Resurrection: Myth or Reality?

Cover......Page 1
Dedication......Page 3
Contents......Page 2
Preface......Page 9
Part One: Approaching the Resurrection......Page 36
1. The Method Called Midrash......Page 37
2. The Impact of Easter—A Place to Begin .......Page 91
3. The Vehicle of Words—An Unsteady Ship......Page 116
Part Two: Examining the Biblical Texts......Page 148
4. The Witness of Paul......Page 149
5.Mark: The Kervgma Is Joined to the Sepulcher......Page 175
6. Matthew: Polemics Enter the Tradition......Page 196
7. Luke: The Turn Toward Gentile Understandings......Page 219
8. John: Sometimes Primitive. Sometimes Highly Developed......Page 254
9. A New Starting Point......Page 280
Part Three: Interpretive Images......Page 307
10. The Primitive Interpretive Images......Page 308
11. The Atoning Sacrifice—The Image of the Book of Hebrews......Page 335
12. The Suffering Servant—The Image of 2 Isaiah......Page 359
13. The Son of Man—The Image of the Book of Daniel......Page 393
Part Four: Clues That Lead Us Toward Easter......Page 429
14. The First Clue: It Occurred in Galilee, Not in Jerusalem......Page 430
15. The Second Clue: The Primacy of Peter......Page 483
16. The Third Clue: The  Common Meal......Page 527
17. The Fourth Clue: The Third Day—An Eschatological Symbol......Page 559
18. The Fifth Clue: The Burial Tradition As Mythology......Page 587
Part Five: Reconstructing the Easter Moment......Page 611
19. But What Did Happen? A Speculative Reconstruction......Page 612
20. Grounding the Speculation in Scripture......Page 685
21. Life After Death-This I Do Believe......Page 744
Notes......Page 774
Bibliography......Page 788
Searchable Terms......Page 817
About the Author......Page 863
Praise......Page 865
Books by John Shelby Spong......Page 866
Copyright......Page 869
About the Publisher......Page 871