On the nature of the resurrection body

Front matter

The Nature of the Resurrection Body

THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

ON THE NATURE

Chapter I Preliminary Considerations

PAGES 1. Disembodied souls long for re-embodiment—z. No a priort objection against a resurrection, which has indications of nature in its favour ; and especially two analogies: (1) that of the plant growing from the seed, used by St. Paul; (2) that of the metamorphosis of insects which exist in the grub, the chrysalis, and the butterfly states, typical respectively of the present, the disembodied, and the resurrection state of men; the chrysalis, or disembodied, state not one of activity; the analogy advanced further ; in the case of men, the last stage of being eternal; as in the case of the insect, so in the case of the risen body, the organs may be changed, and new ones superadded— 3. The conception of a true resurrection only to be found in Holy Scripture ; and not grasped by either the Greeks, or the Egyptians—4. The Jews had some conception of a resurrection—5. The nature of the resurrection body not yet fully revealed, and could not be with our present faculties adequately understood by us. Some clue, however, afforded by Christ’s Resurrection Body—6. The resurrection effected only by the operation of God—7. The co-operation of the soul or spirit in the process—8. The resurrection instantaneous : : a : : . I-14

Chapter II The Teaching Of The Old Testament

Not much about the resurrection in the Old Testament, but the following passages refer to it: 1. Ps. xvi. 10, The interval between Christ’s death and resurrection to be short—z. Hos, vi. 2, The exact period of this interval— xi xii

CONTENTS

3. Job xix. 25-27, Variously interpreted, but probably refers to a bodily vision of God after death; thus anticipating a resurrection of the body—4. Isa. xxv. 7, 8, Death a temporary evil, to be removed hereafter by the power of God—s. Isa. xxvi. 19, The resurrection of the dead connected with that of Christ. The dead summoned to rise ; and some clue to the nature of the risen body—6. Ezek. xxxvii, 1-10, The resurrection a complete reconstruction of the body ; at all events of the bone system— 7. Dan. xii. 2, Two resurrections predicted, with corresponding differences in the bodies of those, who will rise

PAGES at each respectively . ; ; : : : F 15-24

CHAPTER III The discussion in 1 Cor. xv. reserved for a future chapter

1. St. Matt. xxvii. §2, 53, The incident of certain saints whose bodies arose after Christ’s Resurrection, their souls having probably been liberated from Hades at Christ’s descent thither; two conclusions therefrom as to the resurrection body, viz. that it possesses the power of (a) visibility or invisibility at pleasure, and (8) levitation ; their entry into the holy gity a pledge and earnest of their ascension and ours—2, St. Luke xx. 34-38, Our Lord proves the resurrection from the writings of Moses ; establishing the existence of the soul after death, and indirectly the resurrection of the body; which, though obscurely revealed in the Old Testament, is yet possible to the power of God. Deductions as to the nature of the resurrection body,—that it will be (a) immortal, (8) without occasion or desire for marriage, (y) like the refined body of angels; active and strong, (5) participating in the nature of God, as the result of His operation—3. Rom. viii. 23, Believers long for the resurrection both in their present state and in the state after death; for the redemption of, not from the body. Olshausen's view of a more ethereal body residing within the present body; held also by Swedenborg— 4. 2 Cor. v. 1-4, The present body a temporary tent, that of the resurrection a

CONTENTS xiii PAGES

permanent habitation. The expression “house eternal in

the heavens” used proleptically though some have thought it is ready there for us at the hour of death; but this not the meaning of the Apostle. We shall not remain disembodied spirits after death; but shall have bodies composed of some of the old elements with new ones superadded. Those who rise to damnation are by comparison destitute of bodies. The present body burdensome, yet the assumption of the glorified body, not the disembodied state, to be desired. Man's existence in the eternal state as a pure spirit not to be thought of. The resurrection body widely different from the present one—5, Phil. iii. 21, Conclusions therefrom : (1) as humiliation characterises our present body, so glory characterises the Lord’s Risen Body ; (2) the risen body a transformation of the present body ; (3) the latter being “the natural,” the former ‘the spiritual body" of 1 Cor. xv. ; (4) the risen body the product of Christ’s mighty power; and (5) Christ’s Risen Body its model; and, therefore, its Nature must be investigated 25-47

Chapter IV

ST. PAUL’S DISCUSSION IN FIRST CORINTHIANS XV. 35-57.

