main question theapostles were asking after the terrifyingly cruel death of Jesus when


5

He cried out “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark15:34)

It was only through the power of the Holy Spirit and by searchingthe scriptures for further clues that the early believers were able tounderstand the significance of His death. For example Jesus was thesuffering servant foretold by Isaiah. “He is despised and rejected ofmen; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as itwere our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed himnot” “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruisedfor our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; andwith his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3)

These beautiful verses of Isaiah would provide the backgroundagainst which the evangelists would much later paint the drama ofthe crucifixion of Jesus.

Resurrection appearances of Jesus according to PaulPaul said:“…And that he was seen of Cephas then of the twelve;

after that he was seen of above five-hundred brethren at once…After that he was seen of James then of all the apostles and andlast of all, he was seen of me also…” (1Corinthians 15:5-7)

This list is very different from the list found in the Gospels.First we must explain what Paul means with the verb “seen”.

Paul is using the Greek word “ophthe” . This is a passive verbwhich simply expresses Paul's claim that Jesus "appeared" to them.This verb “ophthe” is used often in the Bible. For example “And avision 'appeared' to Paul in the night. (Acts 16:9) This verseconnects “ophthe” with a vision at night.

Paul is also using the same verb “ophthe” when he describes hispersonal experience on the way of Damascus. It is surprising thatPaul claims to have `seen’ Jesus. It is important to study Paul’sresurrection appearance as it is the only written account in the Bibleof someone who `saw’ the resurrected Jesus. None of the apostlestold us about their experience. The stories are told to us by theevangelists who were not direct witnesses. What happened to Paulwas a miraculous conversion experience. By `seeing’ Jesus Paulexplains how he was spiritually blind to the truth of Jesus but then


6

he `saw’ the truth it was with his inner vision. When Christmanifested himself in this powerful vision (light, the voice of Christ)it was a spiritual not a physical vision. The companions of Pauldidn’t see or hear the physical appearance of Jesus. Paul explainsthat he was the only one who heard the voice.

“And they who were with me…heard not the voice of him thatspake to me. (Acts 22:6)

Exaltation of JesusIn the early church, there was no difference between the

resurrection and the ascension. Both of them were connectedtogether in the expression of ‘the exaltation’ or ‘rising up’ of Jesus.In a text written before the Gospels Paul says: “And being found infashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient untodeath, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also had highlyexalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”

(Phil. 2:8–9)In this passage, which may well be earliest part of the New

Testament, there is no mention of the Resurrection. The wordsmove directly from death on the cross to exaltation into heaven.

For Paul, the Jewish belief in a our own resurrection and theresurrection of Jesus were inextricably linked “And God hath bothraised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power”.Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?

(1 Corinthians 6:14)Paul never uses any of the stories which as were later developed

in the Gospels to prove a miraculous resurrection. It is doubtful ifPaul was aware of the empty tomb story as he doesn’t mention it inhis Writings. The grave would spiritually symbolize the grave ofignorance. This is the grave in which most people are buried beforethey hear of and accept the Word of God.

Most Bible scholars regard the empty tomb story as a much laterdevelopment due to Roman influence dated from the time whenmore and more stories about a miraculous physical Resurrectionstarted to circulate in the early church. It was also during that timethat the Gospels were written.


7

If one compares Paul’s experience with the appearances of theresurrected Jesus to Peter and James, one realizes that theexperiences were all of a similar nature as suggested by Paul’s ownwords in his first letter to the Corinthians. It was a personalexperience. It confirmed Peter, James and the others that Jesus wastruly the Messiah, the Christ, and the Saviour who was expected byall Jews.

Resurrection appearances of Jesus in the GospelsA very different list of resurrection appearances from that of

Paul’s is presented in the Gospels. Also most Christians are notaware that there are many contradictions with the endings when wecompare the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. A detailedstudy of the Bible shows how the story of the resurrection graduallyunfolded from a short sentence in Mark, “He has risen”, into a longembellished story in Luke’s Gospel which was written much later.

The Gospel according to MarkMark’s Gospel is often considered to be the oldest Gospel as itwas written around AD 60. Christian scholars are aware of themany contradictions in the short story given by Mark about theevents that occurred after the crucifixion of Jesus.Mark’s Gospel does not tell about the event of the Resurrectionitself. The story of Mark tells us about an event that occurredafter the Resurrection. It tells us about a messenger, a youngman, who tells a few frightened women who brought spices toanoint the body of Jesus, that Jesus was raised. This young manin white clothes asks the women to tell the apostles to go toGalilee and that there they will see Him. Mark tells us about thewomen: “neither said they anything to any man for they wereafraid” (Mark15:8)This end of the story is very surprising as there is not the usualEaster joy. It is so different from the end of the other Gospels thatbring the. Because of its sad ending, for centuries the last versewasn’t read in the churches. Also they added a new ending.Scholars universally came to the conclusion that the last


8

paragraphs of the Gospel were definitely not written by Mark butwere added much later. This can be deduced from the fact thatthe most ancient manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel do not contain theverses nine to twenty in Chapter sixteen. Therefore, theadditional verses in which Jesus appeared first to MaryMagdalene, (out of whom he had cast seven devils), then inanother form to the disciples, and then ascended into heaven aredefinitely later additions. Actually, most modern Bibles and allscholarly study Bibles now indicate in small print that the verses(Mark 16:9-20) were added later.

