Nb. since much of the book is expository, many topics are best tracked through their occurrences in key texts, for which see the Index of biblical and other references above
Abraham, 100, 145, 230, 255, 424f., 427, 430, 438, 457; covenant with, 246; family of, 246; faith in life-giving God, 246f., 457f.
‘Abduction’ (inference to the best explanation), 716
Achilles, 39f., 44f., 53, 55, 67, 71
Acts, motives for writing, 653
Adam, 228, 250, 254, 333f.; ‘final Adam’, 341; Adam-Christology, 394
Aeneas, 43
Agrippa II, 390
Alexander the Great, 228
Analogy, principle of in history, 16–18;
Ananias, sent to Saul, 389f.
Ancient Mariner, The Rime of the, 298
Andrew, 499
Angel, in Mark’s empty tomb story, 628f.
Angels, Sadducean denial of, 132f., dead become equal to, 145, 421f., 492; at the tomb in John, 668
Antigonus of Soko, 192
Apocalyptic, as context for resurrection, 153–62, 333–8; but not in 2 Pet. and Jude, 462
apokatastasis, in Origen, 518f.
Apollonius, 74–6
Apologists, task of, 500
‘Appearing’, see Parousia
Arabia, Paul’s visit to, 377
Aristotle, 53
Aseneth, 392
Ascension, in NH texts, 545; in Ac. 1, 653, 654–6; problems of understanding within modernism, 655f.; political significance of, 656
Astrabacus, as phantom, 63
‘Astral Immortality’, 50, 57–60, 110–12, 344–6
Awe and trembling, not familiar among historical critics, 606
Baal, 126f.
Babel, tower of, 230
Bach, J. S., 255
Baptism, 251, 467; for the dead, 338f.; in Gos. Phil., 542f.; in Mt., 644f.
Bar-Giora, death of, 558, 705; possible Messiahship of, 559
Bar-Kochba: revolt and death, 558, 705; setting for Apoc. Pet., 497
Barnabas, 389
Beethoven, L. van, 418
Beloved Disciple, 663f.; race with Peter, 663f.; significance, 675f.
Berenice, 390
Body, importance of in Paul, 287–90; continuity of, 288–90, 293, 370; discounted in gnostic texts, 535–51
Brutus, 170
Burial customs, ancient Jewish, 90f.; secondary burials, 90f; no question of secondary burial for Jesus, 707f.; burial pref. to cremation by early church, 509, 579; non-use of flowers, 509
Burial of Jesus, 321
Caecilius, 508
Caesar, divinization of, see Emperor; lord and saviour, 569f.; clash of Christ and, 225–36, 568–70, 728f., 731f.; taxes for, 426; avoidance of conflict with in gnostic texts, 549f.
Cambyses, son of Cyrus, 33
Canaanite worship, 126
Cannibalism, Apologists rebut charge of, 504
Canterbury, Archbishop of, xxi
Celsus, 521–7
Cerinthus, 499
Charon, underworld ferryman, 38
Churchill, Winston, 434
‘Cognitive Dissonance’, 697–701; no evidence for in Josephus, 700
Conspiracy theories about early Christianity, 626
Conversion, of Paul, ch. 8 passim; of first disciples (acc. to Schillebeeckx), 701f.
Corinth, Paul’s relationship with, chs. 6, 7 passim, esp. e.g. 298f.
corona muralis, 308
Covenant, renewal, 302–5, 490, 727
Creation, doctrine of, underlying resurrection belief, 120, 122–4, 128, 231, 313f., 334f., 340f., 353f, 505f., 507, 513, 516; in John, 440; renewal of, 224, 239, 258, 304f.; rejection of in NH texts, 535–41, 548; new creation in Luke, 658; in John, 667f.
Cross, challenge to take up, 405f.
Crucifixion of Jesus, 248; in Asc. Isa., 496; gnostic denial of, 544
Damascus Road, Paul’s experience on, ch. 8 passim; 375f.
