As we study the story surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection, we may be led to believe things that are not supported by the Bible. Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. The Gospels speaks of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. Rev. Clinton Chisholm. clears up a few of the myths surrounding this much celebrated historical event.
- The words ‘crucifixion’ and ‘excruciating’ are derived from the Latin crux = cross.
- Crucifixion is primarily an extreme method of torture/punishment and is not necessarily synonymous with death. Death normally resulted from crucifixion, but in history there are cases where a crucified man survived on the cross for a few days.
- The nails in Jesus’ ‘hands’ were actually driven through his wrists not his ‘palm’. ‘Hand’ in the first century covered the tips of the fingers through to the wrist. The weight of Jesus’ upper body could not easily or at all be supported by the muscle structure of his palms but by the superior muscle structure of his wrists.
- It is well nigh certain that Jesus was crucified naked (according to standard Roman practice). By Roman custom the clothes of the executed were the spoils belonging to his executioners. John 19:23-24 is misleadingly translated in a few versions. The NIV’s “…with the undergarment remaining…†is both wrong and misleading for 20th century readers. The soldiers took Jesus outer clothing/garment (Greek: himatia) and as well his inner clothing/garment (Greek: chitÅna, worn next to one’s skin). It is just that they split up (divided) the outer clothing but not the inner. ‘Undergarment’ does not mean brief or boxer! The King James Version is much closer to the Greek here, it says at v. 23 (John 19:23) “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.†(emphasis added).
- Technically, only Jesus was really resurrected, all others who came back from the dead in the Bible were resuscitated because all died natural deaths later on. As the Anglican Bishop and scholar N.T. Wright said, “The meaning of ‘resurrection’ as ‘life after “life after deathâ€â€™ cannot be overemphasized, not the least because much modern writing continues to use ‘resurrection’ as a virtual synonym for ‘life after death’ in the popular sense…†(The Resurrection of the Son of God, p.31).
- Paul’s treatment of the resurrection in 1 Cor. 15 was the earliest published account in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians was written about AD 50 whereas the Gospels were written between AD 62 and 69 at the earliest.
© Rev. Clinton Chisholm, April 9, 2011
3 thoughts on “Six Biblical Easter Facts You Should Know”
OK, happy you cleared that up, great to know the meaning went beyond the regular dictionary definition 🙂
Dave, your point is well taken. I should have pointed out that my approach to resuscitation goes beyond the dictionary definition towards a specialised theological approach which does not deny the reality of the death that these persons experienced but seeks to zero in on the non-lasting nature of their ‘life after death. Resurrection proper being nuanced as ‘life after life after death’.
I love all the points made except Point E.
“all others who came back from the dead in the Bible were resuscitated”
I think we have to be very careful when we use the word “resuscitated” when referring to people who were brought back from the dead in the Bible. Resuscitated means to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness
It is not a strong enough word for events such as Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus. Lazarus was not “apparently dead” or just “unconscious”, he was fully dead up to the point of decomposition, not at a point where he could be resuscitated, he was stinking dead!
John 11:17 “On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.”
John 11:38-39 “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,†he said.
“But, Lord,†said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.â€
I can see where you are trying to differentiate between the resurrection of Christ and the others in the Bible, but they are all resurrections, the difference is that Jesus came back with a resurrected body and everyone else did not, Lazarus came back with a earthly body, in his case he still had to face a physical death again, we all must wait until the second coming of Christ to get that resurrection body.