The Missing Link In the Resurrection Chain
Today while I was sitting in church with my family I decided to read the post resurrection accounts in the Gospels. I have been thinking a lot about the notion of a resurrection and what that could mean for Christianity.
I started thinking about it initially in light of Calvinism's claim that Jesus only redeems the elect. By this theory, then it would make sense that he might only show himself to a select few people after he was resurrected. But then I started thinking about the greater implications at large; the authorship and timing of the writing of the Gospels, the other early Christian writings, the possibilities of myth and the evolution of community thought, I decided that this was worth looking into a little further.
For the sake of modern acceptance reasons I will only look at what we find in the 5 Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts.
Matthew 28- Mary and Mary went to the sepulcher. When they arrived there was an earthquake and the angel rolled back the stone blocking the entrance to it. He sat on the stone and told them not to be afraid and the angel invited them in to have a look to see that Jesus was not there. He then tells them to go and tell the other disciples what they have seen, and that Jesus is going before them to Galilee.
They now head to Galilee where they are met by Jesus himself who again tells them directly to go to Galilee and tell his brethren. He would catch up with them there.
The text also then asserts that the elders devised a conspiracy to say that Jesus' disciples paid the guards to let them take his body. This might be one explanation of his disappearance.
Meanwhile, back in Galilee, the 11 disciples all gathered at the mountain that Jesus told them to. It says that when they saw him that some doubted and some believed. He the gave them the commission to go into the world and spread his teaching that hey gave to them. Then the book ends.
Mark 16- Mary, Mary, and Salome went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body. On the way they were wondering how they were going to get the stone rolled away in order to get in. However, when they arrived they found that the stone had already been moved. So they went inside and they saw a [young] man sitting inside who told them that Jesus was gone. He then tells them to go tell the other disciples and that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. It then says that they didn't say a word to anyone because of fear.
Then on the first day of the week, Jesus went and only appeared to Mary Magdalene. She tried to tell the others but they mourned and did not believe her. So then Jesus goes and visits two other disciples but this time it says that he does so by taking on another form. They did not believe that he was risen.
After that, he then appeared unto the 11 again and reprimanded them for their unbelief. He then gave them a final charge, and then he ascended up into Heaven and sat at the right hand of God.
Luke 24- On the first day of the week someone went to the tomb of Jesus and found the stone to be rolled away. Then they went into the tomb and did not find Jesus. They were perplexed until 2 men appeared to them and told them what had happened. They then told them also to go to Galilee, so they did and they told the others who did not believe. So Peter decides to go have a look for himself. He sees the linen and then wonders what is going to happen next.
That same day, 2 of them [it does not mention who] were walking to Emmaus talking about these events. While they were talking, Jesus "draws near" to them and went with them; but he did something to blind their eyes so that they wouldn't know it was him. He then asks them why they are so upset and they give him their story. After he hears this he then explains everything to them from Moses and the Prophets. They are pretty intrigued so they ask him if he will hang out with them for the night and he agrees.
Later that night, while they were eating, he then decides to open their eyes and let them see that it is him. However, as soon as they see that it is him, he then vanishes from their sight. They were then amazed and returned to Jerusalem with the other 11 and told them what happened. While they were telling the story Jesus appears out of thin air and starts talking to them. They get freaked out thinking that this is a ghost so he lets them touch him and he asks for some food.
He then teaches and convinces them more about everything that had happened to him and to them and tells them to wait for him in Jerusalem. Then he takes time out to Bethany where he blesses them and is carried away into Heaven.
John 20-21- Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and finds the stone rolled away so she runs to Peter and John and tells them. They then ran back to check it out. They couldn't figure out why the tomb was empty so they went home. Meanwhile, Mary stays where she sees 2 angels inside the tomb where Jesus' body would have been; one at the head and one at the feet. They asked her why she was weeping and she told them, but when she looked back it was just Jesus; but she didn't know it was him so she just told her story to who she thought was the gardener. It wasn't until he said her name that she knew it was him somehow.
She then goes to grab him and he tells her not to touch her because he has not yet ascended to the Father. She then leaves the tomb and tells the rest of the disciples what he had said.
Later that day, all of the disciples were hidden in a room waiting for something when Jesus appears out of nowhere in their midst and gives them a few words. Thomas was not present at this time so when he heard all this from the others he did not believe. So 8 days later Jesus again shows up out of nowhere into the room where they wer at and lets Thomas touch his hands and side.
A few days later Jesus shows up at the Tiberian Sea with his disciples so that they can see him again. This time it was after they had already set out to go fishing. So they saw someone over by the shore but they didn't know it was Jesus. He asks them if they've caught anything and then tells them where to cast the net. They then get this huge catch and he eats with them.
While they are eating he talks to Peter about some things and then talks about John a bit. There is no mention of his ascension in this book.
Acts 1- The disciples are with Jesus as he gives them some final words and when he is done talking to them he is received up into a cloud out of their site.
