The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-05

| AHSSSs AAASt O1 AL. we see tnlS ClSdI1y
| in the resurrection story. First, they
present the evidence that He really
oled-the Jewish usage that the con-
demned criminal must not remain on
the cross over a high sabbath; the
spear-thrust of the soldier which
brought both water and blood gushing
from the Victims side is sure proof
of death: the report of the veteran
centurion; the tomb sealed with the
seal OF Rome and guarded by her le-
giOnaries; the tomb was a new one,
with no other body in it. so no room
for mistakes remained there.
! Then. in all their naive naturalness,
the historians relate tn appearances
of the Lord to the various disciples,
the first of whom had come to the
| tomb expecting to find a dead body,
and not a risen Christ.
The verisimilitude Of the report
that Jesus was three days buried,
when He really was only in the tomb
| from Friday night to Sunday morning,
is evidence of the trustworthiness of
the narrative. This the eastern way
| OF writing to this day-to count a part
or day or year as a whole. So it
is on the Assyrian tabl is; SO it is in
the Christian Koreans account Of the
length of time they spent in Jail In
the light of modern scholarship, with
its full knowledge of Oriental usages
any other form of expression on the
part OF the New Testament writer's
would have been counted suspicious;
they were true to their time and to
the facts.
or the ten appearances of the risen
Cnr1st-eleven, counting His appear
ance to Saul on the Damascus road
the first two were to women. Mrs.
Browning wrote, in a compact quat-
rain:
mot she with traitorous kiss her Master
stung;
Not she denied him with unfaithful
She when apostles fled could danger
Last at His cross and earliest at His
The first six appearances were in or
near Jerusalem, in this order:
To Mary Magdalene, at the sepul-
chre;
To the women on the way from the
sepulchre;
To Simon Peter alone, near Jeru-
salem;
To two disciples on the way to
Emaus, near jerusalem;
To the apostles, except Thomas. at
jerusalem;
To the apostles. with Thomas, a
week later, at Jerusalem.
The next three appearances were in
ooA1cc, lITSI " SEVEN IA6N0TIHcns lueu
to the eleven on a mountain; then to
about five hundred brethren at once.
The final appearance was at the AS
cension, on Mt. Olivet.
Assuming the historical validity Of
the Bible, and we find that the resur-
rection Is established by many wit
nesses, and that it is as completely
buttressed a fact as any event in an
Gent history.
There remains one final proof Of the
resurrection Of Jesus Christ, which, in
the case of millions of persons. makes
all the other evidence unnecessary.
That is the fact of personal. present
relationship with the living Christ. to
whom a long line of martyrs and
saints bear testimony. saying with st.
Paul, II know whom I have believed"
That relationship is for multitudes
more real than any transaction with
merchant or friend.
"Closer is He than breathing,
Nearer than hands or feet
A Canadian in the tropics might be
jeered at for his talk of ice and snow;
and the black philosopher might con-
clusively prove that such a phenom-
can confound them all with II know.
for 1 have experienced ice and snow"
A Greek sophist might have caught
Peter in the market place at Antioch
and argued the impOssibility of the
resurrection; but Peter could crush
him with a simple, II saw Him dead;
and then I saw Him alive. A per-
sonal experience of the risen Christ Is
the final argument for the resurrec-
ton; and the one most sufficient
proof of Immortality.