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Notable but not New Books on the Resurrection

Important Books on the Resurrection

 1. Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright
http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Christian-Origins-Question-Vol/dp/0800626796/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1396359071&sr=1-1



It goes without saying that I should mention Wright's weighty volume on the resurrection here at the top of my list.  With sustained interpretation of key texts like 1 Corinthians 15, Wright covers a lot of ground and builds the case that the resurrection is pivotal for a New Testament understanding of Jesus.  What is striking in Wright's view is the connection he makes between the creation story of Genesis 1-2 and 1 Corinthians 15.  Because death as been given a final blow through the resurrection, the creation's hope of renewal is sure.  You won't want to miss this important and wide ranging volume.

2.  Risen Indeed: Making Sense of the Resurrection by Stephen T. Davis
http://www.amazon.com/Risen-Indeed-Making-Sense-Resurrection/dp/0802801269/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396359017&sr=1-1&keywords=risen+indeed



This book by Professor of Philosophy Stephen T. Davis is a mixture of apologetics, philosophy, and scholarship devoted to defending the belief that the resurrection is a rational belief.  Taking on the arguments of Hume and Flew, looking at even the views of Tim Keller, Davis handle many of the issues that come up in resurrection conversation with ease and insight.  This volume is one you can read a chapter at a time, digest, and read another chapter the next day.  I even found some particularly helpful ideas concerning the practical impact of the resurrection on everyday living.

3.  Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity: Doctrine, Community and Self-Definition by Claudia Stetzer
http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Body-Early-Judaism-Christianity/dp/0391042432



Not one of those volumes you pick up for a good deal the used book store because of its academic publisher, but a gem indeed, Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity by Claudia Stetzer is not to be missed.    The 2nd paragraph in her opening introduction sets the tone for the book as she writes,

 "Tertullian's argument illustrates an essential point: early Jews and Christians who believed in bodily resurrection did not accept it as an isolated tenet, but as a part of constellation of beliefs." (1)

Stetzer goes onto to look at resurrection from the NT, Apostolic Fathers, and a Jewish understanding of the belief.  What is most notable and related to the previous quote is the way that Stetzer implicates resurrection belief in the anti-Imperial program of many early believers.  Rome was a power not to be reckoned with but the early Christians had beliefs in the power of God through the resurrection that could stand up against the cruel treatment by the Roman powers.  She also look at how the resurrection shaped community, was used as a symbol and strategy for practical ethics, and how the resurrection served as a weapon against opposing rulers.  This volume is dense and heavily indebted to primary sources but is not to be missed.  

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