1 Corinthians 15- Paul says that the witnesses of Jesus' resurrection were as follows: Peter, 500+ witnesses, James, and then all of the other Apostles.
What do I take away from this?
Each of these stories has its share of conflicts with the others.
The order of events are out of sequence. The numbers of participants is mismatching. The accounts of the words of Christ differ; and not just the wording, but the whole content.
What about Paul's conversion? Acts 9 has Paul on horseback when Jesus shows up and speaks to him. It says that there was a bright light and those who were with Paul heard a voice, but did not see anyone. But then Acts 22 has Paul attesting that at his conversion that those who were with him saw a bright light but did not hear the voice? So which one was it?
I believe at best Paul had a vision that could not be verifiable by anyone else.
Here's what I really want to know-
Who were these 500+ witnesses that Paul talks about as having seen Jesus after his resurrection? I do not find any accounts in the Bible or other sources that can confirm that this actually happened, but I am assuming that based on the language used in the passage that these were fellow believers.
Jesus' life ministry was public. Both sacred and secular works attest to his life, miracles, teachings, etc. There was nothing secret about any of that; so why is it that when it comes to everything post resurrection that it is restricted only to his followers? Why wouldn't there be anything else to affirm this resurrection? All of his visitations were in secret. His teaching was done in secret. He seemingly teleported everywhere he went. He was a shape-shifter in appearance. His ascension in to Heaven was secret. There is nothing public about Jesus after his resurrection.....so what can verify any of this besides these Gospels that were written a generation or two after the alleged occurrences?
What do you do when the puzzle pieces don't fit, some are missing, or the accounts are wrong/conflicting in such a way as this?
I started thinking about it initially in light of Calvinism's claim that Jesus only redeems the elect. By this theory, then it would make sense that he might only show himself to a select few people after he was resurrected. But then I started thinking about the greater implications at large; the authorship and timing of the writing of the Gospels, the other early Christian writings, the possibilities of myth and the evolution of community thought, I decided that this was worth looking into a little further.
For the sake of modern acceptance reasons I will only look at what we find in the 5 Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts.
Matthew 28- Mary and Mary went to the sepulcher. When they arrived there was an earthquake and the angel rolled back the stone blocking the entrance to it. He sat on the stone and told them not to be afraid and the angel invited them in to have a look to see that Jesus was not there. He then tells them to go and tell the other disciples what they have seen, and that Jesus is going before them to Galilee.
They now head to Galilee where they are met by Jesus himself who again tells them directly to go to Galilee and tell his brethren. He would catch up with them there.
The text also then asserts that the elders devised a conspiracy to say that Jesus' disciples paid the guards to let them take his body. This might be one explanation of his disappearance.
Meanwhile, back in Galilee, the 11 disciples all gathered at the mountain that Jesus told them to. It says that when they saw him that some doubted and some believed. He the gave them the commission to go into the world and spread his teaching that hey gave to them. Then the book ends.
Mark 16- Mary, Mary, and Salome went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body. On the way they were wondering how they were going to get the stone rolled away in order to get in. However, when they arrived they found that the stone had already been moved. So they went inside and they saw a [young] man sitting inside who told them that Jesus was gone. He then tells them to go tell the other disciples and that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. It then says that they didn't say a word to anyone because of fear.
Then on the first day of the week, Jesus went and only appeared to Mary Magdalene. She tried to tell the others but they mourned and did not believe her. So then Jesus goes and visits two other disciples but this time it says that he does so by taking on another form. They did not believe that he was risen.
After that, he then appeared unto the 11 again and reprimanded them for their unbelief. He then gave them a final charge, and then he ascended up into Heaven and sat at the right hand of God.
Luke 24- On the first day of the week someone went to the tomb of Jesus and found the stone to be rolled away. Then they went into the tomb and did not find Jesus. They were perplexed until 2 men appeared to them and told them what had happened. They then told them also to go to Galilee, so they did and they told the others who did not believe. So Peter decides to go have a look for himself. He sees the linen and then wonders what is going to happen next.
That same day, 2 of them [it does not mention who] were walking to Emmaus talking about these events. While they were talking, Jesus "draws near" to them and went with them; but he did something to blind their eyes so that they wouldn't know it was him. He then asks them why they are so upset and they give him their story. After he hears this he then explains everything to them from Moses and the Prophets. They are pretty intrigued so they ask him if he will hang out with them for the night and he agrees.
Later that night, while they were eating, he then decides to open their eyes and let them see that it is him. However, as soon as they see that it is him, he then vanishes from their sight. They were then amazed and returned to Jerusalem with the other 11 and told them what happened. While they were telling the story Jesus appears out of thin air and starts talking to them. They get freaked out thinking that this is a ghost so he lets them touch him and he asks for some food.
