If the coming into existence of the Nazarenes, a phenomenon undeniably attested by the New Testament, rips a great hole in history, a hole the shape and size of the Resurrection, what does the secular historian propose to stop it up with?… the birth and rapid rise of the Christian Church… remain an unsolved enigma for any historian who refuses to take seriously the only explanation offered by the Church itself.
C.F.D.Moule (Cambridge), The Phenomenon of the New Testament
Filed under resurrection
This weekend is Easter weekend.
Australians in general love it because it is a four day long weekend, a chance for rest and recreation.
Christians love it even more because it is the very foundation of real rest, the relief from having to wonder about our relationship to the divine, and the ultimate freedom from having to prove ourselves via competition from others (if you want to know how that works, I spoke on this last Sunday, you can listen here).
There have been some very helpful posts leading up to Easter this year, so I thought I point them out.
1. Resurrection and Science
One of the major objections to belief in the resurrection of Jesus has been the thought that is is incompatible with modern science.Dr John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, has written a piece on how a scientist can believe in a ‘miracle’ like the resurrection of Jesus. You can find it here.
2. Resurrection and Sources
Another objection to the resurrection of Jesus is that the accounts in the primary sources, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, found in the Bible, are incompatible with each other. The claim is that, since these accounts mention different things and different people, they can’t be speaking about the one event, and so therefore they are unreliable.
Dr Peter Bolt, Head of New Testament at Moore Theological College in Sydney (and PhD in the world of the first century from Cambridge) has written a piece showing how the different accounts weave together to speak of one narrative. You can read it here.
[Peter will be speaking at St Pauls on Thursday, 15th May 2014, on the evidence for the historical Jesus, his life and actions – all welcome!]
3. Resurrection and Evidence
Finally, here is a helpful piece from Dr William Lane Craig that puts together the case for the resurrection of Jesus.
May you have a safe and meaningful Easter.
[BTW, our services at St Paul’s Castle Hill where I work are Good Friday: 8am & 10am; Easter Sunday 8 & 10am, 5 & 7pm]
He is Risen – He is Risen Indeed!
Filed under easter, resurrection
In Anticipation 