The Early Dating of the Resurrection & Refuting the Legend - Essay Sample

Introduction

Why is it vital to deal with the question of 'legend' as it pertains to the resurrection? Why it is so crucial that resurrection testimony is dated back to the years immediately following the crucifixion of Christ? Additionally, what the relationship is between the early dating of the New Testament document and the dispelling of accusations that the resurrection story developed as a legend. More importantly, why the recognition of creeds is so vital in establishing an argument refuting the legendary development objection of the resurrection. This article seeks to answer this in-depth and gives a comprehensive understanding of the subject of Jesus' resurrection.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

First, the legend theory surrounding the resurrection story of Jesus could not have been established as a result of a lack of correlation between his death and his resurrection. Attempts to prove that Jesus resurrected are more straightforward compared to proving he is just but a legend. While others say, that resurrection is the backbone of Christianity; that the resurrection story was real because of Biblical facts and historical evidence that back it up (Habermas, 2015). Some critics argue that the resurrection story was nothing more than just a fable.

Resurrection should be dated back to the years after the crucifixion of Jesus. Historical evidence shows that right after his death, a group of few women who were also His followers found the tomb empty where Joseph of Arimathea had buried His body, three days before (Craig, 2015). That is not all as His disciples whom He had told that He would rise from the dead, believed in His resurrection even before He appeared to them, alive from the dead (McDowell, 2016).Moreover, there were many instances where Jesus appeared to people, both to individuals and groups of persons.

I believe that the New Testament dispels the accusations that the story of Jesus' resurrection was created as a legend for some reason. First, the time intervals between Jesus' death and His resurrection and the chronicling of them was just too little. That amount of time could not have permitted remembrance of what had or had not occurred (Levering, 2018). Also, the mythical stories by scholars are not similar to the gospel accounts. Plus, the writers of the gospel chronicles are known well for their historical reliability. Luke, for instance, is a remarkable historian known to have written two gospel books, St. Luke and Acts of the Apostles.

Lastly, the Apostles' creed is a representation of the rule of faith as the early church described it. Since the rule of faith steered the Christians during those times, not only was the Holy Spirit at work in people and communities but also to the Scriptures (Vinzent, 2016). Seeing how significant the creed is to Christians up to date, especially with the Catholics and the Protestants, one can conclude that it talks about the importance of understanding and acceptance of the fundamental teachings on faith. The reason being that it is the only way to transition into the more profound aspects of Christianity. At the same time, the Apostles' creed emphasis on the essentiality of not parting from the belief in the death and rising of Jesus Christ.

References

Craig, W. L. (2015). On Guard for Students: A Thinker's Guide to the Christian Faith. David C Cook.

Habermas, G. R. (2015). Evidence for the Historical Jesus: Is the Jesus of History the Christ of Faith?

Levering, M. (2018). Historical Memory and the Resurrection of Jesus: Encountering the Risen Christ. International Journal of Systematic Theology, 20(2), 157-185.

McDowell, S. (2016). The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus. Routledge.

Vinzent, M. (2016). Christ's Resurrection in Early Christianity: And the Making of the New Testament. Routledge.