Daniel, and lions, 417
Dante, Alighieri, 417
David, 90, 96; Jesus as son of, 242–4, 266, 270, 394, 397, 572, 726; as son and lord of, 419
Day of the Lord (Jesus), 216f., 226, 462
Dead, eating with, 36, 61f.; prayers for, 152f.; and see resurrection
Death, different meanings of, 30f., 53f.; to be desired?, 49; not welcomed for own sake, 369; as character in play, 66; as punishment for sin? 92f.; of Messiah, 305; defeat of, 314, 336f., 357f., 460, 470, 473, abolition of, 476, 516, 727
Democritus, disputed views of, 33, 504
Diana, Princess of Wales, 54
Docetism, 486, 494, 588; influence on Easter stories? 588f., 605f.
Domitian, 558
Drake, Francis, 717
Druids, Gallic, 79
Dualism, rejected in Revelation, 470–76
Dura-Europos, paintings, 121
Dürer, A., 416
Eighteen Benedictions, 146f.
ektroma (‘untimely birth’), 327f., 382f.
Eleazar, leader on Masada, 180
Elijah, taken to heaven, 95, 204f.; raising a child from the dead, 96, 404, 413, 524; return of, 414f., 435, 458
Elisha, raising a child, 96, 404, 435, 458, 524
Emmaus Road story, 647; unique event, 656f.; Lk.’s address to church, 659f.
Emperors, divinization of, 55–7, 243, 728f.; did not claim resurrection, 228
Empty tomb, 8, 10, 321, 401, 455, 625, 686–96
Endor, medium of, 93f.
Enlightenment, failure of dream of, 713
Enoch, taken to heaven, 94, 204
Epaphroditus, 228f.
Epicureans, afterlife views of, 34f., 52, 166, 339, 502, 509; as term of abuse for Sadducees, 135; Josephus models Sadducees on, 177
Eschatology, 26–8; inaugurated, 217, 272, 275; over-realized in Corinth?, 279f.
‘Eternal life’ in John, 441, 463f.
Eucharist, in Ignatius, 485; in Did., 488f.
Evangelists, intention of in Easter stories, ch. 13 passim, 680f.
Exaltation, and resurrection, 227f., 625
Execution, rabbinic rules about, 193f.
Exodus, story of, 166, 173, 248
‘Experience’, 378
Euridice, see under Orpheus
Exodus-motif, significance of, 427f.
Factions in Corinth, 280
Faith, as theme in John, 669f.; faith and history at interface over Easter, 714
‘First resurrection’, 476
Fish (symbol), see ICHTHYS
Flesh, resurrection of, in early writers, 185, 483f., 485, 492f., 503, 510f, 512, 514; non-resurrection of (in Paul’s sense), 263f., 273f., 356f., 358f.; as evil in gnosticism, 537f.; ambiguous in Gos. Phil., 543
Flying-saucer cult, 697–701
Forgiveness, and restoration, 451, 701–5
Form-criticism of Easter stories, 596f.
Funerals, ancient pagan, 37f.; Jewish, 90f. see too Burial Customs
Gabriel, 396
Gaius Caligula, 728
Galen: view of Christians, 551
Gamaliel II, 197f.
Ghosts, 42f., 48, and gods, 63f.; ‘shades’, 89f.; distinct from resurrection (Origen), 526
Glory, as promise for after death, 105–7, 232; of Adam to be restored, 189; as function, 257–9; of apostle and church, 303f.; of different creatures, 344f.; paradoxically revealed in suffering, 364; glorification of Jesus in John, 673
God, different views of, xviii, 6; within second-Temple Judaism, 724f.; danger of tacit Deism, 5, 377; nature of monotheism in Paul, 293; God and Jesus, 731–6
Gods, dying and rising, 36f., 80f., 95, 126f.
Gospel, in Paul, 242
Gospel of Peter, 15, 588, 589, 592–6; known to Fathers, 592; discovery and editions, 592f.; ‘speaking cross’ scene, 593f.; relation to other gospels, 593–5
Grace, new experience of, as explanation for early faith, 701–06
Grave-goods, ancient and modern, 45f., 91
Grief, different kinds of, 217
Guard at tomb, 636f.; significance of story, 638f.
