Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity: Doctrine, Community, and Self-Definition

How did the belief in resurrection become part of the symbolic construction of early Jewish and Christian communities? Why was it a marker for who did or did not belong in certain groups? Using insights from the social sciences and rhetorical studies, the author discusses the development of belief in resurrection in early Jewish circles and the growth of a resurrection apologetic in early Christianity. Examining materials on the Pharisees, Jewish liturgy, and the earliest rabbinic statements, as well as the theology of resurrection in Paul, Justin, Athenagoras, Irenaeus, and Tertullian, this study demonstrates the stability of certain tenets that coalesce around the concept of resurrection, and its utility as a shorthand for a community’s theology and self-understanding.