Re-Viewing the Resurrection

By Richard Firth

The title of this book speaks for itself. The Resurrection is foundational for the Christian faith and an integral element of its doctrine, which is why we need to get as close to the truth as possible. The evidence for the Resurrection is reviewed, seeking to get into and behind the texts of the four gospels, and the minds of those who were there or who wrote about it, with what is believed to be a fresh approach to the events of that third day and whether or not they are an essential part of the original good news of Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035814565

Richard Firth

Richard Firth is a methodist minister/presbyter with a breadth of experience in a wide variety of situations: city centre, overseas, inner city, commuter town, urban and rural areas, and retiring to the seaside. He has always had a concern for the integrity of the Christian message and clarity of exposition and communication. This book is the culmination of a lifetime’s thinking about this important subject and deliberation upon a wide reading of commentaries and theological works to which he is indebted for their stimulation. He trusts that readers will be encouraged in their own thinking to arrive at truth meaningful for themselves. He is a graduate of Leeds, Greenwich (USA) and Birmingham Universities, and married with a grown up family.

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About the Author

Richard Firth is a methodist minister/presbyter with a breadth of experience in a wide variety of situations: city centre, overseas, inner city, commuter town, urban and rural areas, and retiring to the seaside. He has always had a concern for the integrity of the Christian message and clarity of exposition and communication. This book is the culmination of a lifetime’s thinking about this important subject and deliberation upon a wide reading of commentaries and theological works to which he is indebted for their stimulation. He trusts that readers will be encouraged in their own thinking to arrive at truth meaningful for themselves. He is a graduate of Leeds, Greenwich (USA) and Birmingham Universities, and married with a grown up family.

Dedication

To my wife, Joyce, fellow pilgrim on the journey of life and the quest for the truth.

Copyright Information ©

Richard Firth 2023

The right of Richard Firth to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035814558 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035814565 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

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Acknowledgement

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the help, advice and encouragement in writing this book of a good friend, Brian W.J.G. Wilson, a classical Greek scholar and retired head teacher, The Revd Dr Ian Duffield, emeritus director of research at the Urban Theology Union Sheffield, and Joyce, my dear wife and fellow pilgrim. My gratitude to them cannot be overstated, as I have sought to explore the resurrection of Jesus Christ and to understand the event and its significance for our times.

Richard Firth,

Tynemouth,

May 2023.

Preface

The title of this book, I trust, speaks for itself. The Resurrection is an important subject and an integral element of traditional Christian doctrine. That is why we need to get as near to the truth as possible. Hopefully, what follows is a stage on the way to achieving this. We shall be reviewing the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, seeking to get into and behind the texts of the four Gospels, and the minds of those who were there or who wrote about it. It may well be that we shall then re-view the events of that ‘third day’ in a new light.

Commentaries on the texts, by and large, tend to treat the story of the resurrection literally and historically and follow the limitations of the methods of biblical criticism. A perusal of the range of commentaries in the Dewey no. 232 section of my local theological resource library reveals that almost without exception, the resurrection is treated as a real event which happened within history. It is difficult to understand why some of them do not question this interpretation, especially in the light of our scientific knowledge, psychological experience and methods of historical investigation. There is a need, also, to interpret the appearance stories in an experiential way.

The resurrection has traditionally been regarded as an essential building block in the Christian message along with the incarnation, the passion and the crucifixion of Jesus. But are these part of the original ‘good news’ as proclaimed by Jesus Himself? We hope to reach more than a tentative conclusion to this question.

Whatever is in the hearts and minds of Christian people at Easter time, however literally or otherwise they regard the stories in the Gospels, this book will not necessarily change their perceptions, but it may help some who search for credibility because so often, these days, insofar as the Church is concerned, belonging to it means tolerating hosts of inadequacies, both in belief and behaviour. So reader, may this book help you in that elusive search for the truth in which all faithful disciples of Jesus are engaged.

It may be asked, Why does it matter? I believe that there is a need for credibility, especially as the resurrection is claimed to be the foundation of the Christian Faith and the origin of the Church. The resurrection may well be amongst those ‘ten impossible things’ we are asked to believe before breakfast!

Richard Firth

May 2023

Chapter 1

Considering Mark’s End

Jean de la Fontaine (1621–1695) once said, In all matters, one must consider the end. With regard to the resurrection of Jesus, we need a fresh and realistic look at the end of St Mark’s Gospel, chapter 16, verses 1 to 8, with the following assumptions in mind, mainly based on accepted traditions:

That Mark’s Gospel was written c65AD in Rome

That it was mainly based on the recollections of Peter according to Bishop Papias c130AD

That Peter was martyred (by inverted crucifixion) in c64AD during Nero’s persecution

That Mark was martyred in Alexandria c68AD for his opposition to paganism

That the abrupt ending of Mark’s Gospel at 16.8 requires an explanation.

In addition, three other assumptions based upon present knowledge and experience:

That it was scientifically impossible for the dead Jesus to be brought back to life

That God is not interventionist and does not circumvent His own natural laws as to do this would be to contradict Himself.

That the theology of resurrection needs to be expressed in other than that of literal and physical terms.

The Ending of Mark’s Gospel

The abrupt ending of Mark’s Gospel has been the subject of much conjecture, and the use of gallons of ink in the writings of scholars over the centuries whose main alternatives as to the reason why are as follows¹:

Mark intended to end the Gospel with chapter 16.1–8.

His original ending has been lost due to the mutilation of the scroll or the codex upon which the Gospel was written.

Mark was prevented by some circumstance or other from completing his Gospel.

Credence is usually given to alternatives 2 and 3 by the fact that the Gospel ends with ‘gar’, and that this is an ungrammatical way to end a sentence in Greek. The closing sentence of the Gospel thus reads: for they were afraid (ephobounto gar). However, there is evidence² from Greek literature to demonstrate that such an ending to a sentence, although unusual, is by no means uncommon, and so Mark could have ended his Gospel in this way. This writer affirms the opinion that the Gospel, as we have it, is the one that Mark intended for circulation in the early Church, but without the later addition of verses 9–20.

Also the importance of Mark 16.1–8, as a primary and primitive witness to the events of Easter Day itself is often overshadowed by the assertion that 1 Corinthians 15.3–5 is a prior source.³ However, this is not necessarily so if Mark is based on Peter’s oral tradition which would predate this. The one is not any