The fullest discussion of the subject in Holy Scripture— 1. Comes up incidentally in answer to two questions raised by a supposed objector; in dealing with these the Apostle gives an insight into the nature of the risen body—z. The prevalent view, that the risen body is composed of the same particles as the buried body, not that of St. Paul—3. The analogy of the corn plant springing from the seed sown examined; what springs from the seed must accord with its nature; and so the identity of the risen body, though changed, must be retained ; but the analogy not to be pressed too far—4. In the dead human body lies the germ of the risen body, which may differ from the buried body, though it must contain some of the elements—5. God will endue the xiv

CONTENTS spirit with a body suited to its environment—6. There are many various kinds of bodies now; and so God can create bodies, different from our present ones, suitable for the resurrection state—7. The resurrection body differs from the present one in that it will be (1) incorruptible, (2) beautiful and bright, (3) vigorous, (4) spiritual—8. The tripartite nature of man, and the difference between soul and spirit; in the present state the soul dominant, and the body adapted mainly for its service; the body restored at the resurrection differs from the present one, in that it will be mainly subservient and adapted to the spirit—g. Man has two material bodies, not coincident, but successive one to the other—1ro. As the first of these is made of gross materials, so the second is composed of more refined elements; existence in these two forms of corporeity necessary for us—11. The grosser material elements of our present bodies unsuitable for life in the future state—12. The bodies of those living at the time of the resurrection will undergo a change ; this change will take place instantaneously—13. So death will be finally

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Chapter V The Nature Of Christ’s Resurrection Body

Christ’s Resurrection Body the model of ours: 1. It was the identical Body that was laid in the tomb; as is clear from the tests applied having convinced those familiar with Him. Importance of this fact in the scheme of salvation—

' 2. Yet a change had passed over it, so that He was not at once recognised—3. Though changed, it was a real material body still—4. Possessing the capacity for eating and drinking notwithstanding St. Luke xxii. 18; like the angels; though food not necessary for it—5. Wearing clothes—6, It differed from the buried Body in that it had (a) no blood ; in which, however, racial identity according to the Old Testament does not consist ; (8) became visible or invisible at pleasure ; (y) was free from the operation of the ordinary laws of matter, e.g. that of gravity and the

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PAGES chemical law of dissolution ; (8) could assume different aspects at will—7. Some of these characteristics manifested abnormally before His Death, but after His Resurrection became normal—8. The changed character of His Resurrection Body shown by several circumstances —g. That Body not an ordinary one, but endued with new properties—1o. Suggestion that at the Ascension some further change in it may have taken place; the change may have been going on through the forty days of the risen life on earth; according to some, the Lord's Body did not become a spiritual one at all until the Ascension, but this view untenable. Importance of assurance that the change took place at the Resurrection—11. Difference between a revivification and a resurrection; theological importance of the distinction ; the incident in St. Matt. xxvii. 52, 53, no objection—12. Ohrist’s Resurrection a true resurrection, and also a revival; some instances of revival—13. Christ at His Resurrection reassumed His entire Humanity F : ; : : : : 73-98

Chapter VI Wherein The Identity Of Our Risen And ; Present Bodies Consists

1. The Risen Body of the Lord, though changed, was the same Body as that in which He lived and died on earth; our bodies, too, at the resurrection will be identical with our buried ones—2. That identity consists not in complete sameness of structure, properties, and functions; but compatible with considerable change—3. Nor in sameness of material particles, which are constantly changing now ; a great difficulty thus avoided ; the sameness of material not absolutely impossible ; but regarded by St. Paul as an absurdity—4. Opinion of some that there is no need for one single particle of matter to be the same, but only for the typical form to be retained—s. St. Paul's view shown by the metaphors he uses, viz. that of (a) a tent and stone building; (8) the putting off and on of clothing; (y) the seed sown and plant, showing that the germs of

