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The Resurrection of the Son of God

Why did Christianity begin, and why did it take the shape it did? To answer this question which any historian must face renowned New Testament scholar N.T. Wright focuses on the key points: what precisely happened at Easter? What did the early Christians mean when they said that Jesus of Nazareth had been raised from the dead? What can be said today about his belief?

This book, third is Wrights series Christian Origins and the Question of God, sketches a map of ancient beliefs about life after death, in both the Greco-Roman and Jewish worlds. It then highlights the fact that the early Christians belief about the afterlife belonged firmly on the Jewish spectrum while introducing several new mutations and sharper definitions. This, together with other features of early Christianity, forces the historian to read the Easter narratives in the gospels, not simply as late rationalizations of early Christian spirituality, but as accounts of two actual events: the empty tomb of Jesus and his "appearances."

In his book, Wright gives profound historical and theological insight into the resurrection (Easter) narrative. He considers life beyond death according to paganism, the Old Testament, Post-Biblical Judaism, and early Christianity. But, his central aim is to answer the question: Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead? He believes the answer is largely found in the question of why Christianity began, and why it formed.

Wright sets the stage in the first part of his volume by giving a powerful allegory of a king who commanded his archers to shoot at the sun. With all of their might, they attempted to pierce the sun but in vain. All of their arrows fell short. A few days later, the youngest archer noticed the reflection of the sun upon the still water. With a single shot he shattered the sun. He uses this parable to illustrate the fact that all the arrows of history cannot reach God. However, Wright helps the reader to recognize that there are reflections that must be aimed at throughout history that tell the true story of the resurrection of Jesus.


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