The Resurrection Crucified
By James Wood
()
About this ebook
Many believe that Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Is it possible that the gospels are full of contradictions in the crucifixion and resurrection accounts? If so, why would God expect someone with a rational mind to accept them? This book is an examination of the gospel accounts. What will you do when the truth about the stories of the crucifixion and resurrection is laid bare before you?
James Wood
James Wood is a staff writer at The New Yorker and Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard University. He is the author of How Fiction Works, as well as two essay collections, The Broken Estate and The Irresponsible Self, and a novel, The Book Against God.
Read more from James Wood
Upstate: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Serious Noticing: Selected Essays, 1997-2019 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leaving Jesus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nearest Thing to Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Against God: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Stories From Greek Mythology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComputational Methods in Reactor Shielding Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Foundations of Aesthetics (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Cat Named Spider Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Resurrection Crucified
Related ebooks
Running The Race: A Life of Discipleship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRestoring the Biblical Christ: Is Jesus God? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From Gethsemane to Pentecost: A Passion Study Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIt's Not the End of the Word Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Day the Sun Stands Still (A Translation and Commentary of Revelation 16) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife as It Should Be Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGalatians: Justified by Faith in Jesus Christ: Pauline Epistles, #6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Book of Revelation: Heaven's Warnings to Earth's Churches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings"Good News!" The Gospel of Jesus Christ...From Genesis to Revelation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRightly Dividing the Word of Truth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeaven or Hell: Your Choice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristian Principles: Food for Thought Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaving Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAsleep in Jesus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHmmmmm . . .: When God Redeems the Forsaked and Unforgiven Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTen Of The Top Television Evangelists Of Our Time Part I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod’s Agenda: Past, Present, and Future Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBreaking the Cycle of Slavery to Sin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Easy Study Bible: The Gospels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEverybody Welcome: The Course Member's Booklet: The Course Where Everybody Helps Grow Their Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMatthew 6:33: Finding favour with our Father Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Their Own Words: The Testimonies of Those Whose Lives Were Transformed by the Birth of Jesus and the Death of Jesus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBible Prophecy Exposed: Unlocking the Language of the Prophets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings70 Reasons for Deliverance: Deliverance, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod of Law and Order: Kingdom of God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSuper Easy Sermons: Topical Children’S Sermons with Meaningful Object Lessons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Case Against The Resurrection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney Through the Bible: New Testament Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBy Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRapture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Resurrection Crucified
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Resurrection Crucified - James Wood
The Resurrection Crucified
A Parallel Examination of the Crucifixion and Resurrection Accounts
By James Wood Jr.
New Dominion Publishing
Midland, Virginia
The Resurrection Crucified
First Edition
Copyright 2012 James Wood Jr.
Published by New Dominion Publishing at Smashwords
Available as an audiobook at Leavingjesus.net
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Note: This book is also found as a chapter in my first book, Leaving Jesus.
It is also available at Smashwords.com
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - The Importance of the Resurrection to Christians
Chapter 2 - The Foretelling of the Crucifixion and Resurrection
Chapter 3 - Crucifixion and Resurrection: Allusions and Confusions
Chapter 4 - A Resurrection Mishmash
Chapter 5 - The Trial before Caiaphas
Chapter 6 - The Trial before Pilate
Chapter 7 - Conclusions about the Trials
Chapter 8 - The Crucifixion
Chapter 9 - Conclusions about the Crucifixion
Chapter 10 - The Resurrection
Chapter 11 - Analysis of the Resurrection
Chapter 12 - Conclusions
About the Author
Chapter 1
The Importance of the Resurrection to Christians
Before I actually get into this book, I want to convey a very important thought. Christians believe that the New Testament is the word of God. It is the only source of the details and description of events we are studying in this chapter. Although Christians believe the New Testament is true when viewed as a single document they also hold that each book stands by itself as truth. What if one gospel presentation portrays one event in opposition to another? I am not speaking of minor complementary detail differences but major themes, such as on which day the crucifixion occurred. This one major principle difference will be discussed shortly.
How did we arrive at the contents of the New Testament? Specifically, who decided which of the many gospels in circulation would be included in the New Testament? It is commonly known that the Tanach or Hebrew Bible was canonized by the Jewish People but they had nothing to do with the canonization of the New Testament. Men that Christians refer to as the Church Fathers used reasons like there being only four winds or four directions for having only four gospels. Also such archaic reasoning as this: there were only four elements so there would be no need for more than four gospels. The real reason was because the four gospels chosen were already the most popular in circulation. If you analyze the gospels in a parallel fashion, one can only come to the conclusion that none of these Church Fathers had actually studied them for logical contradictions especially in the subject matter we now address.
God indicates more than once, that the gentile nations will come to the Jews to learn the truth, not the other way around. I always found it strange that the Jewish people were not involved in the formation of the New Testament. If God indicates that his chosen people would be the guardians of the truth, why have they no interest in the story of the Christian Jesus? Instead, men, that were at best antisemitic and at worst outright hateful enemies of the Jews and their Hebrew Scriptures, tried to replace or suppress the Hebrew Scriptures that the Jews had given their lives at times to protect, preserve and pass down to their posterity. The need to critically examine the subject matter found in the New Testament is important. The apostles thought what we are looking at now, the resurrection of Jesus, is the most important subject... in time and space!
Paul not only thought that the resurrection was important but to him it was the zenith of the Christian religion. Paul put this forward to illustrate his thought.
And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17)
I remember once, while I sat in my father's living room on a particular Easter morning, our family was reading through the accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection in the different gospels. We were trying to reconcile the different accounts when I realized either there must have been a problem with the New Testament or a problem with me. I decided there must have been a fault in my ability to think clearly because surely the New Testament was true and perfect. I justified this by reasoning that because this is God's Word, there could be no mistakes in it so the error had to be in my thinking.
The major theme of the New Testament is forgiveness of sins through the death of the Messiah. Although, it never says anywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures that any messiah is required to die for a guarantee for forgiveness, Paul indicates that the resurrection is necessary for forgiveness. Although Jesus mentioned it, he never said that his resurrection was an integral part of the guarantee.
Here is one question that we must consider, Did anyone receive forgiveness for sins before Jesus was supposedly crucified and raised from the dead?
The answer is, Yes.
This is how Christians present the scenario. Starting with Adam, men performed sacrifices for their sins. All these sacrifices were performed in anticipation of the Messiah coming and sacrificing himself once and for all. This foreshadowing of Messiah's arrival, crucifixion and resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Christians use verses, that contain what I would consider to be, at best, veiled references to predict this future savior that will come and accomplish these things. This is probably the most common passage that Christians use to show this future event.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on