Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Jesus is a central mystery for Christians. It is the core belief that God raised Jesus from the dead. This happened on the third day after his crucifixion.

Christians believe this event restored his exalted life as Christ and Lord. It is seen as the foundation for their entire faith. This belief also provides a guarantee for the future. Many Christians believe that they too will be raised when Christ returns. Because of this, the resurrection is the main reason for the Easter festival.

Stories in the New Testament explain how this event looked to followers. The books do not describe the actual moment of rising. Instead, they tell of an empty tomb and many appearances.

In the Gospel of Mark, women find an empty tomb. A young man in a white robe tells them Jesus has risen. The Gospel of Matthew says an angel appeared at the tomb. Jesus then appeared to his disciples on a mountain in Galilee. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appeared to two followers on the road to Emmaus. Finally, the book of Acts says Jesus ascended into heaven after appearing for forty days.

Early Christian writings show how quickly this belief grew. The Apostle Paul wrote about these appearances in his letters. His first letter to the Corinthians contains an early Christian creed.

This creed mentions that Jesus died, was buried, and was raised on the third day. Many scholars believe Paul received this tradition from older leaders in the faith. Some think it was formalized in the Jerusalem community very soon after the event. Paul even claimed to have seen Jesus in a vision. He used these experiences to support his message to the early churches.

Different religious traditions hold very different views on this event. Judaism teaches that Jesus' body was stolen rather than raised.

Gnosticism is another group that believes only the soul is resurrected. Islam has its own teachings regarding Jesus. Most Islamic teaching says Jesus was not crucified but went directly to God. However, the Ahmadiyya branch of Islam believes he survived the crucifixion. Scholars also study these accounts from a historical view. Some look at the empty tomb as a matter of faith. Others study the stories as part of human history.

These ideas grew out of older Jewish traditions about life after death. In the 2nd century BC, the Book of Daniel spoke of people awakening from the dust.

During the time of Jesus, Jewish groups had different views. The Pharisees believed the soul was immortal and the body would be raised. The Sadducees believed both the soul and body perished at death. The Essenes thought only the soul lived on. The early Christian belief in a new, holy body was very close to the Pharisee view. This connection helped shape how the religion spread through the ancient world.