The emergence of resurrection faith

Thesis

Exploration of the Easter kerygma reveals the cognitive content of earliest form of post-Easter resurrection faith to be belief in an angelomorphic transformation - the belief that Jesus had been transformed post-mortem into a exalted mediatorial figure who who was Son of God, Lord and Messiah. The conceptual background is that of action proceeding in parallel in heaven and on earth. The Son of Man was not Jesus, but Jesus' heavenly alter ego, Michael-Melchizedek. Under the pressure of threatening external events and eschatological anticipation the always permeable boundary between Jesus and the Son of Man and Jesus own conception of his own identity suffered progressive collapse. Jesus therefore began to speak of his own anticipated suffering and hoped-for vindication in Danielic terms. Thus some at least of the 'suffering' Son of Man sayings may be reflecting underlying sayings in which Jesus spoke as the Son of Man of the Son of Man. Whilst the driving force in the emergence of post-Easter faith was congnitive dissonance, Jesus own understanding of himself as identified with and acting in concert with the heavenly being Michael-Melchizedek may have been communicated to at least some of his followers and may have been reflected in confirmatory visionary experiences during his lifetime. The experience known as the Transfiguration may therefore be the point of origin during Jesus lifetime of the whole edifice of resurrection faith.

Authors: Gant, P; Peter Robert Gant

• Publication date: 2011
• Type of award: Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.)
• Level of award: Bachelors
• Awarding institution: Oxford University, UK
• Language: English
• Keywords: exaltation; transfiguration; Jesus; angelomorphic transformation; resurrection
• Subjects: Biblical studies; Christianity and Christian spirituality; Philosophy,psychology and sociology of religion; Science and religion; Theology and Religion; Church history; Divinity