Hades, ch. 2 passim, e.g. 40–44, 48–50, 52, 71, 473, 518, 548
Haydn, J., 418
Healing, 461
Heaven, in pagan view of afterlife, 57, 59f., 63, 74, 77; in Jewish and Christian thought, as present location of future hope for earth, 229f., 368
‘Heavenly bodies’ in Paul, 345f., 354–6, 367, 373
Heavenly city, 458f.
Heliodorus, 390f.
Hercules, 43f., 55, 57, 521f., 523 rescuing Alcestis, 66, in ancient art, 66, escaping his own funeral pyre, 76
Hermeneutic of suspicion, 19
Herod Antipas, 402, 411–5, 418, 424, 622, 684
Herod the Great, 700
Herodians, 413
Hillel, 142, and Hillelites, 194–6
History, historical: senses of, 12–17; theological problems with, 20–23; hypothesis and verification, 710–13
Hologram, interactive, 706
Holy Sepulchre, church of the, 3
Holy Spirit, as agent of resurrection, 193, 223, 224f., 258, 281, 302, 310, 366, 368, 484; as theme in John, 670f.
Hope, focused on people and land, 99f.; basis of in ancient Israel, 107f., 121–4
Hymenaeus and Philetus, 267f., 316
‘Hymn of the Pearl’, 533f.
ICHTHYS (‘fish’ symbol), 580, 729
Immortality, different meanings of, 129, 438, related to resurrection, 129–31, 164, 166–8, 193 n. 275, 200 n. 304; hellenistic views of within Judaism, 140–46; in Wis., 172 see also soul; in Paul, 246, 358; in Pastorals, 269; in 1 Clem., 481
‘Interchange’ between Paul and church, 307
Intermediate state, 133, 142; in Wis. 3, 165–70; in Ps.-Philo, 189f.; in rabbis, 198–203; in Paul, 216; chambers of souls, 154f., 160f., 446; in Jn., 445f; in 1 Clem., 483
Islands of the Blessed, 50, 55, 82, 185
Jairus’ daugher, 404f., 515, 576
James, brother of Jesus, 325f.; did he follow Jesus before Easter?, 325, 560f., 704; Josephus’ description of his death, 556; Eusebius’ ditto, 561; leader in early church, 560; why not hailed as Messiah? 560–2; no stories invented of his visiting tomb, 610
Jerusalem, fall(s) of, 27, 160
Jesus, see resurrection; divinity of, 23–5, 571–8; resurrection of, 218, 276, Parts IV and V passim; non-decomposition of body, 455f., 708; as impetus for Christian development of resurrection idea, 373f.; as ‘son of god’, 243, 720; as ‘son of David’, see David, son of; as lord of world, 333–8, 395; 428; 563–78, 728–31; as shepherd, 460, as lion and lamb, 472; predictions of passion and resurrection, 408f.; raising the dead, 447; in iconographic traditions, 447; as judge, 451, 456; descent to Hades, 485; passion of, 485; true body of (Origen), 523; true death, 523; certainty of death on historical grounds, 709; Josephus’ description of, 556; puzzle of his Messiahship, 560; link of resurrection to Messiahship, 575f.; portrait of in Easter stories, 604–06; ‘that deceiver’, 637; in Temple as boy, 650f.; appeared after Easter ‘only to believers’? 704; no question of secondary burial, 707f.
John the Baptist, 402, 412; and Elijah, 412–4, 700
John (Evangelist): haunting conclusion, 662; scholars wrong to think resurrection extraneous to his theology, 665; darkness and light, 667; father and Spirit, 667; high Christology, 667f.; integration of chs. 20f. with rest of gospel, 674f.; place of Jn. 21, 675–9
Jonah, sign of, 432f.
