The Resurrection Reexamined -- By: John Y. May

Journal: Emmaus Journal
Volume: EMJ 15:2 (Winter 2006)
Article: The Resurrection Reexamined
Author: John Y. May


The Resurrection Reexamined

John Y. May

John May is a retired evangelical Christian writer who lives in Pittsburgh and attends Beverly Heights Church.

Introduction

Is there support for belief today in the resurrection of Christ? This essay summarizes some of the strong indications leading to an answer in the affirmative. What is at stake here is something of enormous importance. First, the resurrection of Christ is the singular, most crucial piece of the evidential criteria for substantiating the claims of Christ (Rom. 1:4; Acts 17:3; 1 Cor. 5:4, 17). Secondly, the resurrection of Jesus is one of the two or three most essential articles of genuine Christian conviction (John 8:24; Rom. 10:9; 1 John 4:14, 15). Harvard University’s Henry J. Cadbury maintained that, for the biblical writer Luke, “the Resurrection of Jesus is the distinguishing article of faith for the Christian.”1 Warfield contended that “the founders of Christianity entrenched themselves in the fact of Christ’s resurrection as the central stronghold of their…proclamation.”2 Edward J. Carnell insisted that “the rock-bottom fact upon which Christianity rests is the Person, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”3 Edinburgh’s Thomas F. Torrance concluded that “the wholeness and integrity of the Gospel are surely at stake here, for our redemption stands or falls with the reality of the risen body of Jesus Christ.”4 So we need to pay very careful attention to the evidence offered for his resurrection.

The Credibility Of The Documentary Sources

For consideration of the usefulness of biblical documents, specifically as reliable resurrection narratives, our scrutiny here will zero in particularly on some six key reporters of the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus—namely, the New Testament writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, and Paul. What do we know about them, their capabilities, and their opportunities for firsthand observation and analysis of these events?

Matthew

Matthew, also referred to as Levi, was a tax collector. In this occupation, he would have become accustomed to keeping records and giving attention to details—...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()