Adult Bible Studies Supplemental Resources August 15, 2010 To print, click on "Print Page." Resurrection in the New Testament The primary reference of resurrection in the NT (a!nea"stasiv; once only e[gerosiv, Matt. 27:53) is to the action of God in raising Jesus from the dead to life and enthroning him at his right hand. Only once in the NT is Jesus said to have raised himself (John 2:19, cf. 10:17-18); elsewhere it is always God's act. But resurrection as such is inadequate to convey the fullness of Easter faith that infuses the NT writings. It is not raising to life as a resuscitation, but a raising of Jesus from the underworld of the dead to a position of sovereignty by the defeat of death to make life available and to exercise judgment at the end. Prior to faith in the Risen One is the experience of the crucified Jesus as the Living One in which the latter is understood in the sense of the Exalted or Glorified One. 1. The resurrection tradition in the gospels. The gospels contain a variety of traditions and theological reflections which were derived from the one common affirmation that Jesus' disciples had encountered him in such a way that they were convinced that he was the living LORD, commissioning them to continued service. a. The empty tomb. It is generally recognized that Mark 16:1-8 is the full account this gospel originally had of the resurrection. For Mark the discovery of the empty tomb by the women is the form by which the Resurrection is proclaimed. The meaning of the tomb is interpreted to the women and Mark's readers in the words, "He has risen, he is not here" and the promise of reunion in Galilee (vss. 6-7). A tradition reported in John's gospel and interpolated into some MSS of Luke tells that Peter visited the tomb to convince himself of the women's story, but that he remained uncertain (Luke 24:12). In John it is the “beloved disciple, the companion of Peter at the tomb, who is brought to belief (John 20:2-9). Tradition analysis has not yet resulted in common agreement as to whether we have in this story an early Easter testimony or a later development of the kerygma. b. The appearances. The concept of resurrection from the dead is an interpretative statement explaining in Jewish apocalyptic and anthropological categories the basic Easter event, viz., the appearances of Jesus to his disciples. Resurrection is a reflective interpretation of encounters with the Living One which had the power to convince, to generate a new community, to establish an authorized leadership, and to commit to mission. The key word is wJfqh, which is probably to be translated in an active sense, "he (Christ) appeared" or "he showed himself." For Matthew and his community the significance of the Resurrection was the authentication by the enthroned Messiah of the church's role in making disciples, baptizing converts, and giving guidance in the way of discipleship (Matt. 28:18-20). To Mark it confirmed the way of the Son of Man in humiliation and exaltation, which is the true way for each disciple. Luke recognized the risen Jesus as the sovereign Lord who is the source of repentance, forgiveness, and final redemption, and for John resurrection found expression in the offer of forgiveness of sins and the interpretation of the truth of Christ through the Spirit (John 16:13-15; 20:23). c. The pregospel tradition. Behind the traditions presented in the gospels are hints of an earlier witness to an appearance of the risen Jesus to Peter and the disciples in Galilee (Luke 22:31-32; 24:34, perhaps 5:1-10; Mark 16:7; cf. I Cor. 15:5 and John 21), but nowhere in the NT is there any story of that formative experience. Many interpreters believe that the oldest report of the Easter appearances made no distinction between the resurrection of Jesus and his elevation to share the rule with the Father. Cf. Mark 14:25, 62; Luke 23:43; John 12:32; 7:39; 12:16; 13:31; Acts 2:32-33; 3:13; 5:30-31; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:19ff.; Phil. 2:8-9; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 8:1; I Pet. 1:21. Raising already carries the idea of elevation, but exaltation conveys more graphically the affirmation of the lordship of Jesus. The earliest form of the Easter event may have been the experience of Peter and his brethren in coming to faith, "seeing" that Jesus was not a martyred prophet but in very fact Lord and Christ enthroned in glory. The mystery of that conviction is the mystery of faith. 2. The Pauline tradition. It is generally agreed that in I Cor. 15:3-5 Paul has used an early creedal or catechetical formulation, perhaps dating back to the Damascus community ca. A.D. 40. The list of witnesses--perhaps a combination of two groupings--contains a series of statements each introduced by w[fqh, followed by the names of witnesses, six in all if we include those Paul added to the traditional statement (vss. 6-8). The emphasis falls upon the direct experience of seeing as also in I Cor. 9:1 or in the equivalent phrase "reveal" (a!ttokalu"tttw) in Gal. 1:16. Probably the traditional form is a legitimation formula basing the community and the authority of its leaders on an appearance of the risen Christ. It is certain that Paul's references to his own vision of the Lord, the only primary testimony we have from an eyewitness, are presented as the credentials of his apostleship. For Paul, the eschatological act of God in raising Jesus from the dead gives assurance of the believer's future transformation into a new existence as a complete and restored person or, in Paul's own term, a body-spiritual (sw'ma ttnewmatiko"n) I Cor. 15:42-50, 51-57; II Cor. 5:1-5; Phil. 3:21). 3. Derivative meanings. The raising of Jesus is not the fundamental datum of Christianity; more accurately it is that the living and sovereign Lord is identified with Jesus of Nazareth. The concept of resurrection recalls the historical personage and ministry; exaltation declares the heavenly power and glory of the same person. Each of the gospels and Paul's own word interpret the Resurrection as a call to preach the gospel to everyone. Jesus had risen in the world and not out of it, and this meant the continuation of his program of action. The events of Good Friday and Easter were determinative for this preaching, but so was Jesus' own announcement of the nearness of God's rule and his teaching about discipleship that went with it. see Matt. 28:16-20; John 20:19-23; 21; Acts 10:40-42; I Cor. 9:1; Gal. 1:15-16; II Cor. 4:6. In Paul's understanding, the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead became the model for the new life of the believer now and the promise of the ultimate outcome of redemption. Thus he began the disassociation of Resurrection from its unity with the final events of PAROUSIA and Judgment and made it interpretative also of the basic nature of Christian living from start to finish. E. W. Saunders  Adapted from The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible http://www.cokesburylibraries.com/NXT/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm$vid=colr:ipreach