Creedal Passages

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not the earliest sources documenting the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The scholarly consensus dates these Gospels about 35-65 years after the death of Christ.

Instead, the earliest sources are actually derived from what most bible scholars call the 'creedal passages'. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 and the long list from Acts, for example, are passages whose material is believed to go back all the way to the 30s AD.  Even most critical (i.e. skeptical) scholars concede as much regarding these specific New Testament passages.

In these 'creedal passages', the divinity of Christ, His sacrificial death, bodily resurrection, and post-resurrection appearances are clearly believed and taught by the earliest Christian community (specifically a mere 2-9 years after the death of Christ).

While these extremely early sources do not prove a divine Jesus, they do demonstrate that belief in a divine Jesus was not a product of myth and legendary development over the course of decades and centuries. It was there from the very beginning.

Easter Sunday

"Where, O Death, is thy sting? Where, O Hades, is thy victory?" 1 Corinthians 15:55

"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22

"Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead." Holy Saturday liturgical prayer

 

 

Following up on my Good Friday post, there are three data which reach the level of 'historical bedrock' concerning the end of Christ's life.  These three data are accepted by the vast majority (90% or more) of New Testament scholars from all across the theological spectrum, i.e. atheist, agnostic, moderate, liberal, and conservative. The first, as I already shared, is Christ's death by crucifixion. The next two are as follows:

- Very soon after Jesus died, His disciples had experiences that they believed were appearances of the resurrected Christ

- A few years later, Saul of Tarsus (high-ranking Jewish religious leader who zealously persecuted the early Christians before converting to Christianity) also experienced what he thought was a post-resurrection appearance of the risen Jesus

Now, obviously, this does not mean that all of these scholars accept the traditional Christian, philosophical interpretations derived from these data. It merely means that, independent of any particular theological paradigm, these data are considered to be well-established by the standard rules of historical scholarship. 

Coincidentally, while this particular datum does not quite rise to the level of historical bedrock, the historicity of Christ's empty tomb is accepted by 2/3 to 3/4 of all New Testament scholars.

To learn more, you can read this article published in the Southeastern Theological Review in 2012.

RIP Mama Holidays

On this day, 5 years ago, Mama Holidays died. When I was a little boy, she used to buy me a Halloween costume and a plastic Jack O'Lantern. She also helped make Christmas and Easter really special. A lot of my child-like fancy, as it relates to these 3 holidays, comes from her.

RIP Mama Holidays
Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25

Resurrection Sunday

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