The Resurrection: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus [Paperback]

Stephen T. Davis (Editor), Daniel Kendall (Editor), Gerald O'Collins (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 1999

This exciting collection of papers is an international, ecumenical, and interdisciplinary study of Jesus' resurrection that emerged from the "Resurrection Summit" meeting held in New York at Easter of 1996. The contributions represent mainstream scholarship on biblical studies, fundamental theology, systematic theology, philosophy, moral theology, and homiletics. Contributors represent a wide range of viewpoints and denominations and include Richard Swinburne, Janet Martin Soskice, Peter F. Carnley, Sarah Coakley, Willian Lane Craig, William P. Alston, M. Shawn Copeland, Paul Rhodes Eddy, Francis Sch�ssler Fiorenza, Brian V. Johnstone, Carey C. Newman, Alan G. Padgett, Pheme Perkins, Alan F. Segal, Marguerite Shuster, and John Wilkins. Combined, they offer a timely, wide ranging, and well balanced work on the central truth of Christianity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The chapters are largely nontechnical and widely accessible, and they interact with relevant contemporary literature....Highly recommended for all religion and philosophy libraries."--Choice

About the Author

Gerald O'Collins is Professor of Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome. Father O'Collins is the author of over thirty books, including Christology: A Biographical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus Christ (OUP 1995). Stephen T. Davis is Professor of the Philosophy of Religion at Claremont McKenna College. Daniel Kendall is Professor of Theology at the University of San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198269854
• ISBN-13: 978-0198269854
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,188,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Covers Many Bases Well, February 20, 2006

By 

C. Price "Layman, Lawyer, Blogger" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Resurrection: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus (Hardcover)

A collection of essays contributed by participants in a "Resurrection Summit" that was held in New York, Easter 1996. The contributors are top scholars with reputations for their work on the topic of resurrection. Many of the essays include thoughtful responses from other scholars. These responses are sometimes critical and sometimes complimentary. I enjoyed reading thoughtful evaluations of the thoughtful arguments that I had just finished reading.

Space precludes a review of every chapter, but I will discuss some of the ones I found most interesting. In Chapter 2, O'Collins helpfully provides an overview of the scholarly debate on various issues related to the resurrection, such as what the early Christians meant by the proclamation of the resurrection, the nature of the resurrection appearances, the empty tomb, and the nature of "Easter faith." O'Collins does a good job of summarizing the positions of various scholars and, often, providing quick responses to their claims. He is particularly effective in reducing the arguments by some scholars that the early Christians meant by their resurrection proclamation about Jesus something other than that Jesus had been raised from the dead (such as they were simply saying they believed in the continuing sense of empowerment Jesus brought them). He also discusses reaction to his theory that the resurrection appearances, though very real, were a "graced seeing" that would not have been visible to those that were not granted eyes to see; as well as reducing the theory that the resurrection appearances were in fact something akin to near-death experiences. Thereafter, O'Collins spends some time refuting Yarbro Collins' argument that the empty tomb narrative in the Gospel of Mark is not meant to be literal but is only a vivid way of describing the early Christian proclamation of resurrection. The rest of the chapter moves along just as briskly and is worth the effort. O'Collins educates his readers as to a diversity of theories, some far-fetched, while also providing persuasive critiques.

Stephen Davis in Chapter 6 explores three different explanations for the resurrection appearances. First, that they were seen by "normal vision," by which he means that what they saw was really there disturbing and reflecting photons of life. Second, that they were the result of "subjective vision," by which he means that what they saw was not really there and was merely the product of their own minds. Third, and perhaps the one least familiar to readers, is that they were result of "objective vision," by which mean means that what they saw was really there but visible only to those to whom God had granted eyes to see. This is the position of O'Collins referenced above. In my opinion, Davis persuasively argues that what is described in the New Testament was seen by "normal vision" and then considers the implications of that conclusion.

Finally, in Chapter 7, William Alston explores the question, "What can we learn from the Gospels about what really happened on and just after the first easter?" Alston takes direct aim at and makes persuasive points against another book, The Formation of the Resurrection Narratives. Philosopher Richard Swinburne makes his case for the resurrection in Chapter 8 and William L. Craig takes on John D. Crossan's views of the resurrection in Chapter 10.

This book would be a valuable addition to anyone's library on the resurrection. But it is especially helpful if you are just getting your feet wet, as it gives you access to the theories and arguments of many leaders in the field.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Resurrection" embodies a fine collection of scholarship, August 2, 1999

By 

Guthrie (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Resurrection: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus (Hardcover)

THE RESURRECTION brings together a group of scholars who portray the theological underpinnings of the Resurrection of Jesus. In addition, the various contributors establish that the three uncontested facts surrounding the Resurrection controversy (the empty tomb, the post-mortem appearances of Jesus, and the inexplicable origin of the Christian faith) favor the Resurrection hypothesis over and above modern-day liberal pedantics about unsupported presuppositions precluding miracles. The serious student of the Resurrection (if one already possesses a working knowledge of the Resurrection debate) will find this fascinating work an important element in attacking contemporary criticism of history's most fantastic truth: Jesus is risen.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mix of "good" and "average" articles, January 25, 2001

By 

Timotheus Josephus - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Resurrection: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus (Paperback)

This book contains 13 articles written by different scholars on various topics related to the resurrection. A few of the articles also include brief responses from other scholars. This book doesn't seem to flow as well as other books I've read with a similar format involving various authors. The articles I enjoyed the most were those by Stephen Davis, William Alston, Richard Swinburne, William Lane Craig, and Alan Padgett.

Although some may consider it highly speculative, Stephen Davis' topic was very interesting. Its basic thesis was as follows: If we assume that Jesus really was raised from the dead and appeared to other people, then what kind of "seeing" was involved by those to whom Jesus appeared? Craig's article was a strong critique of John Dominic Crossan's reconstruction of the events surrounding Jesus' death and (non) burial. Padgett wrote about the need for religious historians to recognize the impossibility of "scientifically proving" the resurrection, and the necessary component of faith for any belief in it.

While this book contains much helpful material, I felt it lacked cohesiveness. After finishing one article, the next one might be on an entirely unrelated topic. If you can get past this shortcoming, you will find something of value. If I had the option, I'd give this book 3.5 stars.