From the Discovery Channel “Tomb of Jesus” webpage:
“Ascension: It is also a matter of Christian faith that after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. Some Christians believe that this was a spiritual ascension, i.e., his mortal remains were left behind. Other Christians believe that he ascended with his body to heaven. If Jesus’ mortal remains have been found, this would contradict the idea of a physical ascension but not the idea of a spiritual ascension. The latter is consistent with Christian theology.”
The whole article is no longer available although this summary from wikipedia is helpful.
I will focus on the statement, “the latter is consistent with Christian theology.” This statement is not consistent with the writings of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and therefore not acceptable within orthodox Christianity. In selections from 1 Corinthians 15: 35-50 we read:
“But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body (Greek word “soma”) do they come?’ You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body (soma) which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or some grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body (soma).”
Picking back up in verse 42: “So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. . . . It is sown a physical body (soma), it is raised a spiritual (Greek word “pneumatikos”) body (soma). . . . I tell you this, brethren, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”
The word “body” in the Greek is “soma,” which refers to a physical object (the body of both men or animals and that which casts a shadow as distinguished from the shadow itself). The word “spiritual” in the Greek is “pneumatikos” which refers to the human spirit or rational soul.
Spiritual Body – In verse 44, the scripture says “it [the body] is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” But what does this mean? The type of body is “relating to the human spirit, or rational soul, as part of a man which is akin to God” that is also “the body of both men and animals or that which casts a shadow.” Soma pneumatikos.
The doctrine of bodily resurrection is vital to the Christian faith. If God did not raise Jesus from the dead, giving His stamp of approval on Jesus’ message, then Christianity is false. Also, according to Christian theology, the physical resurrection of Christ was a victory over death and hope for a new life to come. Without a bodily resurrection, Christ has no victory over death. Christians are “found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead,” (1 Corinthians 15:15) and if Christ has not been raised, our beliefs are futile and we are still dead in our sins. (15:17)
MJ
You may access the Greek word definitions at www.biblestudytools.net/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?search=4983&version=nas&type=str&submit=Find using a Greek Lexicon. “Body” is Strong’s number 4983 and “spiritual” is Strong’s number 4152.
Some other good sources:
http://www.serioustimes.com/ James Emery White’s website
“The Jesus Dynasty: How to explain away the New Testament” by Darrell Bock
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/mayweb-only/120-32.0.html
© Mary Jo Sharp 2007
It’s very frustrating how misleading that Discovery Channel statement is. C’mon, who are these Christians who think that the Resurrection and Ascension were spiritual (meaning non-physical)? Well, they’re either outright heretics or so liberal as to have lost any continuity with the traditional understanding of the name “Christian”! Or are they referring to the “Christians” who wrote the gnostic gospels, what I like to call
Gnostic Gnonsense ? As you pointed out, the bodily Resurrection is absolutely foundational to Christian theology and practice.
Thanks for your comments. Orthodox Christianity appears to be an anomaly to some modern liberal scholarship. The early creedal councils came together to respond to unorthodox ideas of spiritual ascension. I am disappointed with the attributing of these councils to ideas such as political interest of the church or conspiracy theories against women (which was implied in “The DaVinci Code” and in “The Tomb of Jesus”). These are unsubstantiated claims, because they lack evidentiary support.
I really appreciate the link to your review of Elaine Pagel’s book, “The Gnostic Gospels.”
Thanks again,
MJ
Correction: “The early creedal councils came together to respond to unorthodox ideas of spiritual ascension.”
Should read “The early creedal councils came together to respond to unorthodox ideas, such as spiritual ascension.”
MJ
What does Paul say about the physical body we live in? Does he say that it will besaved? Does he say that corpses will rise?
When Paul said in Romans 6:6 ‘For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin’ , Paul meant that our physical body would be done away with, because it was a body of sin.
I wonder why he said ‘done away with’ and not ‘saved’.
Of course, the answer is easy. Paul never preached that corpses rise from the grave.
When Pail said in 2 Cor. 5 ‘We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.’ , he meant that you will be away from the physical body that you have now, not that you return at the resurrection to the physical body that was buried.
When Paul said in 2 Cor. 5 ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.’, he meant the things done during the time you were in the physical body that was buried, and obviously at judgement, you will no longer be in the physical body that was buried.
Paul is pretty clear. The physical body that was buried will be destroyed, done away with, we will be away from it, and we will have to account for what we did during the time that we were in it.
SOPHIA
It’s very frustrating how misleading that Discovery Channel statement is. C’mon, who are these Christians who think that the Resurrection and Ascension were spiritual (meaning non-physical)? Well, they’re either outright heretics…..
CARR
Here is how Paul described early converts to Jesus-worship in Corinth – the ones who scoffed at the idea that God would choose to raise a corpse.
…You have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— 6because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
I wonder if Paul would praise Sophia the way he praised churches where people scoffed openly at the idea of God raising corpses.
Paul , of course, states flat-out that Jesus became a spirit. Can Sophia second Paul;s opinion?