Frank J. Matera was for many years the Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America. A former president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, he is presently the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Simsbury, Connecticut. He has published commentaries on Romans, Second Corinthians, and Galatians and written books on New Testament theology, New Testament Christology, New Testament ethics, and Pauline theology. Matera's previous works published by Liturgical Press include Strategies for Preaching Paul, Preaching Romans: Proclaiming God's Saving Grace, The Sermon on the Mount: The Perfect Measure of the Christian Life, and Resurrection: The Origin and Goal of the Christian Life.

“In this volume, Father Matera presumes and builds on others’ work on the historical issues regarding the empty tomb narratives and the appearances of the risen Jesus, and focuses this work exclusively on the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection for those who believe in and try to follow him. The result is an unfolding of both the remarkable variety and the surprising coherence of the New Testament writers’ treatment of the resurrection—variety in the narrative details of the gospel accounts and in the language and imagery of the letters and the Apocalypse, and coherence within each individual gospel and among all the other writings. What emerges from his study of this diversity is a stunning coherence in the underlying vision regarding such elements as the relationship between Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom of God and the general resurrection, or God’s raising of Jesus as a victory over the power of evil, the vindication of an apparently defeated Jesus, and the promise of everlasting life in a new creation begun with Jesus’ resurrection, furthered by the Spirit’s empowerment of the church, and fulfilled in the ultimate resurrection of the faithful.”Dennis Hamm, SJ, Professor Emeritus at Creighton University

• ContentsPreface   ixIntroduction Why the Resurrection Matters  1Chapter 1   The Witness of the Gospel Tradition Apart from the Resurrection Narratives   19Chapter 2   The Witness of the Resurrection Narratives   36Chapter 3   The Witness of the Acts of the Apostles   64Chapter 4   The Witness of the Pauline Tradition   83Chapter 5   The Witness of Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation   112Conclusion   The Mystery of the Resurrection   134Annotated Bibliography for Further Reading   143Scripture Index   145

Frank J. Matera was for many years the Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America. A former president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, he is presently the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Simsbury, Connecticut. He has published commentaries on Romans, Second Corinthians, and Galatians and written books on New Testament theology, New Testament Christology, New Testament ethics, and Pauline theology. Matera's previous works published by Liturgical Press include Strategies for Preaching Paul, Preaching Romans: Proclaiming God's Saving Grace, The Sermon on the Mount: The Perfect Measure of the Christian Life, and Resurrection: The Origin and Goal of the Christian Life.

“In this volume, Father Matera presumes and builds on others’ work on the historical issues regarding the empty tomb narratives and the appearances of the risen Jesus, and focuses this work exclusively on the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection for those who believe in and try to follow him. The result is an unfolding of both the remarkable variety and the surprising coherence of the New Testament writers’ treatment of the resurrection—variety in the narrative details of the gospel accounts and in the language and imagery of the letters and the Apocalypse, and coherence within each individual gospel and among all the other writings. What emerges from his study of this diversity is a stunning coherence in the underlying vision regarding such elements as the relationship between Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom of God and the general resurrection, or God’s raising of Jesus as a victory over the power of evil, the vindication of an apparently defeated Jesus, and the promise of everlasting life in a new creation begun with Jesus’ resurrection, furthered by the Spirit’s empowerment of the church, and fulfilled in the ultimate resurrection of the faithful.”Dennis Hamm, SJ, Professor Emeritus at Creighton University

• ContentsPreface   ixIntroduction Why the Resurrection Matters  1Chapter 1   The Witness of the Gospel Tradition Apart from the Resurrection Narratives   19Chapter 2   The Witness of the Resurrection Narratives   36Chapter 3   The Witness of the Acts of the Apostles   64Chapter 4   The Witness of the Pauline Tradition   83Chapter 5   The Witness of Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation   112Conclusion   The Mystery of the Resurrection   134Annotated Bibliography for Further Reading   143Scripture Index   145

Frank J. Matera was for many years the Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America. A former president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, he is presently the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Simsbury, Connecticut. He has published commentaries on Romans, Second Corinthians, and Galatians and written books on New Testament theology, New Testament Christology, New Testament ethics, and Pauline theology. Matera's previous works published by Liturgical Press include Strategies for Preaching Paul, Preaching Romans: Proclaiming God's Saving Grace, The Sermon on the Mount: The Perfect Measure of the Christian Life, and Resurrection: The Origin and Goal of the Christian Life.

“In this volume, Father Matera presumes and builds on others’ work on the historical issues regarding the empty tomb narratives and the appearances of the risen Jesus, and focuses this work exclusively on the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection for those who believe in and try to follow him. The result is an unfolding of both the remarkable variety and the surprising coherence of the New Testament writers’ treatment of the resurrection—variety in the narrative details of the gospel accounts and in the language and imagery of the letters and the Apocalypse, and coherence within each individual gospel and among all the other writings. What emerges from his study of this diversity is a stunning coherence in the underlying vision regarding such elements as the relationship between Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom of God and the general resurrection, or God’s raising of Jesus as a victory over the power of evil, the vindication of an apparently defeated Jesus, and the promise of everlasting life in a new creation begun with Jesus’ resurrection, furthered by the Spirit’s empowerment of the church, and fulfilled in the ultimate resurrection of the faithful.”Dennis Hamm, SJ, Professor Emeritus at Creighton University

• ContentsPreface   ixIntroduction Why the Resurrection Matters  1Chapter 1   The Witness of the Gospel Tradition Apart from the Resurrection Narratives   19Chapter 2   The Witness of the Resurrection Narratives   36Chapter 3   The Witness of the Acts of the Apostles   64Chapter 4   The Witness of the Pauline Tradition   83Chapter 5   The Witness of Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation   112Conclusion   The Mystery of the Resurrection   134Annotated Bibliography for Further Reading   143Scripture Index   145