Life in the Face of Death: The Resurrection Message of the New Testament

by Richard Longenecker

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1998

Overview

Life is for living, but there is also a dark side of life—the mocking specter of death that permeates every facet of human activity and invades every corner of our consciousness. But death is not the final chapter for the people of God. The New Testament proclaims a message of resurrection life that is victorious over death. This volume, written by eleven first-class scholars, brings into focus the resurrection message of the New Testament. Much more than just biblical exposition, these essays demonstrate how the resurrection both provides the basis for joyful living now despite the shadow of death and undergirds the Christian belief in a future after death.

Contributions to this volume include:

• "Life, Death, and the Afterlife in the Ancient Near East," Edwin Yamauchi
• "Life, Death, and the Afterlife in the Greco-Roman World," Peter G. Bolt
• "Life, Death, and the Afterlife in Second Temple Judaism," Richard Bauckham
• "Gospel, Kingdom, and Resurrection in the Synoptic Gospels," Donald A. Hagner
• "'I am the Resurrection and the Life:' The Resurrection Message of the Fourth Gospel," Andrew T. Lincoln
• "Resurrection and Immortality in the Pauline Corpus," Murray J. Harris
• "Is There Development in Paul's Resurrection Thought?" Richard N. Longenecker
• "Resurrection and the Christian Life in Paul's Letters," G. Walter Hansen
• "'Witnesses of His Resurrection:' Resurrection, Salvation, Discipleship, and Mission in the Acts of the Apostles," Joel B. Green
• "Living the Life of Faith in the Face of Death: The Witness of Hebrews," William L. Lane
• "Witness and the Resurrection in the Apocalypse of John," Allison A. Trites

Contents

Top Highlights

“The most important point to make here is that hope for a resurrection stands in strong continuity with the Old Testament’s portrayal of God. Essential to this is God’s sovereignty over life. All life comes from him. He gives it, and he takes it away. The conviction that God is the source of life and the sovereign power over life several times takes the form of the claim that God ‘kills and makes alive’” (Page 84)

“Belief in eternal life and judgment after death was a late development in the Jewish religion” (Page 83)

“Third, there is the future bodily resurrection of believers from the dead to immortality” (Page 148)

“Believers in Jesus may undergo physical death, but that cannot affect the eschatological life they already have in him.” (Page 142)

“ from reflection on who God is: the sovereign Creator, the righteous Judge, and the faithful Father of his people.” (Page 86)

Praise for the Print Edition

This book provides a gold mine of information to anybody who is interested in the theme of death and resurrection as it is described and treated in the New Testament. . . . The information is treated and presented in a responsible way, which makes the book reliable and therefore a valuable tool for research.

—Jan G. van der Watt, Review of Biblical Literature

If you thought scholarly discussions could not be edifying, this book proves you wrong. In keeping with the stated purpose of this series, this book attempts to bridge the gap between academic study and the life of the church. It does an admirable job of both. There is a wealth of information and discussion, but there is an impressive pastoral bent to many of the chapters.

—Online Reviewer

Product Details

• Title: Life in the Face of Death: The Resurrection Message of the New Testament
• Editor: Richard N. Longenecker
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 324

About Richard Longenecker

Richard N. Longenecker is a prominent New Testament scholar and Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wycliffe College, Toronto. He was formerly Distinguished Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.