Death and Afterlife Flashcards
1
Q
Arguments for Physical Resurrection
A
- Psychosomatic unity - human as one being, with mind body and soul all connected
–> cannot only resurrect certain elements - Aquinas
–> Soul not separate from body, therefore cannot be resurrected without Body
–> Humans commit good and evil acts with body, therefore body must also receive reward / punishment - St Augustine
–> Resurrection must be physical as Christ’s resurrection was physical - N.T. Wright
–> Jewish contexts grasped idea of physical resurrection, understood what they were witnessing
–> Gospels involved tangible interactions with JC, (Thomas touching his scars) could not have been hallucination or vision
2
Q
Biblical backing for Jesus Physical resurection
A
- All 4 Gospels - Jesus tomb was empty, no body in, after resurrection
–> implies physical - John - Thomas touches scars left by Jesus crucifixion
- Corinthians - Paul describes nature of resurrected body
–> Analogy of seed turning into plant - resurrection not end of life but transformation
–> Asserts idea of physical resurrection
3
Q
Arguments against (3) physical resurrection + solution
A
- Cannibal problem
–> If one person cannibalises another person, that persons body becomes part of theirs, how would physical resurrection work
–> indirect cannibalism - carbon cycle - body decomposes into soil and becomes plants - What state are we Resurrected
–> Age - Jesus resurrected at same age but was young, those who die of old age resurrected as elderly?
–> Amputies resurrected with all limbs - Body as source of flaws
–> disease, desire, limitation all caused by body - Issues solved by Paul in 1 corinthians - seed to plant - body different but continuation
+ “With God all things are possible” - Matthew - Omnipotence means not bound by human understanding
4
Q
Scholars against physical resurrection
A
- Rudolf Bultmann - 20th century
–> Demythologisation of bible
–> cannot accept supernatural elements of NT at face value (e.g. resurrection)
–> views resurrection as symbol of transformative power of Jesus - Bart Ehrman - 20th
–> Questions historical reliability of resurrection narratives
–> inconsistencies in 4 Gospel accounts e.g. all say different people discovered JC body
–> suggests resurrection story evolved over time as opposed to being actual event
5
Q
What is the New Earth + Biblical backing
A
- Idea that heaven is a perfected state of earth
- After final judgement, resurrected bodies will have eternal life on ‘new’ earth
–> Physical afterlife for Physical resurrection - Revelations
–> God shows John future with “New Earth” where there is “no more death, or mourning, or pain”
6
Q
Arguments for ‘New Earth’
A
N.T. Wright
- Sermon on the mound states heaven as new earth
–> “Your kingdom come … on earth as it is in heaven”
- Kingdom of heaven not separate place, but rule of heaven come to earth
7
Q
Argument against ‘New Earth’ + Counter arg
A
- The Penitent Thief - suggests Particular judgement
–> JC told thief being crucified, “I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise”
–> suggests New earth wrong, as particular judgement means Heaven already exists
–> suggests unlimited elected - those who repent are saved
However
- Grammatical issue
–> grammar was not in original bible, was added later when translated - if move comma to “I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise” - suggests new earth could exist - with General judgement
+ JC did not rise until 3 days later - Also means could not have been in heaven with thief?
8
Q
Scholars for Physical afterlife
A
- Augustine - Jesus Physical resurrection implies Physical afterlife
- Aquinas
–> Soul not separate from body, therefore cannot be resurrected without Body
–> Humans commit good and evil acts with body, therefore body must also receive reward / punishment
–> Beatific vision - Perfect happiness / heaven achieved through living in presence of God
9
Q
Scholar against Physical Afterlife
A
- Bernard Williams - 20th
–> Immortality would lead to tedium and loss of meaning
–> Finite changing nature of life provides its meaning - to strip those makes physical living valueless and meaningless
10
Q
Spiritual resurrection argument
A
- Majority also deny JC resurrection as physical
- Resurrection is spiritual, resurrection only of souls
- Believe the divine dont have physical bodies, therefore being purely spiritual is closer to perfection, therefore JC resurrection could not have been physical
11
Q
Biblical backing for Spiritual Resurrection + Afterlife
A
- St. Paul
–> Stated he wished to die to be with Christ, but needed to “remain in the flesh” to spread Christianity
–> Implies when we die we are no longer flesh - spiritual
–> Implies particular judgement - as have immediate presence with Christ
12
Q
Criticism of Spiritual Resurrection + Afterlife
A
- N.T. Wright
–> NT uninterested in afterlife apart from resurrection, which it clearly depicted as physical
–> Western Christianity overly influenced by Greek version of the soul e.g. Plato’s dualism - causes misunderstanding of true Christian teachings - Biblical problems
–> To deny JC his humanity (deny that divine can have physical bodies) undermines his crucifixion as implies he felt no suffering
13
Q
Explain Afterlife as symbolic + Scholar supports this
A
- View that afterlife (Heaven, Hell, Purgatory) - only symbols for human happiness, suffering and repentance
- Often taken by liberal Christians who do not see bible as word of God
–> due to scientific advancements disproving elements of bible - Depictions of afterlife are symbolic / metaphorical
–> biblical stories meant to be taken metaphorically - Rudolf Bultmann - 20th century
–> Demythologisation of bible
–> cannot accept supernatural elements of NT at face value (e.g. resurrection)
–> views resurrection as symbol of transformative power of Jesus
14
Q
Critiques of Afterlife as symbolic
A
- Undermines the eternal nature of heaven, hell and purgatory –> cannot be eternal if dont exist
- Liberal individual interpretations of bible mean inconsistency + over flexibility which leads people to believing in version of God that suits them instead of biblically accurate version
15
Q
Explain Purgatory + Argument for purgatory
A
- Idea developed by Catholic Church - place f temporary punishment for those who have committed minor, venial, sins
- Claims we can help souls be purified by praying for them
- Venial - Forgivable, moral = unforgivable
- Moral argument for purgatory
–> unjust to be condemned to hell for a minor sin, but God cannot allow sinful beings into heaven
–> Purgatory is most moral and just solution to this
