The investigated resurrection material is organized into five main groups. It begins with a literary analysis of certain pertinent documents that refer to the resurrection from early Hebraic sources. This includes Biblical and extra-Biblical texts from the apocalyptic and pseudepigraphic corpus (to be explained later), including some Qumranic material, followed by a short scholarly discussion on the specific texts.
The central and main portion of this book is dedicated to the study of the resurrection passages according to the four Gospels, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Special emphasis is placed on the person of Jesus and His message, as well as the specific reactions that some people had towards His Messianic claims and eschatological views. We can see how these people reflected common Jewish understandings regarding the resurrection during the 1st century. Appendix A provides a brief description of the various Messianic expectations during Jesus' time.
Another great portion of this book is dedicated to the life and teachings of the Apostle Paul and his role in the Church's doctrinal formation regarding the final resurrection. We need to differentiate between spiritual and physical resurrection, and we can observe how this correlates with previous Jewish perspectives and teachings. When studying the Pauline texts, we analyze some of the Biblical concepts according to their original language, focusing mainly on 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. In the Rabbinic literature, resurrection is known as techiyat ha-metim, and in the Greek texts it is known as anástasis.
After this, we analyze some early Christian literature during the first several centuries of the Common Era, including some apocalyptic and pseudepigraphic texts, besides portions of some early patristic documents by Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Hippolytus. We can see how these reflect the Gospels and Paul's writings, as well as their Hebrew Scriptural foundation.
Finally, some early Rabbinic texts that refer to the resurrection are quoted, including some pertinent Mishnaic, Talmudic, and Midrashic texts. Theologically, we focus mainly on Saadia Gaon's The Book of Beliefs and Opinions and Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Faith and his Treatise on the Resurrection. Even though Saadia Gaon and Maimonides lived several centuries after the writing of the Talmud, they are included in this study because of their important contribution to present Jewish theology regarding the resurrection. Some mystical writings are included in Appendix B in order to highlight their preference for the concept of tikkun (fixing the world) and reincarnation, rather than the resurrection.
In conclusion, based on the terminology used in Jewish and Christian texts to define the eschatological event of the resurrection, we are able to compare how both faiths describe this future event. If both use the same original texts and describe their own event in similar language, how can we help but conclude that we are talking about the same thing? We must be honest with the data and allow it to speak for itself. If our theological opinions do not correlate with the appropriate conclusions, maybe we should take a harder look at what we may already consider as "doctrine," and evaluate it under this new light. In addition, perhaps this new understanding can help bridge Jewish and Christian relations, and promote greater inclusiveness from each side.
Unless otherwise stated, the canonical texts used in this study are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) of the Lockman Foundation.
