Picking up the thread from the last Post, lest us proceed to consider resurrection from the dead. We mean by the word 'resurrection' a new life after a person's death as a result of the transformation of his or her soul and body. It is generally believed in all major religions that the soul of a person is immortal and therefore cannot be destroyed by death. There are variations in belief about the state of the soul after death like the doctrine of transmigration in the Indian Thought. According to this stream of thought, the ultimate destiny of the soul to be one with the 'Paramatma' (The Absolute One) cannot be realized unless one's actions in this life are in tune with the essential unity of the 'Jivatma' (the individual) and the Paramatma. The soul is, therefore, bound to take different bodies after the dissolution of the present body in accordance with the merits of its 'karma' or action and achieves the final unity in due course. On the contrary, the Christian Faith advocates only a single chance in this life to each individual after which according to the merits or demerits of each one's actions eternal bliss or damnation is received as reward. This reward of bliss or damnation is to be enjoyed or endured in company with the body that was a constant companion of the soul in this life. The body, though the same as the present one, would be a completely transformed one to be labelled as a spiritual body, seemingly a contradiction in terms! It may be termed a complete effulgence of the Divine Spirit dwelling in each and everyone resulting in light for the redeemed and darkness for the damned ones. Even the body, therefore, is not annihilated after death both of the just and of the wicked, but continues though in a transformed manner resulting in glory for the just and disgrace for the wicked.
The soul of each individual is joined to the body at conception, like in a seed, so that divinity imprinted in the soul may overflow, in due course, to the body also. The body has its own contribution to the unity of soul and body by amalgamating in its structure forces latent in the whole of creation. Thus the idea of St. Paul that the whole creation is groaning under its own weight for redemption in virtue of the freedom to be accessed by the human race is to be fulfilled by the right nurturing of our own bodies. The importance of safeguarding the environment comes to the fore here for our own well-being. Misuse of nature out of greed and selfishness ultimately rebounds on us by degradation of the planet as well as degeneration of our bodies. we are obliged to keep not only our souls but also our bodies fit for resurrection in glory. We have the concrete example of Jesus rising from the dead on the third day after his death on the cross and burial. There is no better example or model for our own resurrection than the resurrection of Jesus, a closer study of which should throw light on the nature of our own resurrection from the dead.
The first point to remember in discussing the resurrection of Jesus is that the fact of resurrection cannot be attained by a purely historical investigation as it is not confined to the material world. Any pure scientific investigation is restricted to the observable and verifiable data within the confines of this material world. Anything that claims to break through such confines can be attained only through faculties over and above the usual apparatus and faith is such an instrument in the present case. As God Himself supplies this faith, one does not have to strive for faith except that one's life is amenable to receive faith if and when it comes! For, resurrection of Jesus is not only historical but also transcendental in the sense that it heralds the new world to come of which it is a forerunner. However, a very serious danger is hidden in the call to faith as there are people waiting to exploit the gullible for self-interest leading the latter astray. The danger is manifested in superstitions imposed upon people on the name of blind faith. It is a fact that genuine faith in its core is blind in as far as it is the only vehicle to reach God in His Word and actions. It does not mean, however, that whatever leads to faith and the consequences of faith also should be considered as blind. This is why the Church has always given importance to a branch of theology called Fundamental Theology. Being fundamental and laying down the scientific basis for the rest of theology, it cannot itself be based on faith, but on our reasoning faculty. Philosophy is the tool used here to examine the foundations of faith and its consequences in our life. The exploiters will insist that all these should be taken as blind faith and people should just follow their words and actions. God has already decided to render such people powerless by establishing the rule that He alone will teach everyone by inscribing His laws in the hearts and minds of everyone (See Jeremiah, 31: 31-34; Hebrews, 10: 15-18). It is incumbent upon everyone to seek the true teachings coming from God for which we should develop our own communication line with God in prayer, study and meditation.
Did Jesus actually rise from the dead on the third day after his burial? A clear answer to this fundamental question is very vital to the solidity of our faith in Jesus Christ and our entire life. We shall not go into the innumerable arguments for and against it that may be gathered from various sources. What we are interested in is to point out an important factor in our thinking and mental make-up that already predetermines the validity of any argument brought forward. This factor is the initial state of our mind even before the start of any investigation. It is about the openness of our mind to any result of our sincere investigation. If our mind is closed due to faith or opposition to it, there cannot be any scientific investigation. The result has been already decided through our mental attitude. At the same time, it cannot be denied that by the time we propose to start an inquiry on any subject, we have already well-defined notions on many things. How can we get rid of them for the sake of our investigation? Here philosophy uses the method of abstraction or bracketing of our present convictions keeping them from influencing the process of investigation. Empirical sciences also use the same method in order to arrive at unbiased and objective conclusions. In short, nothing can be scientific and objective without adopting this method of abstraction in some way at the beginning itself of any investigation. Therefore, in the present case of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus too we should not be biased one way or other when we examine the evidence presented in the Bible. An unbiased investigator of the facts recorded can weigh their logic and appreciate the reasonableness or otherwise of accepting or rejecting them. Even for a person ready to accept the facts as reasonable, the full truth of the reality of resurrection cannot be appreciated without faith at the end of the rational investigation. The reason for this is that here we are not dealing just with a reality confined to this world alone, but something that breaks forth into the next world. The evidences to be examined in this matter pertain to the fact of the empty tomb and appearances of the risen Jesus to many believers in Jerusalem and elsewhere. Thus we see that both Reason and Faith have their proper roles in the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. From the actions and reactions of the disciples who were desperate and forlorn after the crucifixion of Jesus, it is evident that the good news of resurrection was something unexpected by them. Yet, they were definitively convinced of the reality of resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (For further study of the historicity of New Testament events, see my blog site: christologiainsitu.blogspot.com) To be Contd)..