Joseph, son of Jacob, 392
Joseph, husband of Mary, 436
Judas, 430
Judgment after death, in paganism, 49f.; in Wis., 171f.; in Paul, 245f., 285; in Tertullian, 510; no emph. in NH texts, 548
Justification by faith, 735
Kafka, F., 616
karma, doctrine of, 78
Kingdom of God, 170f., 403, 488, 566–8; Jewish expectation revised around Jesus, 567; kingdom of Messiah, 335–8
Kinnock, Neil, 30
Lazarus, raising of, 443f., 515, 576
‘Life after death’, different meanings of, 30, ancient Jewish views of, ch. 3 passim;
Lincoln, Abraham, 434
‘Literal’, xix
Lord, Jesus as, 563–78; Jewish roots, 563–5; kyrios-title reworked, 571f., in opposition to Caesar, 729f.
Love, of Messiah, 227, 259; within the church, 295f.; as theme in John, 674f.; of God seen in giving of Jesus, 732f.
Luke, gift for comic writing, 134; resurrection in gospel, 435–40; possible artist? 647f.; single-day frame of Easter story, 648; Luke 24 within oeuvre, 649–56; Easter story remains revolutionary, 652; ‘flesh and bones’ of Jesus, 657f.
Luminosity, visible to faith, 385
Maccabaean revolt, 26, 129, 150–53, 155, 173f.
Major, John, 30
Malton, Yorkshire, 45
Marcion, 486
Mark, as ‘apocalypse’, 620f.; ending, 617–24; state of MSS, 617f.; longer endings, 618f.; happy or puzzling?, 619; anticipations of an ending now lost, 621f.; likely lost ending, 623f.; ending told from women’s perspective, 628; Mk.’s Easter story cannot be detached tradition, 629; Mk.’s revolutionary message, 630f.
Mark Antony, 700
Marriage, in the resurrection (denied), 420f.; Levirate law of, 423
Martyrs, 143, 150–53, 175, 183, 206, 473, 484, 486f.; of Lyons, 513, 549f.; shift in attitude to martyrdom, 579
Mary, mother of Jesus, 435f.
Mary Magdalene, 627, 629, 664; ‘Do not hold on to me,’ 666; first at tomb, 677
Matthew, earthquake story, 632–6; rel. to Gos. Pet., 634f.; unresolved puzzle, 635f.; independent style of resurrection story, 640f.; meeting disciples on mountain, 642–5; strangeness of story, 644; deliberate historical distance from readers, 646
Meaning, question of, 9, 719–723, 728
Messiah, Messiahship: 24; ch. 12 passim; proper name or title? 555; in contemporary Judaism, 25, 557–9; what happened to messianic movements, 700; tasks of a Messiah, 557f.; in Paul, 221, 234f., 237, 242–4, 250–2, 260–70, 300–02; in early Christianity: as theme in John, 672f.; Jewish model reworked, 554–7; ‘Chosen One’ in 1 En., 155; ‘the Beloved’ in Asc. Isa., 495
Metaphor, in relation to resurrection, xix, 684, 705f.; new metaphorical meanings in Christianity, 239, 262, 478, 681; metaphorical ‘resurrection’ dep. on concrete referent (Tertull.), 511; diff. use of metaph. in NH texts, 547f.
Method, historical, 29f.
Metonym, xix
Millennium, 472–6; in Papias, 492f.; possible inconsistencies in Justin’s view of, 501f.; in Irenaeus., 516
Moses, uncertain fate of, 95; ‘tomb of’, 95; rebellion against, 268; and Miriam, 328, Israel’s shepherd, 460f.
Mozart, W. A., 418
Mystery religions, 51f.
Nag Hammadi texts, 534–51
Nazareth inscription, 708f.
Necromancy, 62f.; forbidden in Judaism, 93f.; Tertullian mocks, 511
Nero, 728
‘Nero redivivus’ myth, 68, 82, 720
New heavens, new earth, 462, 498; rejected in gnosticism, 536
Orpheus, 521, 523; and Euridice, 64
Orphic cult, 78
Paradise, in Luke, 438; in Apoc. Pet., 498; in Od. Sol., 529
Parousia, 214f., 217f., 337, of Caesar and Christ, 231f., 569; ‘appearing’ of Messiah, 238, 464; in Did., 489; scholarly problem of parousia taking weight away from Easter, 582
Passover, 427
Paul, before Jewish court, 132, 453; as persecuter, 394; apostleship of, 302–7; ‘boasting’, 307–9, 386f.; development of view of resurrection?, chs. 6–7 passim, esp. 277, 309–11, 370f.; apostleship of, 302–7; conversion of, 328, ch. 8 passim; in Acts, 388–93; in relation to Christology, 393f.; ‘seeing’ of Jesus, 381f., 385–7
Pentecost, in relation to resurrection, 324f.
