To what extent is the Resurrection of Christ central to the Christian faith? (Essay looking at most central aspects of Christian faith to determine the most central)

Essay by blinkbabe13B, April 2006

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The Resurrection of Christ can be found in every book of the New Testament - including the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Many argue that the Resurrection is the key aspect of Christianity - without Resurrection, Christ would have been nothing more than a martyr - albeit a noble one. This argument is reinforced in the New Testament by Paul where he says:

"if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."

1 Corinthians 15:14

Modern day theologians continue to argue that this is true. One such example is Professor William Craig who believes that the Resurrection was the

"origin of the Christian faith"

Professor William Craig

In this essay I will look at Christ's life and, by comparing Biblical sources and theologians' views, determine if the Resurrection is central to the Christian faith.

Christ's crucifixion and his Resurrection are contained in all four Gospels.

Within the Gospels there are discrepancies in the accounts however not enough that they destroy the credibility of the stories. All four follow the same general pattern and differentiate only on minor details. The Gospels tell that Jesus was crucified on a Friday (now known as 'Good Friday') after trial by the Jews (on charges of blasphemy) and trial by the Romans (on charges of treason). After Jesus' death, Joseph of Arimathea took Christ's body and concealed it in a tomb which he had prepared for himself. This had to be done quickly as the Jewish Sabbath was beginning at sunset on the Friday, after which the Jews could not work until sunset the following day. On the Sunday some of the Jewish women (different Gospels name different women) went to anoint Christ's body but found the stone - which had been sealing the tomb -...