The gospel according to MatthewMatthew, a Jewish scribe lived in a time of increasing hostility

from Jews. Mark’s gospel left many questions unanswered and Hewas eager to defend the Christian claims. Therefore he added,expanded and embellished Mark’s narrative further fitting manyimages from the Old Testament into his narration. As well aswriting how saints came out of their graves after Jesus’ resurrection,he also introduced earthquakes, blinding light and angels into hisstory. He also used and adapted the story which was read in thesynagogues shortly after Passover: “And Joshua said, Roll greatstones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keepthem:” (Joshua 10:18). Jews were also familiar with the story inwhich Daniel is put into a lion’s den and a great stone is put over itsentrance and is sealed by the King. But miraculously an angel hadshut the lion’s mouths and Daniel emerges alive. Also thedescription of the angel is very similar to the description of the angelin Daniel 2-9 (“face was like lightning”, garments were “glitteringwhite”, Daniel’s guards were overcome with great trembling).

However scholars pointed out that Matthew went too far in hisanti-Jewish sentiments when he wrote in 27:62-66 that the chiefpriests and Pharisees went the next day (after the burial) to Pilate,secured guards, and placed them on duty at the tomb. This eventaccording to Matthew took place on a Sabbath which would havebeen in clear violation of the rules of the Sabbath. No priest or


9

Pharisee would have broken this most important Jewish law. That isutterly impossible.

But the most important change in Matthew’s story is that outsidethe garden the women encounter the risen Christ. In Matthew’sstory it is not the same as Mark’s version “a man in white clothes”but it is Jesus Himself who gives the message: “Then said Jesusunto them, “Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go intoGalilee, and there shall they see me” (Matt. 28:10)

This is the first account in written Christian history where theappearance of the risen Christ was described.

The Gospel according to LukeAnother great change came with the Gospel of Luke. About forty

years had passed since Paul’s claim to be a witness of theresurrection. Christianity had already moved away from Jerusalemand had been preached outside of Israel. Christianity was not aJewish movement anymore. It was a time when many Romangentiles became Christians. The Romans were not interested in theMessiah of the Jews but they were more interested in a replacementfor their gods who had miraculous powers over life and death.. Toadapt the Jewish message for a gentile audience and use the Romanway of thinking Luke changed the emphasis from a spiritual to aphysical aspects of the Resurrection. Therefore Luke’s risen Christwalks with some believers on the road of Emmaus, materializes inthe midst of his apostles and eats with them.

The New Testament scholar Edward Schillebeeckx stated thatthis Lukan image of Christ could easily be understood by thegentiles because it was very popular in Roman mythology. In thismodel2, when the heroic person dies his earthly remains woulddisappear as he has gone to heaven. From heaven this now divinehero would regularly materialize especially to his followers. Whenthe heroic figure returns from heaven he would be recognizablyhuman.

Thus Luke created - for the first time – different to Mark andMatthew - an Easter narrative divided into two separate actions -separated by time. First there is the resurrection of Jesus. Forty


10

days later is the Ascension. Between those two actions are theappearances. This change had dramatical consequences as muchlater it became part of the Christian calendar. Most Christians todaybelieve that the risen Christ appeared for forty days as the physicallyresuscitated but not yet ascended Jesus. After forty days he went toheaven to prepare for his Return at the end of times.

Luke is also the author of the Book of ActsIn this book Luke continues by telling stories about the

missionary work of the apostles after the death of Jesus crucifixion.Luke spreads resurrection, ascension and the gift of the Spirit over aperiod of fifty days. This was convenient as the story culminates ina Jewish festival of Shavu’ot/Pentecost which is the anniversary ofthe giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai Pentecostwas celebrated 50 days after Pesach (Easter) or Passover in whichJews ate a Passover meal in preparation for the exodus from Egypt.There is a great similarity between the events in the time of Mosesand the story told by Luke.

The Holy Bible tells us: “And Moses … gathered the seventymen of the elders of the people ... And the LORD came down in acloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him,and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, whenthe spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease”(Numbers 11:24-25) )

A similar story is told by Luke but the elders have now beenreplaced with the apostles: “And they were all filled with the HolyGhost…” (Acts 2:4)In this way the Jewish festival of Pentecost received a Christianmeaning.

According to Luke, it was during Pentecost that Peter wouldproclaim to the masses the resurrection of the crucified Jesus. Thisproclamation is very important as it gives us some insight in theunderstanding of Peter. Did Peter proclaim that Jesus appeared tohim in a physical body. No, definitely not. Nowhere does Peterever mention that he was a witness of the resurrection. Instead Peterexpresses the deep spiritual experience of the disciples in realizing


11

that the crucified Jesus was indeed the Saviour, the Messiah, theChrist, who promised to be with them until the end of time.

Using the symbols which could easily be understood by theJewish people, Peter tells us that Jesus was raised up by the power ofGod and was exalted by sitting on the right hand of God. Thisconcept was well understood by the Jews. “He seeing this beforespake of the resurrection of Christ … This Jesus had God raised up… Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted …” (Acts2:31–33).

