This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Dmerrill (talk | contribs) at 16:52, 22 December 2001 (historicity and comparisons to other religious beliefs should come after a npov and sympathetic portrayal). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:52, 22 December 2001 by Dmerrill (talk | contribs) (historicity and comparisons to other religious beliefs should come after a npov and sympathetic portrayal)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the name generally associated with the historical event that God literally raised Jesus Christ from the dead after his Crucifixion. Generally, Christians believe it occurred, but belief in the historicity of the event does not necessarily mean that that the believer is a Christian.
Most people don't believe the event occurred. The belief of most Christians over the last 2000 years is that it really, truly, physically happened.
As one of the miracles mentioned in the New Testament, the Resurrection is arguably the foundational belief of Christianity. Saint Paul said that if it didn't really happen, then Christians were to be pitied above all men. (I Corinthians 15:19) Christians have lived and died the death of martyrs in hope of the resurrection, both in hope of Christ's resurrection in the past and in hope of their own in the future.
Some scripture references in the New Testament that describe this event are:
- Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
- 1 Cor 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
- Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
- 1 Pet 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God
As with all historical events which occurred beyond a few hundred years ago, the issue of historicity is an important aspect of any person's belief in the actual occurrence of the event. In contrast with scientific phenomenon for which reproducibility and falsifiability is important, historical phenomena depend on different criteria, such as uniqueness of occurrence, plausibility of circumstances, and testimony of witnesses. To Christians, however, faith, defined as the belief in things unseen and unprovable, is a fundamental part religious life. It is not considered important whether one can prove truth using historical methods, but whether one has faith in God and in his revelations. In many Christian denominations, faith alone is considered the requirement for salvation, not good works.
Other religions have claims of resurrection, such as Mithraism, Greek worship of Adonis, Egyptian worship of Osiris, the Babylonian story of Tammuz and rural religious belief in the Corn King.
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