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PAGES the risen body must be in the buried one—6, View of some that the identity is preserved by the sameness of the vital principle—7, But this not in accord with the Apostle’s analogy of the plant springing from the seed sown, the truth lying somewhere between material and mere formal identity —8. Our risen bodies, however changed, will be the same as our present ones—g. Importance of the fact in view of the Judgment . - 99-112

Chapter VII

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AS TO THE NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF THE RESURRECTION BODY

No adequate conception of it possible in our present state: 1. Scripture and reason help us to some knowledge ; the restored body must be the same as the buried body ; for this identity the component particles need not be the same, but there must be some germ in the buried body from which the risen body springs; God able to reconstruct our bodies out of the original particles—2. The risen body will not be the old one revivified, but will be a cpa without the cap§—3. Meaning of the expression “ spiritual body,” which some think will be composed of the ether which pervades all space—4, The risen body will be a human one in form and structure—s. Not certain, however, that all the parts of our present bodies will be reproduced in them ; at all events in the same stage of development— 6. The risen body will not need food for nutriment— 7- No marriage in the resurrection state—8. Some of the leading properties of the risen body : (a) incorruptibility, not per se, but as the result of union with Christ; the difference in this respect between men and angels ; resurrection possible only through Christ ; (8) impassibility ; (y) subtilty ; (5) agility; (e) strength; ({) lucidity—g, The risen body a perfect engine for the use of the dominant spirit . ; ; ; 2 3 : : ’ + 113-132

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Chapter VIII. Some Other Views As To The Nature Of The Resurrection Body Pages

1. Most of the early Fathers thought that the resurrection body will be composed of identically the same particles as the present body, e.g. Justin Martyr, Tatian, Jerome, Augustine ; reason for this opinion ; this view also prevalent in the Medieval Church; but involves serious scientific difficulties; and is not supported by Holy Scripture—2. Origen held different views ; one was, that there was an essence latent in the body, the source of the risen body; his view as to its shape—3. Swedenborg’s view, also that of modern spiritualists ; not inherently improbable ; but open to serious objection—4. Yertullian’s view, that all the buman organs will be found in the risen body notwithstanding the cessation of certain functions; held also by Besser in a modified form—s. The view that the risen body will be without the nutritive organs ; the life of animals, angels, and men compared ; two systems in man, the sensitive and the nutritive ; no organs in the resurrection body for assimilation of nutriment, but the nervous system in perfection in it; at the Fall the barmonious working of the two systems deranged; question, how on this view the nervous system of the resurrection body will be sustained, considered ; probably by union with Christ ; this theory gives some support to Swedenborg’s view ; if it be merely a nervous organism, the material particles may possibly be the same as those of buried bodies ; but this view not Scriptural, and incompatible with the maintenanceofidentity. . + jo = «= —* — = SRgS=565

Chapter IX

THE NATURE OF THE RISEN BODIES OF THE LOST, AND OF ADAM'S BODY BEFORE THE FALL

I. 1. Besides the resurrection to life there is also a resurrection to damnation—z. The bodies of the risen dead vary according to the resurrection in which they rise, and in xviii CONTENTS

PAGES the lost will be correspondent to the state of the soul, and not be “spiritual,” but remain “soulish "3. That the lost will rise in their bodies, which some have doubted, taught in Holy Scripture—4. For the opinion of some, that the bodies of the lost resumed at the resurrection for the purpose of judgment, will be laid aside again, no warrant in Holy Scripture—II. The nature of Adam’s body before the Fall an interesting collateral question ; 1. It was mortal, but would have been preserved from death by supernatural intervention, acoording to Bishop Bull’s view, if man had not fallen—z. By the use of the fruit of the tree of life—3. Man would have been translated to heaven, his body undergoing a change like that - of the living at the Lord’s coming; but the risen body will become a spiritual one at once, without such change —4. The risen body more glorious than that of Adam as at first created 156-165

Chapter X Recognition Of One Another In The ; Resurrection State

The question full of interest ; to be investigated strictly on the inductive principle ; Scripture passages on the subject : 1. 2 Sam. xii. 23, David looked forward to meeting again and recognising his dead child—z. St. Matt. xvii, 3, At our Lord’s transfiguration Moses and Elias recognised —3. St. Matt. viii. 11, Patriarchs recognisable in the kingdom of heaven—4. St. Luke xvi. 9, Benefactors recognised in the eternal world by those they served on earth—s. St. Luke xxiii. 42, Our Lord to be recognised by the dying thief in Paradise—6. St. Matt. xxvii. 52, 53, The bodies of the saints were recognised by those who knew them before—7. 1 Thess. ii. 19, St. Paul anticipated recognising his converts in the future state—8. 1 Thess.