Jesus was the Messiah as He was fulfilling the words of David:“The Lord [God] said unto my Lord [Messiah], Sit thou on my righthand, until I make my foes thy footstool.” (Acts 2:34–5)

After this proclamation three thousand Jews accepted Jesus astheir Lord and were baptised. In this way the Jewish festival ofPentecost became a celebration for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In contrast to Luke, in the John’s Gospel there is no specificevent called Pentecost but the risen Christ gives the Holy Spirit tothe disciples. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, andsaith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (John 20:22)

Also the Bahá’í Writings confirm that the apostles received theHoly Spirit to go out and teach the Message of Christ.

The Gospel according to St JohnThe Gospel of John was written much later, about 100 AD. It is

the most difficult book to date as it was written over a number ofyears. As it was written in different layers it reflects in many waysan early tradition. In other ways it reflects the time about twentyyears after the Gospel of Luke when Christian leaders had alreadymade a spectacular miracle of the Resurrection instead of the deeplyspiritual experience of the first believers3

John’s Gospel further enhances the story of the empty tomb whenhe describes a race between the disciples to be the first one to reachthe tomb.

Today, many Christians still believe that the apostle Thomas hasdoubts about the resurrection appearances. He wanted to touch thewounds of Jesus physically before he would believe. Therefore he is


12

often called “the doubting Thomas”. Most scholars believe (as onlythe Gospel of John relates the "Doubting Thomas” episode) it was areaction of the traditional church against the growing so-called“Thomas community" who believed that the resurrected Christ was aspirit - not a body. The verse at the end of the story provides anexplanation as in John 20:29 Jesus says: "Blessed are those whohave not seen and yet have come to believe.". John used this story toprove to the growing heretic Thomas community that they werewrong.. 4

The resurrected Jesus – a new dimensionWhen we study the stories in the gospels we see that the

resurrected Jesus is often spoken of as a spirit, one who suddenlyappeared to people, who walked over the water and straight throughwalls. The main idea was that people had to be empowered by Jesusto recognize Him, and that by their vision their faith wasstrengthened. For example in John’s Gospel Mary Magdaleneencounters the risen Christ but did not recognize Him until He spoketo her and called her name.

“And saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus.(John 20:14)

Two believers on the road to Emmaus met Jesus and didn’trecognize

“But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.”(Luke 24:16) Finally after Jesus strengthened them to believe thentheir eyes were opened.

Appearing only to a few selected ones who had faith andwere able to recognize Him: “… when they [the eleven disciples]saw Him [Christ], they worshipped Him: but some doubted.” (Matt.28:17). How could they doubt Him if He was standing before themin a physical body? Only those who had faith were able to see Him.

“Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not it wasJesus.” (John 21:4) It was only after Jesus strengthened them tobelieve by a miraculous event (the catching of many fish) that theyrecognized Him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubting_Thomas


13

The above examples show that the resurrected Christ was verydifferent from the physical Jesus who had just recently died. If theappearances had been physical they would have recognized Himimmediately. It was only when the disciples took the first step andtried to teach His Cause “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and Iwill make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19) that they were divinelyassisted by Jesus Who strengthened them by His appearances andgave them courage and confidence.

“Through the spirit of the love of God they gained a new life, andthey saw Christ living, helping and protecting them. They were likedrops, and they became seas; they were like feeble insects, and theybecame majestic eagles; they were weak and became powerful. Theywere like mirrors facing the sun; verily, some of the light becamemanifest in them”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p.106)

Are the days mentioned in the Bible calendar days?Sometimes they are but in most cases they have symbolic

meanings.For example the third day has a very special meaning. Christians

commonly believe that Jesus was raised up on the third day.However, if Jesus died on Friday, then Sunday is only the secondday. The reason is that `the third day’ has a spiritual meaning forJews. In the Old Testament it is stated that “In the third day he willraise us up”. (Hosea 6:1) There are many other references to thesignificance of “the third day” in ancient Jewish Scriptures. Forexample “for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight ofall people upon mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:11) Ancient Talmudictexts of the Jewish people tell us that the general resurrection willtake place at dawn following the third day after the end of the world.The third day had nothing to do with real days.

Also the fifty days is not calendar time. It is important tounderstand that the fifty days between Easter and Pentacost (the giftof the Holy Spirit followed by the public proclamation by Peter in


14

Jerusalem after which three thousand people were baptised) couldhave been a time period of several years.

Spreading the Easter events over a much longer period hadenormous consequences. Many scholars now believe that whenJesus was crucified the apostles left Jerusalem and returned back toGalilee. This makes sense as much later both Mark and Mathewwould write; “behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shallye see him”(Matt. 28:7). (Luke’s story is very different as in hisgospel the resurrection appearances happen in Jerusalem but manyscholars believe that this is very unlikely. Who is correct? Is Luke’sversion or is John’s version correct?. Bahá’í understanding supportsJohn’s understanding)

What happened next is difficult to determine and the debatebetween scholars has not led to a definite conclusion.. May-be itwas when the apostles were fishing in the calm natural environmentof the lake that one morning, at dawn the risen Jesus appeared tothem. This would be the Easter moment in which the apostlesreceived the absolute certainty that death could not contain theirbeloved Jesus who had the words of eternal life. The message wassimple and the risen Christ repeated it three times when he appearedthe third time according to the Gospel of John; “If you love me youwill feed my sheep” 5 (John 21:14-17) The meaning of feeding thesheep is to teach His Cause.

