Articles
- Impact of the Bible
- The cultural influence of the Bible and Christianity in England
- Bible in English culture, The
- English Bible Translations
- Influence of the Book of Common Prayer on the English language
- A history of the church in England
- Culture and sung Christian worship
- Famous stories from the Bible
- Literary titles from the Bible
- Common Sayings from the Bible
- Big ideas from the Bible
- Adoption
- Angels
- Anger
- Anointing
- Apocalypse, Revelation, the End Times, the Second Coming
- Armour
- Ascent and descent
- Atonement and sacrifice
- Babel, language and comprehension
- Baptism
- Betrayal
- Blood
- Bread
- Bride and marriage
- Cain and Abel
- Christians
- City and countryside
- Cleansing
- Clothing
- Community, church, the body of Christ
- Covenant
- Creation, creativity, image of God
- Cross, crucifixion
- Curtain/veil
- Darkness
- Death and resurrection
- Desert and wilderness
- Devils
- Donkey, ass
- Doubt and faith
- Dove
- Dreams, visions and prophecy
- Earth, clay, dust
- Exile
- Feasting and fasting
- Fire
- Forgiveness, mercy and grace
- Fruit, pruning
- Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, 'Second Adam'
- Gateway, door
- Goats
- Grass and wild flowers
- Harvesting
- Heaven
- Hell
- Incarnation (nativity)
- Inheritance and heirs
- Jewels and precious metals
- Jews, Hebrews, Children of Israel, Israelites
- Journey of faith, Exodus, pilgrims and sojourners
- Judgement
- Justice
- Kingship
- Last Supper, communion, eucharist, mass
- Light
- Lion
- Lost, seeking, finding, rescue
- Messiah, Christ, Jesus
- Miracles
- Mission, evangelism, conversion
- Moses
- Music
- Names
- Noah and the flood
- Numbers in the Bible
- Parables
- Parents and children
- Passover
- Path, way
- Patriarchs
- Peace
- Penitence, repentance, penance
- Poverty and wealth
- Prayer
- Promised Land, Diaspora, Zionism
- Psalms
- Rabbi, Pharisee, teacher of the law
- Redemption, salvation
- Rest
- Rock and stone
- Salt
- Seed, sowing
- Serpent, Devil, Satan, Beast
- Servant-hood, obedience and authority
- Sheep, shepherd and lamb
- Sin
- Slavery
- Soul
- Temple, tabernacle
- Temptation
- Ten Commandments, The
- Trees
- Trinity, Holy Spirit
- Vine, vineyard
- Water
- Weeds, chaff, briar, thorn
- Wisdom and foolishness
- Women in the Bible
- Word of God
- Work and idleness
- Investigating the Bible
- Literary allusions to the Bible
- Pilgrimage in literature
- Biblical style in poetry
- Biblical imagery in metaphysical poetry
- Bible/Literature intertextuality
- The cultural influence of the Bible and Christianity in England
Death and resurrection
For many people, death seems final - a complete end. However, several religions teach that there is life after death. Some also believe in reincarnation, which results in humans being re-born again and again into this world, but in different bodily forms. The Bible also describes a number of examples of resurrection, when someone dies and is later brought back to life. The word ‘resurrection' means ‘rising again'. Its use in literature is seen in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The single Latin word ‘Resurgam', meaning ‘I shall arise', is placed on the tombstone of the devout young Christian, Helen Burns.
Death and resurrection in the New Testament
The Gospels claim that Jesus restored several people to life. They included the son of a widow (Luke 7:11-15), the daughter of Jairus, ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus' friend Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary of Bethany. The story of Lazarus is given in great detail. When told by Jesus that Lazarus would rise again, Martha expresses the view that ‘he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day' (John 11:24). Jesus replied, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die' (John 11:25-26). Although Martha points out that Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus tells her to believe; he then calls ‘Lazarus, come out!' Lazarus emerges from the tomb, still wrapped in the grave-clothes in which he had been buried.
The Resurrection of Jesus
New Testament writers state that Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of humankind when he was put to death on the cross, but that he came back to life again when he rose from the dead three days later. Christians celebrate these events at Easter. (Easter eggs symbolise the new life that comes from a seemingly dead-looking egg.)
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus is based on the accounts recorded in all four Gospels. John, for example, records how, after finding the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene met a figure who spoke to her. At first she did not recognize him, but then realized it was Jesus. Later Jesus appeared to other disciples, and ate food with them (recorded in the gospel of John in chapters 20 and 21). The disciple Thomas, at first reluctant to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, since he was not there when the risen Christ appeared to the other disciples, was later convinced when Jesus appeared and showed the physical signs of his crucifixion (John 20:24-28). Other people met Jesus walking towards the town of Emmaus, and only recognized him when he broke bread at supper, reminiscent of what he had done on the night before his crucifixion (Luke 24:28-31). See Big ideas: Last supper, communion, eucharist, mass.
The resurrection of Jesus is presented as unique because it was ‘permanent' whereas those he had restored to life earlier, such as Lazarus, would in time face death again. Jesus' resurrection also offered the hope of life after death to all who believe in him (see Big ideas: Redemption, salvation).
Related topics
Big ideas: Last Supper, communion, eucharist, mass; Redemption, salvation
Other cultural references
Brontë's Jane Eyre
Rowling's Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows
- English Standard Version
- King James Version
- English Standard Version
- King James Version
- English Standard Version
- King James Version
- English Standard Version
- King James Version
- English Standard Version
- King James Version
John is quite unlike the other gospels in its concentration on the significance of Jesus as seen through the eyes of the beloved Disciple who was almost certainly John the son of Zebedee, the traditional author of this gospel. It is the gospel of signs and includes the unique series of I am sayings by Jesus e.g. 'I am the way, the truth and the life'. This recalls the portrayal of God as the I AM in the Old Testament (Ex 3:14).
Famous stories from the Bible: Feeding of the 5000; Jesus and Nicodemus; Jesus, his death and resurrection
Big ideas: Bread; Blood; Cross; Sheep, shepherd, lambs; Miracles
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