Solo

Hello, all. Below is an attempt to summarize the various major views on resurrection as I believe they existed in the first two centuries. (Had it in an Excel table but could not figure out how to get into the editor.) Comments, criticism, would be appreciated:

General Resurrection of the Dead
Traditional Judaic, Phariseic
continuous
Dead will raise (bodily) in the restoration of Israel as God's Kingdom. Two varieties of belief: 1) only the righteous souls will rise, 2) all will rise - the bad ones to everlasting shame (Dan 12:2)

No Rescurrection of the Dead
Sadduccees (Zadokites)
150 BCE- 70 CE
"Materialist outlook": No resurrection of the dead, no judgment, no immortality of the soul. Merges later with gnosticism.

Resurrection among the Apocalyptic Sectarians
Essene, Qumran, James the Just's Church
Maccabean Wars - 135 CE
Belief in individual salvation, apocalyptic judgment, bodily resurrection for the Elect in radiant light of eternal purity, possibility of attaining state of grace in this life through asketic practice and righteousness. Merges later with gnosticism.

Resurrectional views of HJ
Jesus, his Galilean following, Petrine wing of the early church
30CE - 400 CE
No resurrection of the dead ! ('Let the dead bury their dead'). Individual resurrection, judgment. The Elect enter into God's Kingdom through internal transformation and initiation by 'baptism of fire'. Achieve 'immunity' from death (Rev 2:7, 2:12). Merges later with gnosticism

Paul of Tarsus
Paul, Pauline Church, Christians
40 CE - continuous
Pharisee Paul converted to the resurrectional scenario of the Apocalyptic Sectarians. Belief in unique resurrection of Jesus as model for individual/community salvation. Resurrection transforms body into mystical one. Resolutely rejects the resurrectional views of the earthly Jesus

Christian canonical
General Christian belief
100 CE - contnuous
Unique resurrection of Christ who had bodily risen after death. Faith in resurrected Christ earns believer heaven in afterlife

Jiri

John Kesler

I don't think that Daniel 12:2 teaches that "all" will rise; the text states that "many" will rise:

Jesus appears to refer to this passage in John 5:29, and in this passage a universal resurrection is intended, but this doesn't change the original intent of Daniel.

Solo

You are right; within these classes the beliefs again varied as to the universality of the resurrection. What I should have said was "both, the righteous and the wicked will rise".

There can be no doubt that the Church believed and continues to believe in universal resurrection. The Catholic catechism (998) refers to Jn 5:29 cf. Dan 12:2 for universality. But I take your point.

Jiri

Solo

....hmmmm, I expected some howls on this:

1) no bodily resurrection of Jesus was traditioned in the apostolic age,

2) Paul argues with (presumptive) HJ on resurrection,

3) HJ did not care about afterlife generally - why would he be predicting his own rising from the dead (hint, hint: meaning the second-time dead who were incapable of physical exertion) ?

....oh well, probably not as interesting issues as I think they are. :huh:

Jiri

GakuseiDon

There is also the views of Philo, who had a belief about a transformed Moses possibly along the same lines as Paul's view of what happens to those still alive when the Lord returns:
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/t...lo/book25.html

"And some time afterwards, when he [Moses] was about to depart from hence to heaven, to take up his abode there, and leaving this mortal life to become immortal, having been summoned by the Father, who now changed him, having previously been a double being, composed of soul and body, into the nature of a single body, transforming him wholly and entirely into a most sun-like mind..."

GakuseiDon

Maybe worth posting this on Theologyweb?

Solo

Thanks, this is very interesting and useful....not sure though how this informs Philo's general resurrectional belief.

Jiri