Many scholars believe that when the apostles started to spread thejoyous message about the risen Christ that they received the gift ofthe Holy Spirit. This is confirmed in John’s gospel “And when hehad said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive yethe Holy Ghost” (John 20:22)

Again it is Luke’s Book of Acts who tells us a very differentstory. In Acts 2:1-4 Luke wrote that the apostles received the Gift ofthe Spirit Pentecost in a spectacular way (sound from heaven, cloventongues like as of fire and speaking in several tongues) in Jerusalem.

It is with that vision of the eternal Christ that the apostles wouldreturn back to Jerusalem to spread the glorious message andestablish the church of Jerusalem which originally was part of


15

Judaism. Unfortunately historical events would take over, Jerusalemwould be destroyed, the Temple of Jerusalem burned and soon theJewish roots would be forgotten and a new Christian theology wouldbe formulated based on evangelizing the pagan masses. At thispoint Judaism and Christianity parted their ways becoming separatereligions. It is also the time when the Gospels were written.

Conclusion from Modern ScholarsThe literal interpretation of the verses in the Bible after the death

of Jesus is full of contradictions. It is impossible to reconcile all thedifferent stories. More and more Christians are aware of this andfeel confused.

A number of Christian scholars have, based on their meticulousresearch published the truth about the resurrection of Jesus (see listin bibliography). This required great courage as many of them haveimportant positions in the church. Often the traditional churchwould interfere and forbid them to continue their research.

However once we have removed the literal interpretation that theresurrection is a physical event which happened within a limitedtime period then the Easter message becomes very simple: It is theaction of God who raised Jesus into the meaning of Christ, the Sonof God. It means that Christ is eternal giving us hope eternal. TheEaster message also contains a call to follow Him, to be like Himwithout fear of death as expressed in the letters of Paul.

It is estimated that at present 95% of New Testament scholars donot accept a physical resurrection as it is not supported by an indepth study of the text. The well known Protestant theologianReinold Niebuhr summed up today’s position when he wrote:“There are very few theologians today who believe that theresurrection actually happened” (The new Theologian, by VedMehta, p. 34).6

The authorative well-respected Harper’s Bible dictionary (p. 864,1985 edition) gives the following definition of Resurrection.

“Resurrection is to be distinguished from resuscitation orreanimation of the physical body. It denotes a completetransformation of the human being” ….


16

Faith in the resurrection is based not on empty tomb but onthe appearances of the Lord. The word used for “appeared” is thesame Greek word used elsewhere for visionary experiences. We maytoday characterize these experiences as revelatory disclosures fromthe transcendent realm. No distinction was drawn between theresurrection and ascension. The resurrections are manifestations ofthe resurrected and already ascended Christ from heaven”

For most scholars the Gospel traditions are pointers to the truth.They are not the truth itself.

These scholars are sincere truthful Christians but they do notlonger carry the Easter truth in a literal framework. They gained adeeper understanding and realise that in this century the renewal ofChristianity can only occur if we remove the shackles and thetraditions of the past. Indeed, if Christianity is not renewed it willbecome irrelevant, a little sideshow in a busy world.

Bahá’í belief in the Resurrection is very similar to the belief ofthese scholars. Their understanding is based directly on theRevelation of Bahá’u’lláh.

Bahá’ís believe in the resurrection but their belief has movedbeyond angelic messengers, empty tomb and ghostlike appearances.

Bahá’ís say;- Yes, to Jesus who manifests God .- Yes to the resurrection – which asserts it is theResurrection which raised Jesus into the meaning ofGod.- Yes to life after death, because one who hasentered in a relationship with the eternal God hasentered life eternal.

We will now end this chapter with a dialogue between a Christianand a Bahá’í about the Resurrection.

Dialogue.Christian: Do you believe in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus

Christ?


17

Bahá’í: Yes, absolutely. “Such is the meaning of theresurrection of Christ, and this was a true resurrection. But as theclergy have neither understood the meaning of the Gospels norcomprehended the symbols, therefore, it has been said that religionis in contradiction with science, and science in opposition toreligion”. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p. 105)

I believe in the Resurrection exactly as is written in the earliesttestimony which we find in the letters of Paul. Paul spoke ofresurrection as spiritual event. The Risen Christ was a spiritualbody. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inheritthe kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1Cor 15:50)

For Paul there was not a two stage process in which Jesus firstcame back to earth (the Resurrection) and than forty days later fromearth to heaven (the Ascension). For Paul, God raised Jesus fromdeath to sit at right hand of God. The resurrection appearances showhow Jesus kept working to build His church. For Paul, the body ofChrist became the church itself.

Paul affirms the resurrection was real. Without the resurrectionthe teachings of Christianity are in vain. Paul wrote: “But if there beno resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christbe not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain”(1 Corinthians 15:13-14)

Christian: What does it mean to you: “Christ is risen”?Bahá’í: We believe that the risen Christ has a spiritual

significance.The Bible tells us “For Christ … being put to death in the flesh,

but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit …” (I Peter 3:18)The gradual development of the Easter experience is over a long

period. But first there was the resurrection experience. When Jesuswas arrested and crucified the apostles fled in fear. This fear wasremoved when the apostles saw the resurrected Christ. To quotefrom the Bahá’í Writings: “they saw Christ living, helping andprotecting them.”

