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Was the Resurrection of Jesus Literal or Figurative?
The Bible couldn’t be clearer
The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. That’s something I learned as a kid growing up in church.
Of course, even as a kid, I knew that many didn’t believe in the resurrection. It’s a miracle claim, after all, and not everyone believes in miracles. Not everyone believes in the supernatural.
But when I became an adult and began to see the wider landscape of Christianity, I was surprised to learn that many people who identified as “Christian” did not believe in a literal, bodily resurrection. To them, Jesus’ resurrection was more symbolic or metaphorical — not literal.
According to this view, Jesus didn’t physically rise from the dead but was “raised” in the hearts and memories of His followers. Others say it was a symbolic or spiritual awakening — not a bodily one.
This figurative or metaphorical view of the resurrection really gained visibility and traction within academic and mainline…