“Gy, 13-18, Christians under bereavement comforted with the idea—g: 1 Cor. xiii; 12, Seeing “ face to face” implies recognition.—Inference from these passages that our risen bodies; will be recognisable. Comfort. therefrom in the VigwjoE death: ..;5 3. 6 se tee wt 166-873

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Chapter XI The Nature And Conditions Of Life In The Resurrection State

PAGES Can only be known from what is revealed in Holy Scripture, and thence only very partially —I. Negative characteristics: 1. Rest—z. Absence of all that can sadden life ; (a) sin, (8) temptation to sin, (y) the consequences of sin—II. Positive characteristics: 1. Incessant service ; hints as to the nature of that service ; which will include praise ; and active employment—z. Intellectual activity of varied kinds, including the unimpeded action, and enlargement of our mental faculties ; the augmenting of our powers of sensation ; and the clearing up of what now perplexes us—3. Emotional energy, the emotional being more active than the intellectual faculties—4. Perfect holiness—s. Blessed companionship with the Triune God ; angels ; those we have known on earth, and “the spirits of the just made perfect ;” a glorious society ; consolation from the thought of renewing the friendships and intimacies of earth; where there will be no discord or constraint, but perfect harmony—6. The Beatific Vision ; which will result in progressive knowledge ; and satisfy our entire nature—7. The sight of Jesus as He is—8. Joyful anticipation of new sources of happiness—g. Consequent on all this, perfect happiness; springing from the vision of God; and resulting in the fruition of Him; happiness full and progressive—to. Glory uninterrupted and ceaseless . ‘ : ‘ : ‘ : . 174-204 but, ang wey, i whoune chet hey caged gen the | hebitetion of the bedias of the lower eqdcuals os git fornids we the dueombnlinl atate Co Che sume prtiaclpie, the seiale of thee fawt, vrbog he beh desed hone, feed Gone, in Choi? ering. feactal hstleteg. foe of judguent oud Gery iudiguetion,” ' will by eager te re wiwott their Ivvlios, ty “aide” thon, 95 we rye, “fey, tie foe of Hina the) sitteth on the throne, sad from ¢ the wruth of tim Reali”? Thin justinctive. Kugiay bi aed - - dh ty mm, OF lntioc iy the apeiiae : an ; ,) YS Bee eee : ny

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ON’ THE"NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION BODY

Chapter I

BEFORE entering upon the exact discussion of our subject, we shall do well to bear in mind a few preliminary considerations.

1. The disembodied state is but an imperfect one ; and souls separated from their bodies long, more or less restlessly, for reunion with them. In the case of the blessed this longing is, no doubt, for the most part, of a restful character ; but it is assuredly real and . earnest. This would appear from the case of ‘“‘ the souls under the altar,” who are described in the Book of Revelation as crying “How long, O Lord?”!—which cry seems to be the expression of an eager yearning for the coming of a crisis, which is to be accompanied by some improvement in the condition of their being; an improvement they expect to take place when they resume their bodies at the resurrection. The same craving of the spirit, to be invested with corporeity, is discernible in the petition of the demons, cast out from the demoniacs in the country of the Gergesenes, that they should be permitted to go away into the herd of swine.! This is an indication, possibly, that evil Spirits desire some corporeal covering to hide their unsightly spiritual nakedness, and shelter them, to some extent, as far as may be, from the unveiled prospect of the manifestations of the Divine anger; but, any way, it shows that they regard even the habitation of the bodies of the lower animals as preferable to the disembodied state. On the same principle, the souls of the lost, when the last dread hour has come, in their “certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,” * will be eager to resume their bodies, to “ hide” them, as we read, “ from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”* This instinctive longing, in the case of human souls which have been separated from their bodies at death, will receive its full satisfaction in the resurrection, as it is unfolded to us in the Word of God.