(`Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions p. 107).


18

Bahá’ís do not deny the Resurrection. The Bahá’í Faith explainsthat the Resurrection has both earthly and heavenly manifestations.For us, Christ's Resurrection was real, it was important, and withoutit Christianity becomes meaningless. 7

Christian: I am happy to hear that Bahá’ís believe that theapostles saw Jesus. This is the most important for me. But what isthe real proof of the resurrection for you?

Bahá’í: In the Bahá’í Faith the greatest objective proof for theresurrection is the fact that the teachings of Christ were not dead andburied after His crucifixion but that His Words live on and Hisinfluence has circled the globe and influenced mankind.

`Abdu’l-Bahá said: “Recollect that Christ, solitary and alone,without a helper or protector, without armies and legions, and underthe greatest oppression, uplifted the standard of God before all thepeople of the world, and withstood them, and finally conquered all,although outwardly He was crucified. Now this is a veritablemiracle which can never be denied. There is no need of any otherproof of the truth of Christ”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 101)Christian: I always thought that Bahá’ís did not believe in the

resurrection but now I can see that this is not the case.Bahá’í: Yes we do believe in the Resurrection. `Abdu’l-Bahá

tells us the story of what happened with the disciples at the time.“After the death of Christ the disciples were troubled, and their

ideas and thoughts were discordant and contradictory; later theybecame firm and united, and at the feast of Pentecost they gatheredtogether and detached themselves from the things of this world.Disregarding themselves, they renounced their comfort and worldlyhappiness, sacrificing their body and soul to the Beloved,abandoning their houses, and becoming wanderers and homeless,even forgetting their own existence. Then they received the help ofGod, and the power of the Holy Spirit became manifested; thespirituality of Christ triumphed, and the love of God reigned. Theywere given help at that time and dispersed in different directions,teaching the Cause of God, and giving forth proofs and evidences.


19

So the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles means theirattraction by the Christ Spirit, whereby they acquired stability andfirmness. Through the spirit of the love of God they gained a newlife, and they saw Christ living, helping and protecting them.

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p. 106)


20

Chapter 12: The Ascension-not a journey into space“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.”

(1 Cor. 15:50)“… the Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty of the

Holy Spirit surrounded it.”(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 104)

Ascension of ElijahThe crude image of the physical body of Jesus rising up from earth forty days after the

Resurrection is not a very inspiring image for Christians living in the 21th century, thespace age.

There is nothing unique in the Bible about the story of Jesus’ ascension as severalminor prophets, for example Enoch and Elijah, were also taken bodily into heaven.

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found,because God had translated him …” (Hebrews 11:5)

Elijah lived hundreds of years before Jesus. He performed many miracles that arerecorded in the Bible. Just like Moses, Elijah stood in front of a great river (Jordan) anddivided the waters so that he could walk through it. (2 Kings 2:8) Also, according to theBible, Elijah did not die but he went bodily to heaven.

“… suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and Elijah went up by awhirlwind into heaven …” (2 Kings 2:11)

We can conclude that this is a story to illustrate the important Jewish belief that thatElijah would return. Ascension is related to return. Without Ascension there could notbe a second coming.

The Romans and the early Christians were familiar with the concept of an ascent intoheaven. Several of the Roman emperors were consider to be divine and often after theirdeath a new cult was established.

For example following the death of Augustus in 14 AD, the senator Numerius Atticusdeclared under oath to have witnessed the bodily ascension of the emperor viii. . TheAugustus cult was established and a temple was erected for the worship of Augustus.

Ascension and the GospelsIn the very early church there is no tradition of an Ascension of Jesus. The event of

the Ascension is not a part of the original text of the Gospels with the exception of Lukewho describes the exaltation (resurrection) of Jesus and ascension of Jesus as separateevents.

Gospel of MarkThere is no mention of the Ascension in the Gospel of Mark. Early transcripts (see

Christianity Renewed, Vol. 1) make no difference between the Resurrection and theAscension. At the end of his Gospel the message is given by an angel: “He has risen”

. (Mark 16:6)ix.Gospel of MatthewThe Ascension is not mentioned. The story ends with the promise of Jesus: “I am

with you always, to the close of the age.”(Matt. 28:20)


21

Gospel of LukeIn some versions of Luke’s Gospel the following text is found: “While He blessed

them, He parted from them.” Some later versions add: “and was carried up in heaven.”Gospel of JohnNo Ascension is mentioned.Book of ActsThe event of the Ascension is only mentioned in the Book of Acts, which was written

also by Luke.“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a

cloud received Him out of their sight.”(Acts 1:9).

Many Bible scholars have studied this short sentence because it leaves many questionsunanswered. The Bible does not tell us who witnessed the Ascension. No surprise isexpressed in the Bible for such a spectacular event. There are many indications that thestory has a spiritual meaning. This spiritual meaning, which is given by angels, is thatChrist will return.

