Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 181:724 (Oct 2024)
Article: Pre-Ascension Resurrection Appearances Of Jesus: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Author: Robert A. King

BSac 181:724 (October-December 2024) p. 458

Pre-Ascension Resurrection Appearances Of Jesus: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

Robert A. King

Robert A. King is an independent scholar and ordained minister.

Abstract

Debate continues concerning whether the pre-ascension appearances of the resurrected Jesus were objectively authentic and ontologically physical. Some argue that such appearances resemble Christic visions, manifestations of other deceased religious personages, visual after-death communications, bereavement visions, or various types of visual apparitions. This study uses an inductive approach with a reflexive thematic analysis of nine relevant biblical pericopes to establish a set of phenomenological criteria for these comparisons.

Many theological books and articles have questioned the validity of the New Testament pre-ascension resurrection appearances of Jesus. These works examine whether the appearances were authentic objective experiences and/or ontologically physical, asserting that they resemble other types of visual phenomena: Christic visions, manifestations of other deceased religious personages, visual after-death communications (ADCs), bereavement visions, or various types of visual apparitions (some of which overlap).1Others argue against such contentions in support

BSac 181:724 (October-December 2024) p. 459

of the authentic, physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus.2 So far this debate has often been disorganized, without specific academic parameters to frame important aspects of the discussion. This article aims to rectify this lack by establishing the phenomenological criteria of the biblically described pre-ascension resurrection appearances of Jesus, by which other types of visually perceived phenomena can then be measured.

But first, there is a distinct circumstantial and phenomenological difference between a pre-ascension resurrection appearance of Jesus, as described in the Gospels and Acts 1, and a post-ascension resurrection appearance, such as the one seen by Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–9). The biblical position is that, after Jesus’s resurrection from the dead, he appeared physically in his body during the forty days prior to his ascension, but he then entered into his glory in heaven and will not appear spatially again on earth until his promised return (Luke 17:22–24; Acts 1:10–11, 21; You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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