The resurrection story certainly provides a very important "vehicle" for reflecting divine/human relationships. The real question is whether it is only that, or is it a real event and the most fundamental revelation of the divine-human relationship.
Arguments based on similarity of stories can go both ways. I believe that it was in Pilgrim's Regress that C. S. Lewis cited the widespread association of a resurrecting god and agricultural symbolism (analogous to communion) as a general relict or revelation of a hint of the true resurrection. As best I recall, his phrase was "Was there ever a culture that did not know that wine was the blood of a dying and rising god?" As far as I know, several did not have this concept, but several did. If the Biblical view of humanity is reasonably correct, we should expect many ideas of life after death and resurrection to occur in different peoples. We know that something is not right with the present life, but have turned aside from the true explanation, and so devise various ideas.
Dr. David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001 USA
dcampbell@osprey.smcm.edu, 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'. And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir, Oh My Word!
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