The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-02-01
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS; HOW
EXCEPTIONALLY

His resurrection was from the DEAD,
the general resurrection is of the
dead. The law of the ascent is for
all men; the resurrection of Jesus
was in some respects an exception to
this law.
The question now is, therefore, In
what respects? In what respects or
in what particular was the resurrec-
ton of Jesus an exception? If OK
ceptional, how exceptional?-is the
question now.
We answer that his resurrection
was exceptional in the fact that it
was visible, tangible; that it came
within the range of sense perception.
| The general resurrection is not within
this range. 1t is not seen; it is not
tangible. We do not see men rising
into the higher life when they die;
we do not see the dead rise. They
do rise, but they do not rise visibly,
not within the range of the senses of
the living. The living do not see
the dead rise.
But Jesus rose visibly. His resur-
rection was seen by the living. We
must remember that it lasted for
forty days; that it extended from the
time the sepulchre was opened until
his ascension; from the time of his
first appearance until his last disap-
pearance.
During all this time he was rising
and during all this time he was more
or less visible; during all this time he
was showing himself to his disciples.
Not that he was with them all the
time during those days, but that he
was with them enough to convince
them of his presence and the reality
of his life. They knew that he lived
for they saw him, touched him, heard
his voice and knew that it was he.
This the record makes very clear.
Upon this point all the Gospels
agree. Whatever be their disagree
ments on other points, they all agree
in making the resurrection of Jesus
visible, in declaring it to have been
within the range of senseperception.
Here, then, we are on the rock of
faith. The Gospels make certain
the fact of the visibility of Christ's
resurrection and upon this fact rests
the Christian faith. Our faith in
Christ as the Sent of God is confirm
ed and made steadfast by his visible
resurrection and our faith in immor-
tally is illuminated and made sure
and certain. In the visibility of the
resurrection of Jesus we see its ex-
ceptional character and the FONDA
ton of the faith.
If, now, we push our inquiries fur
ther and ask, How visible? How did
Jesus show himself to his disciples2
How did he bring himself within the
range of sense perception, we touch
the realm of mystery. So far in our
Investigations the way has been clear
and our conclusions unavoidable; but
now it is hedged up with difficulties.
That it is so is not strange, for we
now reach the miraculous or super
natural. That Jesus rose from the
dead and showed himself to his dis
ciples can be testified to as fact and
we can see and understand it; but
when we ask how he showed himself
we are in the region of mystery, for
we are in the region of the miraculous.
A miracle is always mystery for if
we could explain it, tell how it was
wrought, it would cease to be mir
acle and become science. 1t is the
business of science to tell US the how
of things; hence if it could tell us the
how of the miraculous it would no
longer be miraculous.
If, for instance, science could tell
us just how Jesus rose from the dead
and showed himself to his disciples,
his resurrection would cease to be
miraculous and become scientific; be
brought into the region of reasoned
knowledge" That this is not done,
and cannot be done, comes from the
very fact that it is miraculous,-an
event out of the usual order.
1t is not surprising, therefore, that
no theory of the manner of Christ's
resurrection explains all the facts
makes clear every incident of the
great event reported by the evangel-
lists. This is to be expected under
the circumstances. We are in the
environment of the supernatural;
we shall not be able, therefore, it is
likely, to arrange all things in nat
ural order. Our theory will be sure
to leave something, if not many
things, unexplained.
If we say, for instance, that Jesus
rose in his heshly body, or was rein
x,ostad NTH tho bodu he had % Jaatb