Religious Studies - Unit 2F - Revision Cards in A Level and IB Religious Studies

INTRODUCTION

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Could have been biased or exaggerated to encourage belief in Jesus
GORDON REID QUOTE
KAHLER QUOTE
Despite the Gospel contradiction, Christians chose to believe it anyway
NT is important for Christians
JOHN 20:30-31
Jesus died to atone their sins and ensure they have eternal life
BULTMANN QUOTE
Scholars criticise this
STRAUSS QUOTE
Gospels are all different so hard to gain value from them
MATTHEW 28
Gospel accounts were completely different as none of the other accounts include this in detail
Overall
Gospel accounts only significant to Christians
Not to anyone else
Criticsms show that there is no form of LAD for people to understand

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"If Christ has not been raised, your preaching is useless and so is your faith."
Indicative of how significant the resurrection of jesus is to Christianity
Pauls letters most reliable - written no later than 25 years after crucifixion
Earliest written evidence for it
He believes basis of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus
"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is fultile, and you are still in your sins"
Wrote to say that if you believe in Jesus, you will resurrect
"But if it is preached that Christ has been risen from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection from the dead?"
Beginning of his letter:
"For what i have received i have passed onto you as of first importance, that Christ has died for our sins according to the scriptures that he was buried and he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures and then he appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve."
Paul was focused on a specific group of people - Churches
Pauls letters are detailed enough to have an understanding of LAD
Scholars - obvious it appeals to Jewish and Hellenistic cultures - Info like Isiah Quotes
Majority of cultures at that time

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Paul only appealed to two cultures
Did not just record facts and information
Paul used to persecute believers in Jesus
Transition to Christianity gives reliable account for Christianity- sacrificing his life for Jesus
Messaniac Prophecies fulfilled in NT
C.K BARRATT QUOTE
Dualistic nature of the human body is compared to Hellenistic beliefs
Account of issues that face the modern day Christians in their wait for Jesus and the understanding it gives of LAD is consistent
Evaluate the Question

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John Hick may defend the resurrection of Jesus with his Replica Theory
This is a study which is in two stages, he said that if someone died in London and appeared in New York who had identical appearance, personality and memory, he claims that people would think that it is the same person.
This shows that if resurrection takes place, we can logically conceive that there would be continuity of identity (i.e. it’s the same person) between the earthly person and the resurrected person.
This would suggest that the concept of resurrection can be defended against some of its philosophical criticisms (namely that continuity of identity could not take place in a resurrection like that of Jesus/the one described in 1 Cor 15)
Therefore the value of the NT account of resurrection is not reduced by this criticism.

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Refer to Question - against NT
Experienced LAD themselves
E.g. Near death experience - at one with religious figure - 'tunnel of light'
Have an own personal understanding of LAD
Value of LAD still significant to Christians so NT sill have value
Heaven also known as Paradise LUKE 23 above earth - close to God - holy
Hell seen as place of sin, pain and punishment
OT ISIAH 28
afterlife and place of the dead
Teach Christians to be moral and good a Christian as possible - access to heaven
Jesus' resurrection allowed Christians to gain oneness with God
JOHN 3:16
NT summarises Christian belief through quote
Jesus resurrected to enable the future of Christianity to have eternal life
Refer back to question - support?

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Agree or disagree with the question?
Shown in Paul - contradict himself with the Gospel accounts throughout NT
e.g. says resurrection of Jesus was spiritual and accounts for people e.g. Matthew disagrees
Not a good understanding of NT as each accounts says different things
I believe... refer back to question
Christians would disagree because most of it is written with afterlife as motivation
e.g. entire purpose of John was to allow people to enter the afterlife
NT is significant to Christians
Other people like materialists, athiests, other religious groups may not support it
Historicity of resurrection in NT does not add good understanding through arguments against resurrection
Make more sense to people who do not have an understanding of LAD
REIMARUS QUOTE
May not make sense and lack equal understanding of LAD
To Conclude....
LAD can be found by better sources
Unless Christian

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