The soul of each individual is joined to the body at conception, like in a seed, so that divinity imprinted in the soul may overflow, in due course, to the body also. The body has its own contribution to the unity of soul and body by amalgamating in its structure forces latent in the whole of creation. Thus the idea of St. Paul that the whole creation is groaning under its own weight for redemption in virtue of the freedom to be accessed by the human race is to be fulfilled by the right nurturing of our own bodies. The importance of safeguarding the environment comes to the fore here for our own well-being. Misuse of nature out of greed and selfishness ultimately rebounds on us by degradation of the planet as well as degeneration of our bodies. we are obliged to keep not only our souls but also our bodies fit for resurrection in glory. We have the concrete example of Jesus rising from the dead on the third day after his death on the cross and burial. There is no better example or model for our own resurrection than the resurrection of Jesus, a closer study of which should throw light on the nature of our own resurrection from the dead.
The first point to remember in discussing the resurrection of Jesus is that the fact of resurrection cannot be attained by a purely historical investigation as it is not confined to the material world. Any pure scientific investigation is restricted to the observable and verifiable data within the confines of this material world. Anything that claims to break through such confines can be attained only through faculties over and above the usual apparatus and faith is such an instrument in the present case. As God Himself supplies this faith, one does not have to strive for faith except that one's life is amenable to receive faith if and when it comes! For, resurrection of Jesus is not only historical but also transcendental in the sense that it heralds the new world to come of which it is a forerunner. However, a very serious danger is hidden in the call to faith as there are people waiting to exploit the gullible for self-interest leading the latter astray. The danger is manifested in superstitions imposed upon people on the name of blind faith. It is a fact that genuine faith in its core is blind in as far as it is the only vehicle to reach God in His Word and actions. It does not mean, however, that whatever leads to faith and the consequences of faith also should be considered as blind. This is why the Church has always given importance to a branch of theology called Fundamental Theology. Being fundamental and laying down the scientific basis for the rest of theology, it cannot itself be based on faith, but on our reasoning faculty. Philosophy is the tool used here to examine the foundations of faith and its consequences in our life. The exploiters will insist that all these should be taken as blind faith and people should just follow their words and actions. God has already decided to render such people powerless by establishing the rule that He alone will teach everyone by inscribing His laws in the hearts and minds of everyone (See Jeremiah, 31: 31-34; Hebrews, 10: 15-18). It is incumbent upon everyone to seek the true teachings coming from God for which we should develop our own communication line with God in prayer, study and meditation.
Did Jesus actually rise from the dead on the third day after his burial? A clear answer to this fundamental question is very vital to the solidity of our faith in Jesus Christ and our entire life. We shall not go into the innumerable arguments for and against it that may be gathered from various sources. What we are interested in is to point out an important factor in our thinking and mental make-up that already predetermines the validity of any argument brought forward. This factor is the initial state of our mind even before the start of any investigation. It is about the openness of our mind to any result of our sincere investigation. If our mind is closed due to faith or opposition to it, there cannot be any scientific investigation. The result has been already decided through our mental attitude. At the same time, it cannot be denied that by the time we propose to start an inquiry on any subject, we have already well-defined notions on many things. How can we get rid of them for the sake of our investigation? Here philosophy uses the method of abstraction or bracketing of our present convictions keeping them from influencing the process of investigation. Empirical sciences also use the same method in order to arrive at unbiased and objective conclusions. In short, nothing can be scientific and objective without adopting this method of abstraction in some way at the beginning itself of any investigation. Therefore, in the present case of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus too we should not be biased one way or other when we examine the evidence presented in the Bible. An unbiased investigator of the facts recorded can weigh their logic and appreciate the reasonableness or otherwise of accepting or rejecting them. Even for a person ready to accept the facts as reasonable, the full truth of the reality of resurrection cannot be appreciated without faith at the end of the rational investigation. The reason for this is that here we are not dealing just with a reality confined to this world alone, but something that breaks forth into the next world. The evidences to be examined in this matter pertain to the fact of the empty tomb and appearances of the risen Jesus to many believers in Jerusalem and elsewhere. Thus we see that both Reason and Faith have their proper roles in the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. From the actions and reactions of the disciples who were desperate and forlorn after the crucifixion of Jesus, it is evident that the good news of resurrection was something unexpected by them. Yet, they were definitively convinced of the reality of resurrection of Jesus from the dead. (For further study of the historicity of New Testament events, see my blog site: christologiainsitu.blogspot.com) To be Contd)..
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