“And while they looked steadfastly towards heaven as he went up, behold, two menstood by them in white apparel; Which also said, ‘Ye men of Galilee, this same Jesuswhich is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen himgo into heaven.” (Acts 1:10–11)

Is the forty days calendar days?No. Only the later written Acts of the Apostles mentions “forty days” between Easter

and Ascension (Acts 1:3), obviously recalling the sacred biblical number of forty (Mosesforty days in the wilderness, Elijah’s and Jesus’ forty days of fasting).

Luke’s gospel would play an important role in the establishment around 300 AD of theFeast of the Ascension which commemorates Jesus' ascension into heaven 40 days afterhis resurrection.

It was many centuries before the Ascension became a part of Christian church dogma.Only around AD 400 was the feast of the Ascension established by the church-fathers.

To gain a better understanding of the Ascension, it is important to know the spiritualmeaning of heaven, and the spiritual meaning of the body of Christ.

Spiritual meaning of HeavenIn the story of the Ascension Jesus rose up into the clouds. Two thousand years later

we are inclined to ask questions that are more scientific.As the earth is part of a universe of trillions of stars and planets, and the body of Jesus

kept rising, where in the universe is the body of Jesus now? Since such reasoning isabsurd in the light of present knowledge it becomes clear that Heaven is not another star,billions of light years away, but that we are dealing with a spiritual reality.

Jesus tells us in the Bible that He came down from heaven.“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent

me.” (John 6:38)Yet Jesus was born from the womb of Mary. The Jews at that time asked: “And they

said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is itthen that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” (John 6:42).

When it is said that Jesus is come from heaven, this has not an outward but an innersignificance; it is a spiritual, not a material reality.


22

“The meaning is that though, apparently, Christ was born from the womb of Mary, inreality He came from heaven …. therefore, His disappearance under the earth for threedays has an inner signification and is not an outward fact. Likewise His ascension toheaven is a spiritual and not a material ascension.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some AnsweredQuestions, p. 103–104)

The body of Christ symbolizes the Christian churchThe church is often called the body of Christ in the Bible. For example, when Paul

addresses the first Christians, he said:“Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

(1 Cor. 12:27)Paul even said that the believers are made of the flesh and bones of Christ. “For we

are members of His body, and His flesh, and of His bones.” (Eph. 5:30)These statements show how, in the early church, the body of Jesus was often used as a

symbol for the church.

The Bahá’í Writings tell us that after the Crucifixion, the apostles of Jesus were veryconfused; “they were like a lifeless body”. Only after the power of the Holy Spiritenabled them to realize the true station of Jesus, that Jesus was raised upx or exalted byGod, did the apostles start to teach.

Once the spiritual eyes of the early followers were opened to the understanding thatthe prophecies of the Old Testament were indeed fulfilled in Jesus, it was then that the“sect of the Nazarene” started to grow within the Jewish community and soon the churchcame alive. This is the meaning of the rising of the body of Christ.

The Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body; and when after three days the disciplesbecame assured and steadfast, and began to serve the Cause of Christ, and resolved tospread the divine teachings, putting His councils into practice, and arising to serve Him,the Reality of Christ became resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion foundlife; His teachings and His admonitions become evident and visible. In other words, theCause of Christ was like a lifeless body until the life and the bounty of the Holy Spiritsurrounded it.”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p. 104)

The Christian dilemmaAfter a detailed study of the Greek text, most Christian scholars (see endnote 20) came

to the conclusion that there is no historical foundation for a belief that Jesus physicallyrose up to heaven.

When the well-known Christian scholar Hans Kuhn was asked, “How do we have toimagine the Resurrection?” he answered: “Not at all. ‘Rising up’ and ‘Resurrection’ aremetaphorical, pictorial terms, as used for awakening and rising from sleep. (ProfessorHans Küng, Eternal life p.10).

Hans Küng is a priest and was one of the brightest and rising stars in the church. Hewas professor of fundamental theology and played a major role as a theologicalconsultant in the writing of the documents for the second Vatican council. He sincerelytried to renew Christianity from within the church but was disappointed with the officialresponse from the church.xi


23

His research concluded that the raising up of Jesus by God, the Resurrection fromdeath, exaltation, the sitting at the right hand of God, and the Ascension are all one andthe same in the New Testament.

Bahá’í teachingsThe Bahá’í Faith doesn’t decrease the importance of the Resurrection and Ascension

of Jesus. For Christians and Bahá’ís alike Easter is a belief that the crucified Jesus is theOne who was raised up, risen, exalted by God, and would return to inaugurate theKingdom of God on earth.

When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was asked to explain is the meaning of Christ’s Ascension Hereplied:

“The resurrections of the Divine Manifestations are not of the body. All Their states,Their conditions, Their acts, the things They have established, Their teachings, Theirexpressions, Their parables and Their instructions have a spiritual and divinesignification, and have no connection with material things … apparently, Christ was bornfrom the womb of Mary, in reality He came from heaven, from the centre of the Sun ofReality, from the Divine World and the Spiritual Kingdom. And as it has become evidentthat Christ came from the spiritual heaven of the Divine Kingdom, therefore, Hisdisappearance under the earth for three days has an inner signification and is not anoutward fact. In the same way, His resurrection from the interior of the earth is alsosymbolical; it is a spiritual and divine fact, and not material; and likewise His ascensionto heaven is a spiritual and not a material ascension.

