Oh, the Hoopla...

Surrounding the upcoming documentary regarding the discovery of the so-called tomb of Jesus, there has been a lot of press and a lot of people discussing the findings. Ben Witherington has something to say on it, as do others. I do not have anything to say except point out something I read this morning. Granted, it was on the Sympatic0/MSN page which I wouldn't consider a terribly creditable source, but I found it interesting how someone could so totally misunderstand Christianity. This quote comes from the archaeologist who is behind the documentary, and it seems as if he is trying to pacify the Christian scepticism regarding his conclusions. Here's the quote:

• "Other people will say it challenges the resurrection, but if he rose from tomb No. 1, he could have been moved to tomb No. 2 on Day 2 and arose, being resurrected. And only later when he ascended to heaven left his body behind.”

Ascended and left his body behind? How then is Christ's resurrection a "sure pledge of our own glorious resurrection" (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 17, Q&A 45) if he left his body behind? How is that for incipient Platonic dualism? Body and spirit, body and soul, the body is just material baggage, the soul is what is really important.

Paul writes, in Philippians 3:20-21 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (emphasis my own). Or in 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul has a whole argument devoted to the resurrection body.

The belief in the resurrection of the body as well as the soul has a long history in Christianity. In fact, right from the beginning. Even in creation we can see the importance of the body, since God fashioned it himself, creating human beings out of the dust of the earth. Human beings were created as both body and spirit (and soul, if you're a trichotomist). The material world is not evil or lesser (as Greek dualism would suggest, as well as the Gnostic heresy of the 2nd or 3rd centuries A.D. [from which the "Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child" ideas come]).

To state that Jesus left his body behind when he ascended is to misrepresent Christianity, and misunderstand much of its message. For if Christ is not resurrected (both spiritually and bodily, into glory) what hope do we have?