2. There is no a priori objection against a resurrection. Indeed, it would appear to be one of the laws | of God, by which He regulates the natural world, that out of death life should come. Nature supplies not a few emblems, at all events, if not indications, of a resurrection. The revival of vegetation in the spring,

1 St. Matt. viii. 31; St. Mark v, 12; St. Luke viii. 32. 2 Heb, x. 27. 3 Rev, vi. 16.

the golden harvest field, the day following night—all speak, with more or less definiteness, of some such phenomenon. But two analogies from nature stand out prominently from the rest.

(1) One of these is that of the plant springing up from the seed sown, which is notable as that upon which St. Paul bases his memorable discussion in the 15th chapter of his First Epistle to the Corinthians. A seed is deposited in the earth; from the embryo contained in its husk there shoots up a blade instinct with life, and endued with the capacity for further development. That from the sown grain such a thing as the plant could ever spring would, prior to experience, have been deemed by us an impossibility. Now we all know that this is not only possible, but we have ourselves witnessed countless instances of the actual fact itself. Is it not possible also, we are led to ask, that something similar takes place in the case of the buried body ? Judging from analogy, is it not probable that from some particles of its matter a new organism may be developed, differing from the body deposited in the grave as much as the plant does from the seed sown in the ground ?

(2) Another illustration from nature, pointing to a resurrection, is that familiar one derived from the metamorphosis of insects. Indeed, the great German commentator Olshausen expresses his surprise that the analogy of the grub, the chrysalis, and the butterfly has not been used for this purpose in Holy Scripture.

The explanation of this omission is not quite clear; but it may be observed generally, that the writers of Holy Scripture—for some wise reason, doubtless— seem to shrink from the employment of imagery based on animal life, and derive their figures rather from vegetable nature. .

See that slowly crawling worm. It spins round itself a silken covering, and in it seems to perish; and yet there comes out from that covering in due time the beautiful butterfly with purple and gold, or gréy and silver, wings, disporting among the flowers, and gathering nectar from them in the summer sun, It has become a thing of brightness and beauty instead of an unsightly, creeping grub, and yet it is the same creature still. It has emerged from its chrysalis tomb—in short, has undergone the process of a resurrection.

Let us consider what has taken place. In the life of that beautiful insect there have been the following stages :—

(a) The larva or caterpillar stage, when the insect has just issued from itsegg. Then it has the nutritive life only.

(8) The pupa or chrysalis stage, when the insect is in its case, prior to itsfull development. In this state the nutritive organs are undergoing change, and the sentient are developed.

(vy) The imago or butterfly stage, which is the last and perfect condition of insect life, ‘when the case

- covering is dropped, and the enclosed creature comes forth in beauty to active existence. In this state sentient life is developed in its highest degree.

The insect, then, has, as it were, three states of existence :—

(a) The earthy or caterpillar life, cramped and confined, with but small powers of locomotion, or capacities for enjoyment.

(8) The aerial or butterfly life, with a wider sphere for life and action, new and more expanded powers, a greater capacity for enjoyment, and a new beauty of form and colour.

(y) Between these two lives intervenes the chrysalis state of inactivity, equivalent to our condition of death, when the insect remains still and motionless, though all the while the process of development is going on. In this chrysalis condition the grub is being prepared for its higher and more expansive life as an insect.

Now, with a caution that we must be very careful not to press the analogy too far, we observe that just so for man there are three states of existence :—

(a) This present state, when he is invested with a natural or psychical body (c@ua \uyixov') ; analogous to the larva or caterpillar one of the insect.

(8) The resurrection state, when he has put on the spiritual body (c@ua rvevmatixoy”); analogous to the butterfly life of the insect.