“Beside these explanations, it has been established and proved by science that thevisible heaven is a limitless area, void and empty, where innumerable stars and planetsrevolve….as, for example, this subject of the ascension of Christ with an elemental bodyto the visible heaven is contrary to the science of mathematics. But when the truth of thissubject becomes clear, and the symbol is explained, science in no way contradicts it; but,on the contrary, science and the intelligence affirm it.”

(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, p. 103–5)

1) The last book of the Old Testament is the Book of Malachi which gives as a sign for the coming of the Kingdom the

return of Elijah. It is interesting to note that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the prophet

Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith on April 3, 1836 (Passover). As recorded in Joseph Smith's history, Moroni appeared

to Joseph in the year 1823 and told him that parts of Malachi chapter 3 and all of chapter 4 had not yet been fulfilled

but soon would be. As explained in Volume 3 the Bahá’í era started in 1844.

2) Scholars speak about the Christ of Luke, the divine Christ of John’s gospel as there is so much difference between

the resurrected Christ in the different Gospels. Edward Schillebeeckx finds a strong similarity between the stories

written by Luke and the stories about pagan heroes which were very popular at hat time. (see Edward Schillebeeckx:

Jesus, An experiment in Christology Newyork: Seabury Press 1979).

To gain some understanding of the pagan culture we will give an example of a pagan resurrection story which is found

in the legendary life of the heroic person Romulus, the founder of the city of Rome. It is interesting to read how the

well-known classic gentile historian Plutarch wrote about the legendary Romulus around 25 BC. It gives us some

idea about the pagan culture which later would built temples for the god Quirinus founder of Rome (The new name for

Romulus).


24

This extract is taken from Plutarch’s writings: Life of Numa Pompilius.

“And Proculus, a man of note, took oath that he saw Romulus caught up into heaven in his arms and vestments, and

heard him, as he ascended, cry out that they should hereafter style him by the name of Quirinus."…. Later Proculus

… declared, Romulus the father of our city descended from heaven at dawn this morning and appeared to me. In awe

and reverence I stood before him, praying for permission to look upon his face without sin. "Go", he said, "and tell the

Romans that by heaven's will my Rome shall be capital of the world. Let them learn to be soldiers. Let them know, and

teach their children, that no power on earth can stand against Roman arms". Having spoken these words, he was taken

up again into the sky." Plutarch’s style of writing, the oaths, the descent fromheaven, the taken up in the sky and the

return all reminds us of the Gospel according to Luke.

3) Who was the first witness to the resurrection? This is a difficult question. Both the Gospels of Mark and John tell

us that Mary Magdalene was the first to see the risen Jesus. Did Mary Magdalene return to Galilee with the apostles

we will never know? Maybe some clues could be found in the Gospel of Mary. In Volume 1, it was mentioned that

other Gospels were written, but they never became an accepted part of the Bible. When the church became more

powerful, these Gospels were burned, but some were hidden and later discovered. The Gospel of Mary opens with the

disciples mourning Jesus’ death and are terrified for their own lives. Then Mary Magdalene stands up, explains that

she saw the Lord in a vision, but the disciples do not believe her. Then Mary wept and said to Peter, “My brother

Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I thought this up myself in my heart?” Levi answered and said to Peter,

“Peter you have always been hot tempered. If the Saviour made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Then the

apostles go out to preach and are confirmed in their belief in the risen Jesus Christ. (Elaine Pagels: The Gnostic

Gospels, Penguin books, p. 43)

Also in the Baha’i Faith the importance of Mary Magdalene is confirmed.: “Jesus Christ had twelve disciples and

among His followers a woman known as Mary Magdalene. Judas Iscariot had become a traitor and hypocrite, and after

the crucifixion the remaining eleven disciples were wavering and undecided. It is certain from the evidence of the

Gospels that the one who comforted them and reestablished their faith was Mary Magdalene” (Abdu'l-Baha, The

Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 134)

4) This story and this belief in the authority of Thomas are unique to the gospel of John. Thomas is named as a

disciple in the three other New Testament Gospels, but has no speaking role and is unimportant. In contrast, in the

gospel of John on two occasions prior to this story Thomas does speak. In John 11:16, when Jesus is determined to go

to Judea again despite the threats against him, Thomas says to the other disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with

him." The fourth gospel presents Thomas as a man of strong conviction and courage. Then in John 14, when Jesus is

explaining to his disciples that he is about to go away, Thomas is the first of two disciples to question Jesus. "Lord," he

asks, "we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" And Jesus answers, "I am the way, and the

truth, and the life." (John: 14:5-6)

It may be that the authors of the other New Testament gospels did not know of these statements, for it is hard to

imagine that they would omit this material from their gospel accounts. These passages in the gospel of John remind us

that the fourth gospel is remarkably different from the other three gospels.

