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The historicity of the dead rising from the tombs

Pegg

Pegg

Jehovah our God is One
9-10ths_Penguin said:
If there is no contemporary extra-Biblical mention of this event, what's the significance of this? Does it pose a problem for the idea that the Gospel story is true? And by that I mean not just that an itinerant preacher named "Jesus" or something like it lived, developed a following, and was executed, but that he worked miracles and was divine in some way?
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I dont think it discredits the gospel accounts for the reason that thousands of people did actually become believers after Christs death...at one baptism, 3,000 people became christians in the city.

The fact is that even when seemingly miraculous events happen, people will not necessarily believe it. For example, today there are people who seemingly have psychic abilities or healing abilities....do the general populations all look to those people and start believing that their messages or abilities are from a supernatural source? No. For the most part people dont tend to pay any attention to the stories they hear even though many people claim to have witnessed the miracles.

so i think it is the same with the miracles in the first century...those who did witness the events likely became members of the early christian church...and others who heard the stories just ignored them and went about their everyday lives.
 
J

James Humphreys

Member
9-10ths_Penguin said:
We've had a few threads recently about the historicity of Jesus, as well as many in the past. In general, the arguments for Jesus being a real historical figure have focused on support from extra-Biblical sources.

But I'm not particularly interested in that for this thread. Instead, I'd like to look at something else in the Gospels: what they say happened when Jesus died on the cross:

Matthew 27:52-54:


So... are there any extra-Biblical sources for this event? Should there be?

Personally, I would think that if any event would be noticed by non-Christians in Jerusalem, it would be multitudes of dead people rising from the grave and interacting with "many" of the people in the city. The execution of a rebellious itinerant rabbi, maybe not... but a zombie "invasion"? That's something to write home about, isn't it?

If there is no contemporary extra-Biblical mention of this event, what's the significance of this? Does it pose a problem for the idea that the Gospel story is true? And by that I mean not just that an itinerant preacher named "Jesus" or something like it lived, developed a following, and was executed, but that he worked miracles and was divine in some way?
Click to expand...

There is also the question of where these raised bodies went afterwards-back to the graves? Established businesses in Jerusalem? Are they living on earth eternally?

But as a person of faith I think there is a meaning here. I believe these were spiritual visitations in which saints of the past appeared to many, probably mostly those who already believed in Jesus. Only those prepared in some way could see these people. They may have appeared real and substantial to those who saw them, so they interpreted them as being literally the physical resurrection of those saints.
 
SaintAugustine

SaintAugustine

At the Monastery
Many a bible commentary admits its a tough verse.
However there seem to be three interpertations.

1. "Raised" not in the strictest sense but more as appariations.
2. Raised in the very same way as Lazarus was, and then had to die again.
3. Raised in the glorious sense, spectacular as a prieview to the raising of the dead.

We have some qualifers...just "saints" are raised and they only visit Jerusalem, probably since that was where the passion had just been played out.
The effect must have been galvanizing.
However the debate is still very much open.
It does not appear in any outside source..and only appears in Matthew.

The graves/saints event has several theological reaons and seems to be in a train of events that happened afterward..the tearing of veil in the temple, Jesus visiting not only the diciples but two disciples on the road to Emmaus,(Paul hints that just more than two people and the diciples saw Christ post resurrection) eventually ending with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Hopes this helps.
 
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