DURING the closing decades of the 8th century, German historian Hermann Samuel Reimarus wrote a treatise rejecting the Gospel account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because of its incredulity to reason.
Reimarus spoke on behalf of many philosophers and intellectuals of his day who subjected not only the church's dogmas but the Bible itself to scrutiny under the lenses of rationalism and scepticism. He fabricated an ingenious theory in an attempt to explain the rationale of the resurrection narratives in the Gospels.
He argued that Jesus' disciples, realising that there was a better living to be made from preaching than fishing, invented the story about the resurrection of Jesus. This story, which falls in line with Jewish expectations of the resurrection, enabled the disciples to embark on what was potentially a lucrative line of business. According to Reimarus, then, the disciples of Christ were nothing but clever con-artists who concocted what might now be called an "urban legend" surrounding the person of Christ by taking advantage of Jewish apocalyptic expectations.
Suspicion about the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, of course, did not originate either with Reimarus or the sceptics of the Enlightenment. It is found in the Gospel accounts themselves. The chief priests and Pharisees were afraid that the disciples might steal the body of their Master from the tomb and then claim that He had risen from the dead.
Thus, in Matthew's account, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate to request that the tomb be guarded until the third day after Jesus' crucifixion and death (Matthew 27:60-63). Like Reimarus, they also thought that the disciples would resort to deception to advance their cause.
Other theories refuting the resurrection of Christ have since been suggested. One speculated that Jesus did not die on the Cross, but that He swooned, and later revived in the cool of the tomb. But this theory is untenable because if Jesus had only swooned, signs of life would have been detected when His body was being embalmed. It would also be inconceivable for a man who was barely alive to have disentangled the long winding of the grave clothes, rolled the large stone from inside the grave and escaped.
Even those who remain sceptical about the
resurrection fail to find these attempts to refute it convincing.
The incredulity of the presuppositions behind these theories is
eloquently refuted by a Jew and scholar, Joseph Klausner: "That
is impossible; deliberate imposture is not the substance out of
which the religion of millions of mankind is created … The
nineteen hundred years' faith of millions is not founded on deception."
Resurrection faith will continue to be heard
The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation upon which the Christian faith is erected. Here is how the church's earliest theologian put it: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve." (1 Cor 15:3). And again: "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith".
All the Gospel narratives emphasised the resurrection of Jesus, and the church has always and everywhere proclaimed it. Although Scripture clearly presents the facticity of Christ's resurrection, its portrayal of the nature of the Risen One remains enigmatic, shot through with paradox. This is because the resurrection signals the coming into the present of a future of which there is no past experience.
The resurrection is unique: it is not a species in a genus. Rather it is sui generis. Thus, the discontinuous nature of Christ's resurrected body is brought out by the fact that neither the two disciples on Emmaus road (Luke 24:16), nor Mary Magdalene (John 20:14) could immediately recognise it. Its discontinuous nature is further brought out by the fact that the risen Christ appeared not to be bound by space and time. He was able to suddenly vanish (Luke 24:37) or appear (John 20:19, 26) at will.
These discontinuities notwithstanding, there are important continuities which signal the fact that it is the Jesus who died three days before on Golgotha's Cross that is now risen.
Thomas touched the wounds of His crucifixion (John 20:17). The church's belief in a bodily resurrection is also founded upon the physicality of the Risen Saviour - although it is a transfigured physicality which Paul enigmatically calls a "spiritual body".
Whatever might have been the nature of Jesus' resurrected body, when it was revealed to them that their Master had risen from the dead, the disciples responded in worship. Thus when the women returning from the tomb met the risen Jesus, they took hold of His feet and worshipped Him (Matt 28:9). Similarly, when the disciples met Jesus on the hilltop in Galilee, they worshipped Him when they saw Him (Matt 28:17). And Thomas, having put his fingers on the wounds of Jesus, cried aloud: "My Lord and my God." (John 20:28).
The encounter with the resurrected Lord emboldened a small group of men who were previously anxious about their own safety to be powerful witnesses of their Lord.
What is the significance of the resurrection of Christ? The resurrection of Christ points us to the triumph of both God and man. Because of the resurrection, God did not humble Himself in vain in His Son. God confirmed His own glory and acted for His own honour. In the resurrection, God's mercy has triumphed in His humiliation, and God's Son Jesus Christ is exalted. And in the resurrection, man's triumph is also secured. By rising from the grave, Jesus has set man free from the fetters of sin and death.
As author and finisher of our faith, Christ in His resurrection has paved the way for His people: those who believe in Him will also overcome death and participate in the divine glory. Thus the Easter message is a message of reconciliation, and man's redemption. But Easter also tells us that our enemies - God's enemies - are defeated. The resurrection of Christ signals the resounding victory of God over sin and death.
Sin and death continue to pervade our world. They are still around as though the war is on. There is still some shooting here and there, and the presence of enemy troops can be spotted and can still cause damage. But the resurrection shows us that the battle has been won, and the war is at an end.
The resurrection of Christ points us to the consummation of the Kingdom of God when all evil will be completely and finally removed and the resplendent glory of God will radiate on earth and in the heavens. In this way, the resurrection of Christ is the basis of our hope: Christ has died, Christ is risen, (and thus) Christ will come again!
The acids of Enlightenment scepticism, so starkly exemplified by Reimarus' christology, had failed to destroy the fabric of the Christian Tradition despite its large following. In that same century, the voices of orthodoxy continued to proclaim the resurrection of Christ without diminution and compromise. This is found in the theology and music of (my beloved) Johann Sebastian Bach, who in the closing chorus of his magnificent Easter Oratorio (BWV 249), which was performed in Leipzig on Easter Sunday 1735, could resonate the resurrection faith of the apostles by declaring: