Ufufuo

The Resurrection of Jesus is the foundational doctrine of our Catholic faith, and it is a belief which distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. Kwa kweli, Jesus is the only person in all of history to claim to have returned from the grave by His own power. (We saypersonbecause we believe he was wholly-God na wholly-man.)

In rising again, Jesus proved His total dominion over death. Kama vile kifo chake ni uthibitisho wa ubinadamu Wake, Kufufuka kwake ni uthibitisho wa uungu wake. Hivyo, when the Apostle Thomas saw the Risen Christ he called Him, “My Lord and my God!” in the Injili ya Yohana 20:28.

As we explain elsewhere, Christ’s death is our redemption; His rising is our assurance that we too shall rise again (see Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, 8:11). Aidha, as Saint Paul write is his Barua ya Kwanza kwa Wakorintho 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.

Mashahidi wa kwanza wa Ukristo waliomwona Kristo Mfufuka walikuwa wanawake, hasa Mtakatifu Maria Magdalene. That the initial testimony to the faith’s foundational truth was entrusted to women is highly significant because in ancient Palestine the testimony of women carried little weight. Hivyo, it stands to reason that had the Resurrection been a fabrication the story would have been concocted so that Jesus appeared first to men, perhaps to Saint Peter or one of the Apostles—to someone whose testimony would have carried the most weight, not the least.

Each of the four Gospels testifies to the Resurrection, and it is mentioned throughout the New Testament letters as well.

Beyond Scripture, we have the witness of the historical documents known as the writings of the Early Church Fathers, who were Christians who had learned from the Apostles directly or from others who had known them.

Papa Mtakatifu Clement, kwa mfano, who knew both Saints Peter and Paul, wrote from Rome in about 96 A.D., “The Master is continually proving to us that there will be a future resurrection, of which he has made the Lord Jesus Christ the firstling, by raising him from the dead” (Angalia Barua ya Clement kwa Wakorintho 24).

Even outside of the community of Jesus’ followers we find historical testimony to the Resurrection. Writing around 93 A.D., kwa mfano, the Jewish historian Josephus described Jesus as “a doer of wonderful works” and “the Christ” (see Antiquities of the Jews 18:3:3). Going on to document Jesus’ trial and crucifixion under Pontius Pilate, he added, “He appeared to (those that loved him) alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.”

Hakimiliki 2010 – 2023 2samaki.co