1. Synthesis
The New Testament of the Bible documents the life and teachings of Jesus, as well as his death and resurrection. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a crucial aspect of Christianity as it is the key moment in which man was reconciled with God and saved from sin.
The Bible tell us that Jesus was executed by the Romans through the means of crucifixion, which is backed up by various historical sources and eyewitness testimonies. The eyewitness accounts of his crucifixion, told in the gospels, specify the fact that Jesus’ death had already occurred when Roman soldiers proceeded to break the legs of the men crucified, leaving no doubt of Jesus’ death, John 19:33 states that “when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs”.
The Bible then tells us of Jesus’ resurrection, an event that occurred 3 days after his death and was witnessed by multiple people who later gave eyewitness accounts. In the Bible, one of the events which makes clear the fact that Jesus had risen is when he appears to Mary Magdalene. John 20:11-18 tells us of Jesus’ interaction with Mary and of how Mary had no doubt that it was Jesus standing before us. Jesus is documented to have appeared to several more people after his resurrection before ascending into heaven.
The bible also tells us of the significance of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection is significant because it confirms the fact that man is now justified with god. This is evident in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 which states “…that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures”. In the Bible, we also learn through eyewitness accounts that Jesus says that his resurrection was a precursor to our eternal life with god and that we also shall rise again through him. This is evident in John 11:25 which states, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live”.
2. Do you believe in the bible’s description of a bodily resurrection?
Personally, I agree with some parts of the bible’s description of a bodily resurrection. My family’s faith, Islam describes Jesus as messenger of god although not the son of god. Similar to the Bible, the Quran in Islam says that Jesus ascended into heaven and will return, but contrary to the bible, the Quran says that Jesus never died and was saved by god at the last minute of his execution. This is contradictory to the Bible and its eyewitness testimonies.
My personal views on this are not as defined as following one specific faith however, and the fact that the Bible is in fact an older text than the Quran and is based on eyewitness testimonies and accounts, unlike the Quran, suggest to me that there is more evidence that Jesus die actually die. As for the resurrection, there are various accounts of people witnessing Jesus alive 3 days after his crucifixion. Whilst I do not concretely believe the resurrection, I find it hard to dismiss these pieces of evidence. Furthermore, I believe that the significance of the resurrection and the lifeline it provides to humanity is more important than the actual act of resurrection and I believe that if we are indeed saved from sin and once again tied to God, even if the resurrection did not happen it is still a focal point of the our life.
Some critics of the resurrection claim that Jesus’ disappearance from his tomb and his subsequent rising was a mistake made by the