Peter, 409, 499; role of his confession within Mark, 621f.; denial of Jesus, 649, 664; restoration in John, 664, 676
Pharisees, in controversy with Sadducees, 133; views of resurrection, 190–202; acting with Herodians, 413
Phoenix, as image of resurrection, 482, 511
Plato, views of afterlife, 48–58, Justin distinguishes himself from, 503
Potiphera, 392
Praxis, early Christian, 578f.
Prexaspes, 33
Protesilaus, 64f., 70, 82, 521
Psalms, expressions of hope in, 103–5
Purgatory, 417
Pythagoras and his school, 78f., 503f., 509, 525, 706; in Josephus?, 176
Questions within Christian worldview, 581
Qumran, possible resurrection beliefs, 181–9
Rabbis, resurrection in, 199–200
Referent, dist. from meaning, 719f.
Regeneration (palingenesia), 408, 420, 430
Reincarnation, 74, 77, 79, 82, 522
Restoration (apokatastasis), 454
Resurrection, bibliographies on, 4; meanings of, xviii–xix, 31, 201f., 314, 439, 694f., 728; meaning of in 2nd Temple Judaism, 181; new meanings in early Christianity, 209f., 437, 439; Christian metaphorical meanings of, 239, 262, 478, 681; not ‘resuscitation’, 7, 276, 342; rather, transformation into ‘transphysicality’ (q.v.); relation to ‘immortality’, 164, 169, 173–5, 466; as politically revolutionary doctrine, 138, 231–3, 517, 549f., 568–70, 728–31, 737; and Christology (see also Messiah, Messiahship), 23f; denied in paganism, ch. 2 passim, 500; historical ‘proofs’ of, 12; historical questions about, 5; inappropriate as description of Egyptian beliefs, 47; Paul’s view of, xvii, 7, Part II passim; uniqueness of Christian claim, 83; in OT, 108–27; of ‘the wise’, 110; within Daniel, 109–15; in Isaiah, 115–8; in Hosea, 118f.; in Ezekiel, 119–21; as metaphor for cleansing and restoration, 120f., 201f., 428, 437; origins of belief (different theories, incl. Zoroastrianism and Canaanite religion), 124–7, disputed between Pharisees and Sadducees, 131–40; for righteous martyrs, not for wicked, 151f.; for wicked also, 194, 442, 478; as overthrow of death, 152; as transformation, in 2 Bar., 161f.; coded expression in Josephus, 181; at Qumran?, 181–9; rabbinic views, 190–200; in Jewish prayers, 191; proved from scripture by rabbis, 197–9; and righteousness, in Paul, 222; and political critique, 231–3; and ethics, 240, 263–5, 286–90; gives shape to Rom. 5–8, 248f.; Corinthian unbelief in, 329–31; divided into two moments, 333, 372f., 448, 681; ‘anticipated’, 475; different meanings in John, 441–3; moves from periphery in Judaism to circumference in Christianity, 477, 681; in the second century, ch. 11; as ‘reclothing’ in Asc. Isa., 496; reinterpreted in NH texts, 538–41; resurrection and Messiahship, 726–8
Resurrection narratives, ch. 13 passim; from individ. gospels, chs. 14–17; origin and mutual relation, 589–92; form-criticism of, 18, 596f.; traditio-historical analysis of, 18f; composition and redaction, 597–9; surprising lack of biblical material, 599–602; of personal hope, 602–04; surprising portrait of Jesus, 604–07, surprising presence of women, 607f.; best solution = they are early oral tradition, 608–13; surface inconsistencies and their significance, 612f.; substantial agreements, 613; different locations for meetings with Jesus, 613f.
Return from exile, 253; resurrection as metaphor for, 253f.
Rhoda, 134.
