Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (May 18, 2017): The Resurrection Was an Invention of the Gospel Writers || JOHN PESEBRE

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Sa isang simpleng usapan sa campus a week before the Holy Week break, pinag uusapan ni Troy at ng kaibigan niya na skeptic ang resurrection ni Kristo. Objection ng kaibigan ni Troy, “What if the New Testament writers invented the story of the resurrection?”

Napaka common po na objection ito sa resurrection event ng ating Panginoon. Ito po ang ating tatalakayin ngayon: "The resurrection was an invention of the gospel writers."

Ang doubt na ito ay galing sa mga nagku-question ng historicity ng physical resurrection ng Panginoong Hesus. Gustong sabihin hindi sila naniniwala na nabuhay ulit si Kristo in physical form, meaning able to be verified by the five senses. Para sa mga atheist na tulad nila Richard Carrier, walang actual reference yung resurrection sa isang event.

Sabi ni Carrier, ang resurrection daw ay

• an article of faith, an affirmation that is supposed to follow nothing other than a personal revelation of Christ--not to be believed on hearsay, but experienced for oneself . . . I do not believe this is a reliable way to come to a true understanding of the world, as internal experience only tells us about ourselves and not the truth of the world outside of us . . . I don't see any reason to buy the resurrection story found in the Gospels.

Imbento lang siya. All in all may necessity siya na kailangan punuan, kaya sila gumawa ng kwento na nilagay nila sa literature form.

Ang problema na dala-dala neto sa mga Christians is that if this is true, mukhang iba ang understanding natin ng truth. Lumalabas na kasinungalingan siya pero pinaniniwalaan na lang natin na totoo kasi ay pakinabang sa atin o nakagisnan na lang natin. Kumbaga we believe the resurrection for our convenience at hindi siya commitment sa truth.

Hindi po inimbento ng mga Gospel writers ang resurrection.

Sa tingin ko hindi nauunawaan ng objector na marami na pong mga Christians bago po naisulat ang pinakaunang Gospel.  We’re talking a few thousands. Si Rodney Stark, isa sa mga nangungunang buhay na historians ngayon, nagbigay ng chart sa kanyang aklat Rise of Christianity that indicates na between AD50-100 rose from 1,450 to 7,530. In the next 50 years, it exploded to 40, 496 and continued a strong growth onwards. Sa madaling salita, bago pa man naisulat ang New Testament literature, mayroon nang maraming Christians. Pero pwede ring sabihin na, “Hindi pa sila naniniwala nun sa resurrection. Inimbento lang yun later na nung nagsimula silang sumulat.”

Tandaan natin na isa sa mga pinanghahawakang commitments ng mga first century believers ay within the lifetime of the apostles and eyewitnesses. Sa madaling salita yung sustansya ng commitment nila is nakita nila -- ang sustansya na yan ay ang nakita mismo nila si Kristo.

It was a criterion din especially ng mga apostles. Sab ni Apostol Juan --

• That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you (1 John 1:1-3)

Tinatataya pa ni Apostol Pablo ang kanyang pagka apostol sa truthfulness ng resurrection sa 1 Corinthians 15

• For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Bakit tinaya ni apostol Pablo ang kanyang pagka apostol dito? Kasi may mga matitinding opposers si Paul sa Corinthians. At kung magsasabi siya na nabuhay si Kristo at hindi naman, at kung mayroon pang mga witnesses doon at wala naman, at kung let us say mga witnesses nga sila pero wala naman silang nakitang resurrection, eh di lalong malilintikan si Pablo sa mga opposers niya.

Eyewitness accounts were crucial for the understanding of the resurrection both of the validity of the faith of the early church and the authority of the apostles.

Gusto ko ding banggitin ang affirmation ng Christianity concerning the resurrection na ang resurrection ay hindi produkto ng fictitious literature but a historical event. Bukod sa napaka explicit na teaching sa Gospel na ang Panginoon ay nagkatawang tao, sa kasulatan din ni Apostol Pablo makikita natin ang kanyang pagkaunawa ng kahalagahan nito, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Cor 15:14).

Sinundan itong commitment na ito ng mga church fathers. Sabi ni Clement of Rome,

• Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proves to us that there shall be a future resurrection, of which He has rendered the Lord Jesus Christ the first-fruits by raising Him from the dead” (Letter to Corinthians). 

 Binanggit din ni Justin Martyr na

• And the Word, being His Son, came to us, having put on flesh, revealing both Himself and the Father, giving to us in Himself resurrection from the dead, and eternal life afterwards.” (“On the Resurrection”).  

It is interesting to note that all of the church father talked about the resurrection of Jesus.

If the argument the “New Testament writers invented the resurrection” is true, then God is just a social construct, at mukhang acceptable ito na hindi ethical issue. Yung mga apostol na nagtuturo ng pagmamahal sa katotohanan ay promotor pala ng kasinungalingan. So in this case, the wrong idea of God that this is trying to say is that there is no god at all. God is fictitious.

Ayon kay Apostol Pablo sa 1 Corinthians 15:3-8,

• For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,  and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Ang portion na ito ay tinaguriang earliest creed ng Christianity. Ito po ay buod ng pinaniniwalaan ng mga mananampalataya noon. It was around AD54 that Paul wrote this at kung creed nga ito, this have been circulating before that. Kinokorek ng verse na ito ang panukala ng doubt sa episode na ito by emphasizing na meron nang existing na commitment ang mga Christians sa resurrection even before the writings of Paul. It was the event that made the NT writings, not the other way around.