| About this site |
| About us |
| Our beliefs |
| Your first visit? |
| Contact us |
| External links |
| Good books |
| Visitor essays |
| Our forum |
| New essays |
| Other site features |
| Buy a CD |
| Vital notes |
| Spiritual/ethics |
| Spirituality |
| Morality/ethics |
| Absolute truth |
| Peace/conflict |
| Attaining peace |
| Religious tolerance |
| Religious hatred |
| Religious conflict |
| Religious violence |
| Laws and news |
| Religious laws |
| Religious news |
|
|
 | Swoon Theory: Jesus did not die; he only became unconscious on
the cross. He was removed by a few of his followers, laid in the tomb, and
left. He recovered there, and later appeared to his followers. Afterwards,
he might have sneaked away and
continued to live on in secret. He would have feared persecution from Jewish
groups or the Roman authorities
if he were discovered to be still alive. His followers may not have been
aware of his recovery. They adopted the story of his resurrection as the
most likely explanation of his apparent death and reappearance. Some thoughts:
| ||||||||
| Imposition theory: Jesus died on the cross.
His body was laid in the grave and later stolen by some of his followers
and buried elsewhere. He was never resurrected. Some thoughts:
|
| Vision theory: The empty tomb, Jesus' appearance to his female followers, and his later meeting with his male disciples and others were visions or mass hallucinations. The disciples were familiar with the concept of resurrection from the grave, because of certain passages in the Hebrew Scriptures. So, they would have been anticipating Jesus return from the dead. His death would have come as a shock to them; they might not have been willing to accept it as a permanent fact. Perhaps Mary Magdalene had a vision or hallucination in which she mistook Jesus for the gardener. "What she believed that she had seen, others immediately believed that they must see. Their expectations were fulfilled, and the conviction seized the members of the early Church that the Lord had really risen from the dead." The Catholic Encyclopedia criticizes this theory. Their most convincing argument is that "visions such as the critics suppose have never been known to last long, while some of Christ's manifestations lasted a considerable period." The authors of the Encyclopedia note: "that the manifestations were made to numbers [of people] at the same instant." 1 They deny the possibility of mass hallucinations. | ||||
| Modernist View: In the early 20th century, some Catholic modernists suggested that: "the entrance into life immortal of one risen from the dead is not subject to observation; it is a supernatural, hyper-historical fact, not capable of historical proof. The proofs alleged for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are inadequate; the empty sepulchre is only an indirect argument, while the apparitions of the risen Christ are open to suspicion on a priori grounds, being sensible impressions of a supernatural reality; and they are doubtful evidence from a critical point of view, on account of the discrepancies in the various Scriptural narratives and the mixed character of the detail connected with the apparitions." 1 In 1907, Pope Pius X issued his Decree Lamentabili (a.k.a. the Syllabus of Pius X). In it, he condemned 65 beliefs promoted by modernists, including this one. Three years later, he required all Catholic clergy to take an "Oath Against Modernism" which remained in force until 1967. | ||||
| The Reserpine theory: Michael Persinger, a neuroscientist at
Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON Canada, developed another
miracle-free explanation of the resurrection story. While experimenting on
rats, he noted that when the animals were physically restrained and
injected with reserpine -- or similar drugs -- their body temperature
would decrease rapidly and they would be appear to have died. Three days
later, they revived on their own. Presumably, a similar reaction would
happen in other mammals. Of course, it would be impossible on ethical
grounds to conduct a similar experiment on humans. Persinger speculates
that Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) may have consumed either reserpine
or a similar drug. This might have happened at the Last Supper, or when he
was offered a sponge containing a liquid while on the cross. It is
generally acknowledged, at least by some mainline and most liberal
theologians, that John the Baptist had been a member of the Essene
religious group. There is some evidence that the Essenes used psychoactive
drugs in their rituals. Perhaps they had found reserpine, a drug which is
has a plant origin. Yeshua certainly was restrained on the cross. The
soldiers could have believed that he had died, and released the body, only
to have Yeshua spontaneously recover a day and a half later in the tomb.
2,3
| ||||
| The myth theory: Jay Ingram, host of the Daily Planet show on the Canadian Discovery Channel suggests a much simpler possibility: Referring to the research by Persinger, he said "This article is another in a long tradition of seeking natural explanations for the supernatural: The Star of Bethlehem was a conjunction of planets; a tidal wave accompanying a volcanic eruption in the Mediterranean explains the parting of the Red sea...Just argue that the [resurrection] story was made up by the creative authors of the Gospels and leave it at that." The myth theory would require that the primitive Christian movements were based upon a lie. As the argument against the Imposition Theory, described above, shows, this is open to criticism. However, many Pagan religions in the region taught a risen god-man as savior, and their followers totally believed in the story. | ||||
| Midrash interpretation: In his book: "Resurrection, Myth or Reality? A Bishops Search for the Origins of Christianity," Episcopalian Bishop John Shelby Spong suggests that the resurrection story should not be interpreted literally. Rather, it become meaningful when interpreted using midrash -- a Jewish literary device in which supernatural events are explained symbolically and gain meaning by being tied to ancient Jewish historical happenings. 4 For example, many liberal Christians believe that the mass killing of Bethlehem infants by Herod circa 4 BCE is unrelated to a real event. If it were, it would have been recorded in the secular literature of the time. Interpreted with Midrash, it reflects the earlier story in the Hebrew Scriptures in which the Pharaoh attempted to murder Moses and all of the male Hebrew newborns. Similarly, Mary and Joseph's flight to Egypt never actually happened; the story is an attempt to link an event Jesus' life with Moses' Exodus from Egypt. According to Bishop Spong, the story of the resurrection was not a supernatural incident in which Yeshua of Nazareth was bodily restored to life in 1st century CE Palestine. Derek Miller, in reviewing Bishop Spong's book explained that Jesus' disciples "...understood that the spirit of Jesus transcended death because the way Jesus died was exactly like they way he lived. He gave his life to others and for others. He loved wastefully and selflessly. In that living and dying, the disciples concluded that Jesus revealed the meaning of God....God is the meaning that is present in the face of fate, tragedy, and undeserved pain. God cannot be seen in Jesus' escape from death at Easter until God is first seen in the crucified one who gives life as he dies, who offers forgiveness as he is victimized, who shows love as he is hated." 5 It was this understanding that converted Jesus' followers from a hopelessly demoralized group into a committed, dedicated religious movement who proclaimed "He is risen!" and "Death cannot contain him!" In a very real sense, interpreted with Midrash, the stories explain that even physical death could not confine Jesus' message. |
Sponsored link:
References:
"Resurrection of Jesus Christ," Catholic Encylopedia, New Advent, at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12789a.htm
Michael Persinger "Science and the Resurrection: Christ's Alleged Resurrection—Experimental Evidence for an Alternative Hypothesis to Being Raised From the Dead by God." Skeptic magazine, Volume 9, #4,
Jay Ingram, "Resurrection skeptic goes to baroque extremes," The Toronto Star, 2003-APR-13, Page A18
J.S. Spong, "Resurrection, Myth or Reality? A Bishops Search for the Origins of Christianity", Harper San Francisco, CA, (Reprinted, 1995) Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Derek Miller, "What Easter is All About: A Review of John Shelby Spong's "Resurrection: Myth or Reality?" at: http://www.whosoever.org/v6i5/derek.html
|
Home page>Christianity>Christian history, etc>Beliefs>Resurrection>here |
Copyright © 2003, by Ontario Consultant on Religious Tolerance
Essay originally written: 2003-APR-13
Essay last updated: 2003-APR-13
Written by: B.A. Robinson
|
|
