Resurrection Ghost Stories: Ghosts in the New Testament Part 3
Luke writes the resurrection stories of Jesus in a way that sets them up as ghost stories before knocking each down with Jesus not being that type of ghost.
Having explored the background culture of the gospels regarding beliefs in ghosts, seeing its application in helping us gain a deeper understanding of the account of Jesus walking on the water, we now turn to the account of Jesus’ resurrection. It will be shown that the writers clear the decks of any prior ambiguity to set up what will become a ghost story, but with a difference!
Like an ancient Conan Doyle, Luke’s storytelling Sherlockean approach works through each of the four categories of ghost stories we mentioned in the previous part:
- translated mortals [never died, just disappeared and then reappeared to the living],
- heroes [disembodied spirits whose bones and graves were revered],
- revenants [reanimated corpses] and,
- disembodied spirits.
Prince [1] examines the entire resurrection narrative in Luke 23-24 against her four classifications of ghostly accounts (see above). She concludes that Luke’s narrative of the resurrection deliberately sets up expectations in the reader that fall into each category and then breaks them, thus showing Jesus’ resurrection was: ‘a phenomenon that surpasses those expectations.’ [2]
Translation? Setting the Scene
We’re told in no uncertain terms that Jesus died on the cross in the previous chapter as well as twice being told that there were witnesses to the events of crucifixion and the burial:
46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. 47 When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” 48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. 49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things…
Luke 23:46-49, 52-55
52 This man [Joseph of Arimethea] went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid.
These seemingly small details are used by the writers with intent. The Roman executioners were not known for messing up a crucifixion. Otherwise, it would be them being executed next. There would be no confusion as to whether Jesus had died or not – he was dead at the hands of experts. As there was a burial, there was a body. By saying that Jesus had died, and there were witnesses, there could be no misunderstanding that this was some sort of translation (disappearance out of sight into the heavenly realms), like that of Enoch or Elijah.
Hero? The Empty Tomb
Luke’s resurrection ghost stories take account of the many contemporary ghost hero stories that existed in his time. People would venerate the hero by visiting their tomb and perhaps taking some of their remains away as relics for magical practices such as necromancy or to exert power over others. This can help shed light on the story of the man possessed by unclean spirits, who were Legion (we analyse this in another series of articles). Luke deals swiftly with this type of ghost.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Luke 24:1-12 (NRSV)
The Resurrection of Jesus begins in the early hours, where again, the lighting would be fit for any ghostly figures to be visible. It begins with a puzzle – a rolled-away stone and tomb devoid of its body. Luke draws the reader into this ghostly mystery with the appearance of two men in dazzling clothes. These were no ghosts (remember, ghosts don’t glow in this culture) as shown with the reverence the ladies showed them. The cryptic question of why they were seeking the living amongst the dead and the announcement that Jesus has been raised from the dead and wasn’t there is then uttered by these strange beings.
That the tomb was empty eliminates the idea that this was some sort of ghostly hero whose tomb may be visited and whose bones could be venerated.
Revenant? The Road To Emmaus
At this point in Luke’s resurrection ghost stories, the reader may expect an account of a revenant, a reanimated corpse, or a zombie (yes, that’s right, zombie stories did exist in the ancient Greco-Roman times!) As such, the writer chooses to address the idea of a “Zombie Jesus” existing 2000 years ago!
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognising him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
Luke 24:13-35
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Whilst there’s a physicality to Jesus in that he is able to take hold of the bread (as any revenant would be able to do, being embodied), Jesus doesn’t eat the bread himself, but makes a sudden disappearance (v31), recorded in no contemporary revenant story, and let’s face it, even zombie movies today don’t have zombies supernaturally disappearing. Luke eliminates the third option for what Jesus was in his ghost story.
Matthew John Paul Tan has written a great little book called Redeeming Flesh: The Way of the Cross with Zombie Jesus, that’s worth reading if you are into zombie films and literature.
A Disembodied Spirit? Appearance to the Disciples
The obvious type of ghost that Luke deals with in his resurrection ghost stories is the disembodied spirit. Perhaps Jesus’ spirit appeared to the disciples in the locked room. After all, physical beings cannot walk through “solid” walls and locked doors, so it makes sense, right? Wrong. Luke takes apart this type of ghost idea, too.
36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.
Luke 24:36-43 (NRSV)
Jesus asks his disciples to see that he has flesh and bones while telling them that a ghost does not. Thus, he eliminates any doubt that he’s a non-corporeal entity. This is the other instance of ‘ghost’, phantasma, in the NT.
Whilst the original Greek uses pneuma (24:37,39), translated as ‘spirit’ in the KJV, AMP, ESV, and NASB, Putnam [3] shows how ancient Greeks used the term phantasma to describe the spirits of the dead. Translations of this passage that use the word ‘ghost’ (such as the NRSV, ISB, and NIV) are in keeping with the original understanding of the term.
It is worth noting that sometimes apologeticists say that Jesus eating in front of them is another proof to them that he was not a ghost. However, Prince [4] shows that eating and drinking was not reserved for the living alone, giving an example of Odysseus’ dead mother meeting him at the entrance to the underworld and drinking the blood of sacrificed animals. As such, it’s best to not to continue using this line of argument.
As we saw in Part 2 of this series, had Jesus wanted to, he could have used this opportunity for him to dispel potentially erroneous beliefs about the dead coming back as ghosts, but he does not. Instead he compares his own resurrection body to one, as ghosts were in the cultural understanding and therefore he could use this for comparison. If ghosts didn’t exist, then we’d expect Jesus to use this second opportunity to discuss ghosts, but chooses not to!
Summary
No wonder the disciples were completely puzzled at the appearance of the resurrected Jesus, who broke all these cultural understandings of ghosts. In doing this, he and Luke were able to confirm his resurrection was something more than the disembodied appearance or return of a (still) dead friend.
Ghosts have been in the psyche of cultures for millennia, being understood as either human (spirits of the dead, reanimated corpses, heroes and translated mortals) or gods. The Gospel writers were fully aware of this range of understandings and deliberately framed Jesus within them. Taken within the contextual understanding of ghosts, we not only see the uniqueness of the person of Jesus in life and his resurrection but also the breaking of these understandings shows a cultural awareness of the accounts of ghosts as the spirits of the dead returning.
Next Time we shall explore the strange case of Peter’s escape from prison, Rhoda’s message to the disciples, and their odd reaction to him being at the door. The strange reactions of the disciples to the idea of Peter appearing at their door and not wanting to let him in might be influenced by their beliefs about ghosts.
Bibliography
Prince, D. T. (2007) ‘The ‘Ghost’ of Jesus: Luke 24 in Light of Ancient Narratives of Post-Mortem Apparitions’, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 287-301.
Putnam, C. (2014) Supernatural Worldview, Crane, Missouri: Defender Publishing.
Tan, M. J. P. (2016) Redeeming Flesh: The Way of the Cross with Zombie Jesus, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.
References
1) Prince, Appendix 2
2) ibid, 297
3) Putnam, 306-307
4) Prince, 290