Sabbath, eschatological, 490, 528
Sadducees, 131–40, 330f., 583; reason for denial of resurrection, 131–40, 485, 503; as possible characters in Wis., 166; debate with Jesus, 415–29, oppose disciples, 452
Salmoxis (also sp. Samolxis or Zalmoxis), 72
Salome, 629
Salvation, in 1 Pet., 465
Saul, 93f.
Scepticism, Humean, limits of, 17f., 426
Scheintod motif, in ancient novels, 68–76, relation to gospels, 72
Scipio’s dream, 59f.
Scriptures, ‘in accordance with’, 320f.; use of in 1 Clem, 482f.
Sea, abolished, 473
‘Second death’, 471
‘Secret Mark’, 623
Seleucus, King of Syria, 390f.
Seneca, 54f., 57, 82; lampooning Claudius, 57
Septuagint, and resurrection, 147–50; as read by Christians, 149
Servant of YHWH, in Isaiah, 116; in Paul, 234
Sexual ethics and resurrection, in Paul, 286–90
Shammaites, 195f.
Shekinah, in Paul, 256
Sheol, 87–90, and ch. 3 passim; deliverance from? 103f., 108, 118, 156; 548
Shooting at the sun, 11f., 736–8
Sicarii, 179f.
Simeon, 435
Simon Magus, 499
‘Sleep’, as metaphor for death, 108f.
Solomon, 433
soma/sema pun, 145
‘Son of god’, meanings of, 719–23, 723–31
Soul, in Plato, 48–52; compared with Homer, 48f.; in Judaism, 140–2; in Wis., 172f.; in Paul, 282–4, 346; in popular philosophy, 314f.; in 1 Pet., 465f.; opposed lo body in Diognetus, 493; in Athenagoras, 505f.; in Tertullian, 514
Spirit, Sadducean denial of, 132; see also Holy Spirit
‘Spiritual body’ in Paul, 161, 277, 282, 346, 347–56 passim; in Origen, 520f.; in Gos. Sav., 546f.
Spiritual gifts, 295f.
Stephen, stoning of, 391
Stoicism, 52, 54, 177, 463, 502, 525
Stories in early Christianity, 581
Suffering, 300, 305–7, 339f., 361f.
Suicide, ancient attitudes towards, 46
Temple, as theme in John, 671f.; water flowing from, 671
‘The Way’ as title for early Christianity, 556
‘Third day’, on the, 321f., 409, 440,
Thomas, 499, 532, 572, 605f., 663f., 662f., 677, 715; point of confession, 677f., relation to hypothetical ‘Thomas Christians’, 678; medieval painting of T. in Westminster Abbey, 715
Thomas, R. S., 616
Tiberius, 724
Timothy, 228f.; see also in Biblical Index
Titus, sharing Vespasian’s triumph, 558
Titus’ Arch, 558
Tombs, veneration of, 487f.; hypothetical but unlikely veneration of Jesus’ tomb, 701–3
Transfiguration, 414f., 524; reinterpr. in gnosticism, 540f.; story not like Easter stories, 604
Transformation of body, in Paul, 264f., 273, 356f., 477; in Origen, 519, 524f.; in gospels, 696
Transmigration of souls, 77–9; in Josephus? 176–8; half right, half wrong, in Tertull., 511; Origin against Celsus on, 526
‘Transphysicality’, 477, 606f., 612, 678f.
Tribute penny, 724
Turin Shroud, xvii
Valentinians, 512, 532, 539–41, 547
Vespasian, 55; triumph in Rome, 558
Visions, 323
Water of life, 475
Weakness, Paul’s theology of, 307–9
Wicked, resurrection of?, 194, 442, 478
Witnesses of resurrection, 317f., 322–6
Women at tomb, 607f.; not legal witnesses, 607f.
Worldview, early Christian, 582; different from NH, 582f.; as generating meaning, 719–23
YHWH, Day of, 102; faithfulness of, 103; as basis of hope, 107f., 117; justice of as basis for resurrection, 195, 198; attributes of when active in world, 577
Zeus, tomb of (in Crete), 522
Zion-oracles, 100–02