5) “This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead. So

when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto

him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second

time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto

him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because


25

he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest

that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep”. (John 21:14-17)

6) An ever growing number of well respected Catholic and Protestant Christian New Testament scholars do not accept

the traditional view of the Resurrection. They do not allow their logical mind to be compromised by stories of a pre-

science era. All of them are sincere but critical Christians who realise that Christianity must be renewed to survive in

the future.We will only give a few names: H. Anderson B. W. Bacon, G. Bornkamm . R. Bultman J. Knox, M. Goguel,

, G. Gloeye, H. Grass, G. W. H. Lampe, , G. H. C. Mac Gregor, R. Gregor Smith,E.C. Hoskyns, C.H. Dod, Rudolf

Bultmann, Reginald Fuller, H. D. A. Majer, W. Marxsen, Joseph Fitzmyer, W.E. Albright, Raymond Brown, Paul

Minear, R.H. Lightfoot, Herman Hendrickx, Edward Schillebeeckx, Hans Kung, Karl Rahner, Phyllis Trible, Jane

Schaberg, D.H. Nineham, Maurice Goguel, bishop John Shelby Spong and countless others. .

Modern scholars believe the resurrection is primarily based on resurrection appearances (of the already ascended

Christ) and the empty tomb story is considered as a later development.

It is beyond the scope of this short introductory book to discuss their understanding and findings in detail but in general

it is the same understanding as found in the Baha’i Holy Writings.

7) There was the proclamation within Palestine that Jesus fulfilled the Jewish scriptures through His resurrection. The

apostles proclaimed: “Death cannot contain him Jesus is Lord”, “Come Lord Jesus”, and as further

explained in the Book of Acts: “God raised Jesus” - “God exalted Jesus” - “Jesus is now sitting onthe right hand of God”. This satisfied the Jewish people’s expectation of the Messianic age in which on the

third day the resurrection of the dead would take place. Through this belief many Jews were baptized accepting Jesus

as their Lord.

This story demonstrates that by following the example of Paul and the early Christians you can be a Christian. The

resurrection narratives and the empty tomb story were developed much later.

It is also important to realize that Paul and the early witnesses always proclaimed that it was God who rose up Jesus –

in other words God had the power - and Jesus was the recipient of that power – He was chosen by God for that purpose.

In his Epistles Paul spoke of Christ being raised up by the power of God about forty times - for example: "And Godboth raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power." (1Cor. 6:14)

It is a simple distinction to make i.e. that God raised Jesus and that Jesus did not raise Himself up - but it has

overwhelmingly important consequences. As we will see, when strict monotheist Judaism came in contact with Greek

and Roman culture this difference would become more blurred and they said that Jesus raised Himself up.

In a further development around 70AD, Christianity lost its Jewish roots during the Jewish wars when the temple was

destroyed and all the people were dispersed by the Romans. The original church of the Nazerene in Jerusalem,

established by Peter and James who were the witnesses of the resurrection, lost its authority. At that time the church

was swamped by pagan converts. It will be seen how Jewish concepts of the resurrection were adapted to suit the

mindset of the pagans who were not interested in the fulfilment of the Old Testament. Then the earthly (bodily) aspects

of the resurrections took on more importance. In that time tales of the death and resurrection of the pagan gods were

commonly known. For example the demi-god Herakles in myth was asked by the gods to maintain a kingly authority

over mankind. He suffered agonies, resigned himself to the will of his divine father and was killed. He was rewarded

by the gods. His mortal remains miraculously disappeared and Heracles was taken up by the gods to Olympus, home

of the gods and Heracles became a god.


26

The death and glorious resurrection of Herakles were celebrated each year in a festival at Tarsus, the boyhood home of

Paul. This gives us some idea about the culture in which that Paul would grow up.

Between 70AD to 110AD the Gospels were written. Today most Christians realize that the gospels are very complex.

There is an ongoing debate amongst Christian scholars about which verses in the Gospels come directly from Jesus,

which verses are the voice of the Jewish Christian community and which verses contain the voice of the Christians

from a pagan background. For example, let’s look at the gospel endings. Depending on which gospel we use Jesus

appears predominately in a spiritual form or in a material form. Mark’s gospel is very short – there are no resurrection

appearances in the first version as the women were afraid and didn’t tell anybody. In Matthew, Jesus only appeared to

those who had faith. Luke was a disciple of Paul and he gave us more of physical bodily appearances. John’s belief in

resurrection is based on the resurrection appearances. Modern scholars believe the resurrection is primarily based on

resurrection appearances of the already ascended Christ and the empty tomb story is considered as a later development

viii) Roman historian Suetonius in his biography of Augustus called Vita Divi Augusti p.100. Ascension was often

connection with great figures of antiquity such as Hercules, Empedocles, Romulus, Alexander the Great, Apolonius of

Tyana and many others.

ix) As we explained earlier, the term “risen” meant for Jews, that Jesus, the Messiah was returned to God. All other

souls, good or bad, suffered in the underworld of the ‘Sheol’ until the day of Judgement when they would receive their

body back. (See Chapter 4, Spiritual meaning of heaven and hell.)

x) Paul even says that all of us were ‘dead in sins’ but we were ‘all made alive again in Christ’. “And hath raised us

up together, and made us sit together in heavenly palaces in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6) This means that in a spiritual

sense the resurrection and ascension happen to everybody who believes and follows the Messenger of God.

xi) “Professor Hans Küng, in his writings, has departed from the integral truth of Catholic faith, and therefore he

can no longer be considered a Catholic theologian nor function as such in a teaching role." Declaration on Hans Küng

promulgated by Pope John Paul II, 18 December, 1979.

chapter 11: spiritual meaning of the...

Documents