Article 5

“ He Descended to the
Dead. On the Third Day He
Rose Again.
 PARAGRAPH 1 : CHRIST DESCENDED TO THE
DEAD
 The frequent New Testament affirmation that Jesus was
“raised from the dead” presuppose that the crucified one
sojourned on the realm of the dead prior to His
resurrection.
 Christ descended to the dead as a “Savior”, proclaiming
the Good News to the spirit imprisoned there.
 Jesus did not descended into hell to deliver the damned,
nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just
who had gone before Him.
 The gospel was preached even to the dead. The descent
to the dead brings the Gospel message of salvation to
complete fulfillment. (Messianic Mission)
 PARAGRAPH 2 : ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE
FROM THE DEAD

 The resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of

our faith in Christ , a faith believed and lived as
the central truth of the first Christian Community ;
handed on as a fundamental by Tradition ;
established by the documents of the New
Testament ; and preached as an essential part of
the Paschal Mystery along with the cross :
 I. The Historical and Transcendent Event
 The mystery of Christ’s Resurrection is a real
event, with manifestations that were historically
verified, as the New Testament bears witness.

The Empty Tomb

 The empty tomb and the linen cloths lying there
signify in themselves that by God’s power Christ’s
body had escaped the bonds of death and
corruption. They prepared the disciples to
encounter the Risen Lord.
The Appearances of the Risen One
 The faith of the first community of believers is
based on the witness of concrete men known to
the Christians and for the most part still living
among them.
 As witnesses of the Risen One they also serves
as the foundation stones of his church.
 Christ’s Resurrection cannot be interpreted as
something outside the physical order, and it is
impossible not to acknowledge it as a historical
fact.
 The condition of Christ’s risen humanity
 By means of touch and sharing of a meal, the
risen Jesus establishes direct contact with his
disciples. This serve to verify that he is not a
ghost and that the risen body is the same as that
had been tortured and crucified, for it still bears
the traces of his passion.
 At the same time the authentic, real body of Jesus
possesses the new properties of a glorious body
not limited by space and time but able to be
present how and when he wills ; for Christ’s
humanity can no longer be confined to the earth,
and belongs henceforth only to the Father’s divine
realm.
Cont.
 Christ’s resurrection was not a return to earthly
life. It is essentially different.
 In his risen body he passes from the state of
death to another life beyond time and space.
 At Jesus’ Resurrection his body is filled with the
power of the Holy Spirit : he shares the divine life
in his glorious state, as the “the man of heaven.”
The Resurrection as transcendent event
 The Resurrection was a historical event that could
be verified by the sign of the empty tomb and by
the reality of the apostle's encounter with the risen
Christ, still it remains at the very heart of the
mystery of faith as something that transcends and
surpasses history.
II. The Resurrection - A work of the Holy Trinity
 Christ Resurrection is an object of faith in that it is
a transcendent intervention of God himself in
creation and history. In it the Threee Divine
persons act together as one and manifest their
own proper characteristics.
 III. The Meaning and Saving Significance of the
Resurrection
 It verifies that our preaching and faith is not in
vain.
 The Resurrection prove the confirmation of all
Christ's works and teachings.
 It is the definitive proof of Christ Divine Authority.
 The fulfillment of the promises both of the Old
testament and of Jesus himself durong his earthly
life.
 The truth of Jesus divinity and closely linked to the
Incarnation of God's Son and its fulfillment in
accordance with God's eternal plan.
Cont.
 It is a justification that reinstates us in God's grace
that consists of both victory over the death cause
by sin and a new participation in grace that brings
about filial adoption that makes us God's children
by the gift of grace and gain us a real share in the
life of the only son of God.
 It is the principle and source of our future
resurrection that even now justifies of our souls
and by one day by the new life Christ will impart to
our bodies.
 Your
Logo
Here

Questions?

01/01/2018 www.website.com 12