Resurrection (anglicized from Latin resurrectio) is the concept of a living being coming back to life after death. It is largely a religious concept, where it is used in two distinct respects —a belief in the resurrection of individual souls that is current and ongoing (Christian idealism, realized eschatology), or else a belief in a singular "Resurrection of the Dead" event at the end of the world. Most eschatologies believe in a universal resurrection, wherein all people from all history are resurrected. The Resurrection of the Dead is a standard eschatological belief in the Abrahamic religions. In a number of ancient religions, a life-death-rebirth deity is a deity which dies and resurrects. The death and resurrection of Jesus is a central focus of Christianity.
The soul is believed by some to be the divine and immortal part of the human being, and some believe it is the actual vehicle by which people are resurrected. However, theological debate ensues with regard to what kind of resurrection is factual —either a spiritual resurrection with a spirit body (i.e. Heaven), or a material resurrection with a restored human body. While most Christians believe Jesus' resurrection was in a material body, a very small minority believe it was spiritual.
There are documented rare cases of the return to life of the clinically dead which are classified scientifically as examples of the Lazarus syndrome, a term originating from the Biblical story of the Resurrection of Lazarus.
Read more about Resurrection: Ancient Religions in The Near East, Ancient Greek Religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zen Buddhism, Disappearances (as Distinct From Resurrection), Zombies
Famous quotes containing the word resurrection:
“Since body and soul are radically different from one another and belong to different worlds, the destruction of the body cannot mean the destruction of the soul, any more than a musical composition can be destroyed when the instrument is destroyed.”
—Oscar Cullman. Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead? The Witness of the New Testament, ch. 1, Epworth Press (1958)
“So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.”
—Bible: New Testament, 1 Corinthians 15:42-45.
“Yet resurrection is a sense of direction,
resurrection is a bee-line,
straight to the horde and plunder,
the treasure, the store-room,
the honeycomb....”
—Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961)