1B Jesus: his resurrection Flashcards
What is the etymology of ‘resurrection’?
• Latin ‘resurrectio’, meaning ‘to rise again’
For how many days did Jesus appear to his followers after his death?
• 40
What is a chiasm? (used in John 20)
• A literary style when similar ideas are repeated in reverse sequence (ABCBA)
What occurs in A of the chiasm? (John 20)
• People believe in the resurrection based on evidence such as the linen wrappings and the testimony of others
What occurs in B of the chiasm? (John 20)
• Jesus appears to those that fail to recognise him (Mary and Thomas)
What occurs in C (the centre) of the chiasm? Why is this important? (John 20)
- The Disciples recognise Jesus and “received the Holy Spirit”
- This unites them as brothers, bringing them into a new r.ship w/ God + each other
- Jesus breathed on his disciples, which is the same wording as Genesis 2:7, to describe G’s actions when he created man: “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”. This implies the beginning of a new creation, the Church.
When does the Disciples’ mission begin? (John 20)
• At Pentecost, when the Spirit is outpoured
How does John 20 end?
• With John’s statement that the purpose of his Gospel is to enable people to believe w/o having seen
What are the three sections to John 21?
1) Jesus appears to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee (1-14)
2) Jesus commissions Peter to shepherd his people (15-23)
3) Jesus’ testimony confirmed (24)
Elaborate on the first section of John 21 (1-14), when Jesus appears to the disciples by the Sea of Galilee.
• He mysteriously knows that there is an abundance of fish on the right of the boat
Elaborate on the second section of John 21 (15-23), when Jesus commissions Peter to shepherd his people.
• Comprehensive imagery of shepherding: familiar way of describing G’s care for his ppl (J tells Simon: “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, “Feed my sheep”)
• Jesus tells Peter the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God
- The tradition is that Peter was crucified head down in 67 AD (although, John’s Gospel was written in the late 1st C., so he would have known how Peter died)
Elaborate on the third section of John 21 (24), when Jesus’ testimony is confirmed.
- Identifies the author as Joh, the Beloved Disciple, but that does not mean that John actually did the writing (it does mean that he was responsible for what was written
- Claims to be an eye-witness account, and the disciples assert that they know John’s testimony to be true (they were either also witnesses, or the HS confirmed John’s testimony to them)
In which passage does Paul outline his understanding of the resurrection?
• 1 Corinthians 15
What does Paul state in Philippians 1:21-24 about the outcome of the resurrection?
- “dying is gain”
* He longs “to be with Christ”, which suggests that after death, we are immediately w/ J
Why does Paul accept the resurrection as an objective fact? (1 Corinthians 15)
• Due to his own exp. on the Road to Damascus: “he also appeared to me…the least of the apostles, unfit to be an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.”
How does Paul discuss obedience in relation to the resurrection?
- The Fall: disobedience brought sin
* Jesus: total obedience brought resurrection
What does Paul say about Heavenly and Earthly bodies?
- “the splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another.”
- Seed analogy: the body “planted in the earth is perishable, weak, physical; the raised body is imperishable, strong, spiritual
Why is resurrection not the same as resuscitation?
- When J resuscitated Jairus’ daughter or the widow’s son, they returned from the dead exactly as they were when they were alive
- J’s resurrected body ≠ the same as his earthly body; it is “in another form”
- Paul does not give any indication of how this change will be effected, nor is there any clear teaching on if it happens to all, or only believers, nor if it happens at each person’s death or collectively
According to Rudolf Bultmann, all that is necessary for Christian belief is that…
• Jesus lived, preached, and died by crucifixion
What was Bultmann convinced of?
• The need to demythologise the NT and interpret it in terms that modern readers can understand
- As the NT used mythological terminology of the time, it is impossible for modern readers to believe accounts w/o discarding all modern intellect
∴ Bultmann attempts to interpret NT so that the mythological essence is changed but retains meaning
How does Bultmann define myths?
• “Report of an event or occurrence in which supernatural, superhuman powers or persons are at work”
What do myths provide us with, according to Bultmann?
- A way to explain the world in which we live
* A way to explain the divine in human terms
Give three examples of myths, according to Bultmann.
- Virgin birth
- Resurrection
- Three-tiered universe
What does N.T. Wright argue in ‘The Resurrection of the Son of God’ (2003)?
• That J’s res. = beginning of a restoration of creation that he will complete upon his return
