Resurrection & Ascension

Religious Studies A: AQA GCSE Religions, topic 2.2.5

Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension

Christians believe that 3 days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead and was eventually witnessed ascending back up to heaven.

The Gospels record that Jesus appeared a number of times to his disciples after the resurrection.
The same historical accounts confirm that the early Christians preached their belief in Jesus’ resurrection.
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared in a different form, his resurrected body, and was able to appear and disappear at will.

Eventually, the disciples witnessed Jesus ascending back up to heaven, leaving them to continue his work on earth.
At the ascension, Jesus entrusted the apostles with the tasks of continuing to preach the Gospel and building his Church.

The resurrection confirmed for Christians that Jesus was divine, because only God has the power to rise from the dead. As the Son of God, Jesus’ teachings are given a much greater authority.
The resurrection also confirmed the possibility of life after death and encourages Christians to live a good life so they can also go to heaven after they die.
‘Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”’ [John 11:25-26 NIV]

Some Christians do not accept the bodily resurrection of Jesus and say that the idea of Jesus being alive again is not to be taken literally.
Rather, they think it means that the memory of him remained alive in the hearts of his followers and that it inspired them to continue his work. In this view, the resurrected ‘body’ of Jesus is seen metaphorically to be the Church.

Christians believe that only God has the power to rise from the dead. What does this mean Jesus' resurrection confirms?
Some Christians do not accept the bodily resurrection of Jesus and say that the idea of Jesus being alive again is not to be taken literally. In this view what is seen as the metaphorical resurrected ‘body’ of Jesus?