ng Christians, inquire how the New Testament
writers represent it, what premises they assume, what statements
they make, and what inferences they draw. Thus, without
perversion, without mixture of our own notions, we should
construct the Scripture doctrine of the resurrection of the
Savior. Again as critical scholars and philosophical thinkers, we
may study that doctrine in all its parts, scrutinize it in all its
bearings, trace, as far as possible, the steps and processes of
its formation, discriminate as well as we can, by all fair tests,
whether it be entirely correct, or wholly erroneous, or partly
true and partly false. Both of these methods of investigation are
necessary to a full understanding of the subject. Both are
obligatory upon the earnest inquirer. Whoso would bravely face his
beliefs and intelligently comprehend them, with their grounds and
their issues, with a devout desire for the pure truth, whatsoever
it may be, putting his trust in the God who made him, will never
shrink from either of these courses of examination. Whoso does
shrink from these inquiries is either a moral coward, afraid of
the results of an honest search after that truth of things which
expresses the will of the Creator, or a spiritual sluggard,
frightened by a call to mental effort and torpidly clinging to
ease of mind. And whoso, accepting the personal challenge of
criticism, carries on the investigation with prejudice and
passion, holding errors because he thinks them safe and useful,
and rejecting realities because he fancies them dangerous and
evil, is an intellectual traitor, disloyal to the sacred laws by
which God hedges the holy fields and rules the responsible
subjects of the realm of truth. We shall combine the two modes of
inquiry, first singly asking what the Scriptures declare, then
critically seeking what the facts will warrant, it being
unimportant to us whether these lines exactly coincide or diverge
somewhat, the truth itself being all. We now pass to an
examination of Christ's resurrection from five points of view:
first, as a fact; second, as a fulfilment of prophecy; third, as a
pledge; fourth, as a symbol; and fifth, as a theory.

The writers of the New Testament speak of the resurrection of
Christ, in the first place, as a fact. "Jesus whom ye slew and
hanged on a tree, him hath God raised up." It could not have been
viewed by them in the light of a theory or a legend, nor, indeed,
as any thing else than a ma