1 See chap. iv. pp. 61, ff. 2 Ibid.

(y) The intermediate disembodied state ; analogous to the chrysalis state of the insect, which is preparatory and leads up to. the more ceri life of the resurrection, |

There is no reason to suppose that the intermediate or disembodied state is one of complete inactivity and unconsciousness; it is one, no doubt, of “rest from labours,” but not necessarily one of complete cessation of energy of soul and spirit. This is in strict accordance with the analogy under consideration; for in the chrysalis state the creature is not altogether lifeless, nor even completely at rest; its tissues are still in a way working; and the formation of the insect, to come forth subsequently, is at the same time going on. Just so, to change the figure, the plant in the winter is not dead, but, concentrating its vital powers in its root and stem, is gathering fresh vitality from the ground. Just so, also, the embryo of the egg is not lifeless; but from it, nourished by the yolk, the chicken is being gradually developed, to issue forth when the proper time has come. As in the case of the insect, so also in the cases just referred to, the death-like inactivity is only apparent, not real. In the same way, in the condition between death and the resurrection, the man seems to be unconscious and inactive, dead indeed, so far as our present powers of observation reach, but is not really so.

The analogy may be fairly pushed a step further. Just as the skin or shell of the larva bursts and perishes, having only hidden for a little while the living thing covered by it; so the fleshly elements of the natural or psychical body are dissolved, and perish for ever in the grave, The incorporeal part of the man passes to Hades, as the grub passes into the pupa or chrysalis state; thence to emerge invested with the spiritual body of the resurrection, as from the chrysalis comes forth the butterfly in its aerial grace and beauty.

Man, then, like the insect, passes through three distinct stages of being. But, unlike the insect, the last stage is with him final and everlasting; man “being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him;”' there will be for him no more change of condition, resulting from the dissolution and the subsequent reconstruction of a portion of his complex being, though there will doubtless be constant growth and development.

The analogy of insect development seems also to indicate another possible fact in connection with the risen body. The larva has organs suited only for the lower nutritive life, e.g. large jaws, no wings, &c. It appears to die in the chrysalis state; but in that state its organs undergo a change, the jaws being replaced by a proboscis which can suck flowers, wings being developed, and numerous eyes added; all these changes being adapted for the support of the insect in its new phase of life, and conducive to rapid

1 Rom, vi. 9.

locomotion, quickness of perception, and more intense enjoyment generally—in short, suited to existence of a higher and more expansive kind. Is it not in a high degree probable that, in the same way, the resurrection body will have its organs so changed and developed, and new ones of such a character added, that it may be fitted for higher occupations, more intense enjoyment, and generally for life in a more spiritual sphere, under more glorious circumstances and conditions of being? |

3. But, for any right conception of a true resurrection, and for any accurate knowledge of its nature, and the circumstances connected with it, we must turn—as indeed we must for all our knowledge of what is to take place after death—to Holy Writ; for unless we can find information in its sacred pages, we can certainly not derive it from any other quarter.

Apart from revelation, it is doubtful whether the idea of a true resurrection has ever occurred, or could ever have occurred, to the mind of man; it is quite beyond the reach of our human faculties to discover, or originate. In pagan faiths we find other great Christian doctrines, ¢.g. the Trinity, the Incarnation, — the Atonement, the Judgment to come, in some vague or distorted form; but the doctrine of the resurrection of the body is peculiar to Christianity. Many, indeed, without the light of revelation, e.g, the Greeks, have held as a tenet of their creed the existence of the soul after death in some shadowy state of being.

The Egyptians seem to have had some idea, in a crude form, of the revivifying of the dead body, if it could only be preserved with its general structure tolerably intact; and hence their practice of embalming their dead, and keeping them in the form of mummies, which possibly was done with a view to these bodies being, at some future time, reanimated by the souls which had once dwelt in them; though, very probably, their idea was that “the conservation of the body was,” in some way, “essential to the vigour and felicity of the soul.” “ Let the bodily organs, it was felt, be saved from putrefaction, and the spirit - also will have something left on which to lean for help as her companion and receptacle. In virtue of the strength afforded to her by this union with the former cause of her vitality, she will continue to exist in some analogous condition; disembodied, it is true, but still associating with her previous tenement, and still in some mysterious fashion living by its life,” ?