Christianity - A Journey from Facts to Fiction — Page 95
Revival or Resurrection? 95 The coming to life of the dead body of Jesus as is so essential to Christianity that one has to investigate the real reasons behind it. Apparently there is no logic in the entire episode. Why should a so-called ‘Son of God’, having been once delivered from his human cage, ever choose to return to it? And how could it be taken as proof beyond doubt that he had actually died and had then come to life again? This aspect has already been considered at some length and I am not attempting to emphasize the same point, but I wish to draw the reader’s attention to another vital relevant question. Why did such an absurd idea take root in Christian theology, and gradually in a few centuries after Jesus as , grow into one of the pillars of Christian belief, without which the whole edifice of Christian theology would collapse? We will try to project our- selves into the minds of the early Christians who faced an almost insoluble dilemma, and began to reconstruct the circumstances in which Christianity was given a shape different from its reality. This way perhaps it will be easier for us to understand, in depth, the making and unmaking of Christianity. The hard fact which must be brought into sharp focus is simply this: if Jesus as , peace be upon him, did actually die upon the cross then in the eyes of the Jewish people he would clearly appear to be an impostor. Vitriolic Language against Holy People As referred to earlier, the scriptures had predicted that any false claimant, who attributed anything to God which He had not said, would hang upon the tree. Therefore the death of Jesus as upon the