Re: Eschatology and The Beginning

 The two extremes on understanding the Resurrection are that it was physical
as we are now , and totally spiritual in which Jesus' body rotted away in
the tomb. These are followed by extreme Fundamentalists and Liberals
respectively. Iain suffered a "sermon" by Andy Mackintosh on a literal
physical resurrection recently (which ignored or denied 1 cor 15)

The best way to see what happened is to say that Jesus rose bodily but not
physically and that his body in the words of Tom Wright was TRANSPHYSICAL.
Consider the biblical evidence

Gospels
1. empty tomb - i.e. body gone , either stolen or risen
2. seen by and spoke with many - women, disciples, including Thomas, walk
to Emmaus
3. eat food
4. passed through the doors of the upper room (John 20)

Letters
Key passage 1 Cor 15
1. seen by many
2 rose.
3. picture of earthly and spiritual body.

All this should be clear from a bible study unless you insist of the myopic
lenses of Fundamentalism or Liberal theology

We should avoid saying that Jeus rose physically as this implies the same
physical body .

It is best to always refer to the bodily resurrection, and possibly use
Wright's term TRANSPHYSICAL

For a long read 700pages+ see Wright on the Resurection.

Also not that the Resurrection is a NEW Creation, with Jesus as the first of
that new creation. Wright expounds thsi and also argues that 1 Cor 15 has
Gen 1-3 lying just below surfce.

Hope this helps

Michael
Received on Thu Apr 20 06:32:21 2006