He then teaches and convinces them more about everything that had happened to him and to them and tells them to wait for him in Jerusalem. Then he takes time out to Bethany where he blesses them and is carried away into Heaven.
John 20-21- Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb and finds the stone rolled away so she runs to Peter and John and tells them. They then ran back to check it out. They couldn't figure out why the tomb was empty so they went home. Meanwhile, Mary stays where she sees 2 angels inside the tomb where Jesus' body would have been; one at the head and one at the feet. They asked her why she was weeping and she told them, but when she looked back it was just Jesus; but she didn't know it was him so she just told her story to who she thought was the gardener. It wasn't until he said her name that she knew it was him somehow.
She then goes to grab him and he tells her not to touch her because he has not yet ascended to the Father. She then leaves the tomb and tells the rest of the disciples what he had said.
Later that day, all of the disciples were hidden in a room waiting for something when Jesus appears out of nowhere in their midst and gives them a few words. Thomas was not present at this time so when he heard all this from the others he did not believe. So 8 days later Jesus again shows up out of nowhere into the room where they wer at and lets Thomas touch his hands and side.
A few days later Jesus shows up at the Tiberian Sea with his disciples so that they can see him again. This time it was after they had already set out to go fishing. So they saw someone over by the shore but they didn't know it was Jesus. He asks them if they've caught anything and then tells them where to cast the net. They then get this huge catch and he eats with them.
While they are eating he talks to Peter about some things and then talks about John a bit. There is no mention of his ascension in this book.
Acts 1- The disciples are with Jesus as he gives them some final words and when he is done talking to them he is received up into a cloud out of their site.
1 Corinthians 15- Paul says that the witnesses of Jesus' resurrection were as follows: Peter, 500+ witnesses, James, and then all of the other Apostles.
What do I take away from this?
Each of these stories has its share of conflicts with the others.
The order of events are out of sequence. The numbers of participants is mismatching. The accounts of the words of Christ differ; and not just the wording, but the whole content.
What about Paul's conversion? Acts 9 has Paul on horseback when Jesus shows up and speaks to him. It says that there was a bright light and those who were with Paul heard a voice, but did not see anyone. But then Acts 22 has Paul attesting that at his conversion that those who were with him saw a bright light but did not hear the voice? So which one was it?
I believe at best Paul had a vision that could not be verifiable by anyone else.
Here's what I really want to know-
Who were these 500+ witnesses that Paul talks about as having seen Jesus after his resurrection? I do not find any accounts in the Bible or other sources that can confirm that this actually happened, but I am assuming that based on the language used in the passage that these were fellow believers.
Jesus' life ministry was public. Both sacred and secular works attest to his life, miracles, teachings, etc. There was nothing secret about any of that; so why is it that when it comes to everything post resurrection that it is restricted only to his followers? Why wouldn't there be anything else to affirm this resurrection? All of his visitations were in secret. His teaching was done in secret. He seemingly teleported everywhere he went. He was a shape-shifter in appearance. His ascension in to Heaven was secret. There is nothing public about Jesus after his resurrection.....so what can verify any of this besides these Gospels that were written a generation or two after the alleged occurrences?
What do you do when the puzzle pieces don't fit, some are missing, or the accounts are wrong/conflicting in such a way as this?
Labels: apologetics, bible, evidence, faith, resurrection story
posted by The Raging Paradoxidation at
21:54
2 Comments:
Interesting post. Admittedly, I don't have much skill or knowledge in apologetical debates concerning historicity, contradictions, etc., within the scriptures. I tend to fall back on this generic argument: the church consists of 2000 years of political struggle, and as such there has been information warfare, obfuscation, and manipulation of facts. Since the NT came to us through such a process, trying to use it as a factual text is like trying to make detailed observations about the natural countryside through a stained-glass window.
Greg, I see where you are coming from. I often lean toward your argument as well, but I find that it does not work against fundamentalists. [not that I've ever gotten into an argument with them with an intent to argue over this issue] A lot of the issue with fundamentalism is that since there are indeed so many variations then that means that something somewhere has to be right, namely the Bible. That is where it is very helpful to know the text. I'm never out to try and outright prove someone wrong in their beliefs; it is just that I find it extremely surprising apologists who argue for the resurrection have never addressed the issues that I have brought up here. I don't know that many of them have really wrestled that much with the differences in the texts.
I think that even if they did, that the way out for them would be your "reason bomb."
Our pastor was talking about world religions today and he brought everything down to the ultimate question of "what do you do with the person of Jesus, and his resurrection?" I wanted to have him read this post of mine and do some research, but I did not want to seem like I was trying to be confrontational. I just found it interesting that he even admitted to not really understanding any of the other world religions, or even all of the detailed apologetics behind Christianity.
If one doesn't even know the texts that are the basis for their beliefs, then how can they rightly argue in favour of them?
Again, I see the value of your argument. Mine is just augmented for those who want to take it a few steps further into the inconsistencies in doctrine/historical accounts.
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