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THE GLORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB [Dust jacket illustration] www.muhammadanism.org February 16, 2004 THE GLORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB By SAMUEL MARINUS ZWEMER Author of "The Glory of the Manger" and "The Glory of the Cross" NEW YORK FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY LONDON AND EDINBURGH Copyright, MCMXLVII, by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY Printed in the United States of America New York: 158 Fifth Avenue London: 16 Anerley Hill To MARGARET CLARKE ZWEMER "Etenim ipsa quoque astitit multis et mihi ipsi" — ROMANS 16:2 The Nicene Creed I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible: AND IN ONE LORD JESUS CHRIST, the only- begotten Son of God; Begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made: Who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man: And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried: And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures: And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father: And he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end. AND I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST, The Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the Prophets: And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church: I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins: And I look for the Resurrection of the dead: And the Life of the world to come. Amen. CONTENTS FOREWORD 15 The ancient creeds summarize the threefold glory of Christ. Christianity supernatural. The three great festivals of the Church. The glory of the Manger, of the Cross, and of the Empty Tomb. Ruskin's parable. I. THE HOPE OF IMMORTALITY 20 Job's question. The answer of primitive races. Of the Old Testament. Burial customs. This life does not end all. Wordsworth's poem. Boreham on Job's restoration. Enoch, Elijah, and Moses. John Donne's prayer. II. DENIAL OF RESURRECTION 30 The Sadducees. Papini's testimony. Professor Joad's confession. Will Durant. Stefan Zweig. Sadducees of our day. John Baillie's book. The Burial Service. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. III. THE EVIDENCE 38 The Resurrection the most important event in human history. Historic truth not relative but real. Fiction about the life of Jesus marred by omissions. Examples. The evidence of the Gospels corroborative and overwhelming. In the Epistles and Revelation. Many infallible proofs. Twelve lines of evidence cited. Theories to explain the empty tomb unsatisfactory. The view of Klausner. Circumstantial proofs of the Resurrection. IV. THE WITNESSES 50 The angel and the empty tomb. Discrepancies alleged. Tom Paine. Foakes- Jackson. Burkitt. L. P. Jacks' Confessions of an Octogenarian. His witness remarkable. The parallel records of the Resurrection story in the four Gospels and by Paul. Explanation of seeming discrepancies. The order of the appearances. Christ's resurrection body. Sown in weakness, raised in glory. V. A VISION OF ANGELS 63 Luke's account. Is it reliable? Are angels outmoded? The Encyclopedia Britannica on angels. The Scriptural record of their character and office. Erich Schick's monograph. Angels in the Old Testament. Liberal theology rejects angels. Edward Langton's study. Christ's own testimony. The Poets. The angels of the Resurrection. VI. JOHN'S THREEFOLD WITNESS 73 Author of the Fourth Gospel and of the three Epistles. In Revelation he portrays the Risen Christ. The weight of his testimony as eyewitness. A. T. Olmstead on historicity of John. Date of his gospel. Harnack. John's passion for truth. Are the Epistles pseudographs? The raising of Lazarus. Robert Browning's poem, A Death in the Desert. 10 CONTENTS VII. THE ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN 83 ' Christs humiliation and exaltation in the New Testament. He foretold His Ascension. Great paintings of the Ascension. Pearson on the creedal statement. The miracle and glory of the Ascension. Old Testament references. The session at God's right hand. Wordsworth and Charles Wesley on the Ascension. The vision of Patrick Hamilton, Scottish martyr. And John Donne. VIII. THE GENERAL RESURRECTION 91 ' Martha's faith in it. The Jews mode of burial. Their doctrine of resurrection in Apocrypha and Prayer Book. The Church creeds. Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine. The Burial Service. The hymnody of centuries. Fortunatus. Dies lrae. Jerusalem the Golden. S. Baring-Gould. Katharina Von Schlegel. How are the dead raised? Resurrection more than immortality. Huxley's letter to Charles Kingsley. Comfort of faith in a bodily resurrection. IX. THE FIRST DAY OF EVERY WEEK 102 The first Easter Day. The Jewish sabbath. The Lord's Day in the New Testament. In our hymns. The observance of Easter. Its date. Pagan customs introduced. The celebration in Eastern Churches. Symbolism. Easter music. The Coptic Church. At Jerusalem. Across the world today. The real significance of Easter Day. Its message. X. THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION 113 As basis of faith and source of power. Paul's conclusion at the close of his argument. The Road to Damascus. Source of Paul's gospel and passion. His dynamic for service. The work of Christ. To share His suffering. The power at Pentecost and for each believer. Christ abolished death. XI. THE GOSPEL OF HIS RESURRECTION 120 Paul's address at Athens. He preached Christ and the resurrection. What is evangelism? The London Times on the Easter message. The startling news that Christ arose. The message of the early Church. Polycarp, Clement. Witness of the Catacombs. Tertullian. Chrysostom's sermon. The Reformers had the same message. Adolph Deissmann's study of Paul. XII. THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS 129 Christ on recompense at the resurrection. The story told of St. Thomas in India. Parables of the Pounds and Talents. Star differs from star in glory. Myers' poem. Shakespeare on the stars. The glorious company of the Apostles. John Donne on emancipation of the soul. Joy of heaven, highest joy. Three kinds of joy. Life after death and service. No idleness in heaven. XIII. THE GLORY THAT EXCELLETH 139 The significance of the word glory in the Bible. Jesus' consciousness of glory. Isaiah's vision. The Shekinah. Story of Rabbi Joshua. The glory of Moses' face. The face of Jesus Christ. Horace Bushnell's sermon. Theophanies. The glory that excelleth in Christ's resurrection. CONTENTS 11 XIV. THE HOLY CITY, THE NEW JERUSALEM 147 The Father's house of many mansions. Felix Adler's hymn. Heaven a place. The third heaven where God dwells. The abode of angels. The home of the redeemed. The rendezvous of childhood. The great multitude John saw. No sects in heaven. Thomas à Kempis on heaven. The Seven Beatitudes for those who overcome. The new song of joy. The fourfold crown. Jerusalem the Golden. Standfast crosses the river and enters glory. XV. THE RETURN OF OUR SAVIOUR 158 His promise. The Christian hope. Hymns of the ages. Peter's witness to that day of doom. The Christian Century. The trumpeters of King Shaddai. Dr. Deissmann's words. The light of eternity on present crisis. The second advent as missionary incentive. Threefold view of the times and the seasons. Watch and pray. An Ancient Prayer. INDEX 167 THE GLORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB FOREWORD THE words of the Apostle' Creed and of the Nicene Creed, that dual heritage of all Christendom, summarize the threefold glory of our blessed Redeemer: "Jesus Christ our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary" (the glory of the Manger); who "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried" (the glory of the Cross); "the third day he rose again from the dead" (the glory of the Resurrection). This threefold statement of the Creed expresses the three-fold mystery of the Christian faith—the Virgin Birth, the vicarious Atonement, the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ, mysteries which have not only awakened awe and adoration on the part of all believers but also opposition and denial on the part of unbelievers. If we approach the Gospel records in the spirit of Renan, who, in his preface to his Vie de Jesus, tells us that "miracles are things that never happen," we will try to find a natural explanation for the birth of Jesus and for the empty tomb. If He was merely a remarkable Jewish teacher of the first century, His death becomes only a tragic martyrdom. But this is not the teaching of the New Testament. In the Manger of Bethlehem the Son of God came to be of us; on the Cross He gave Himself for us; through the Resurrection He gave Himself to us. This is the threefold glory of the Incarnation. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." 1 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree." "And that he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures." 2 The essence of Christianity includes the supernatural birth of Jesus, His death on the Cross, with its supernatural accom- 1 John 1:4. 2 I Peter 2:24; I Cor. 15:4. 15 16 THE GLORY OF THE EMPTY TOMB paniments and significance, and His glorious Resurrection from the dead. The glory of the Manger is the glory of the Cross, and both are consummated in the glory of the Empty Tomb.
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