Resurrection of Jesus facts for kids

The Resurrection by Johann Heinrich Tischbein, 1778.

In the New Testament, the Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified (nailed to a cross), died, and was buried in a tomb. Christians believe that three days later, he came back to life. This event is known as the resurrection of Jesus.

For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus is a very important belief. It means that God brought Jesus back to life after he died on the cross. This event is seen as the start of Jesus's new, powerful life as Christ and Lord. The death and resurrection of Jesus are central to the Christian faith and are celebrated every year during Easter. Christians believe that because Jesus was resurrected, all Christians who have died will also be brought back to life when Jesus returns.

Some scholars and liberal Christians think that the stories of Jesus appearing after his death were special visions that helped his followers believe he was still powerful and encouraged them to continue sharing his message.

What People Believed Before Jesus

A 17th-century icon showing the resurrection, from Solovetsky Monastery.

Jewish Beliefs About Life After Death

The idea of people coming back to life wasn't always clear in ancient Jewish writings. It first appeared more clearly in the Book of Daniel around 200 BC. However, this book mostly talked about the soul coming back to life, not the body.

A Jewish historian named Josephus wrote about three main Jewish groups around the time of Jesus:

• The Sadducees believed that both the soul and body died forever.
• The Essenes thought the soul lived on, but the body did not.
• The Pharisees believed the soul was immortal and that the body would also be resurrected to join the soul.

Jesus and his early followers seemed to have beliefs similar to the Pharisees. They believed in a special, new body after resurrection, which was different from the old one.

However, other ancient Jewish texts and tomb writings show that beliefs were more varied. For example, when the Book of Daniel mentioned "many of those sleeping in the dust shall awaken," it might have meant they would become like stars in heaven, not that their bodies would return. Angels were believed to be spirits without bodies. Some texts talked about the soul going to the underworld, while others used the idea of resurrection as a metaphor. The idea of the physical body coming back to life was not a common belief for everyone.

Images for kids

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  Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Raphael, 1502

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  Resurrection of Christ, Noël Coypel, 1700, showing Jesus floating

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  Germain Pilon, Resurrection of Jesus Christ, before 1572

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  The three Marys at the Tomb of Christ (1470) at Konstanz Minster, Germany

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  Right wing of a triptych at the Church of the Teutonic Order, Vienna. It shows Christ's crucifixion and burial (left), and resurrection (right).

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  The Chi Rho symbol with a wreath, showing the victory of the Resurrection, above Roman soldiers, around 350 AD.

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  Secondo Pia's 1898 negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin, which looks like a positive image.

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  A round building in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, called the Anastasis ("Resurrection"). It holds the remains of a rock-cut room believed to be Jesus's burial site.

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  Resurrection of Christ, by Hans Memling, 15th century

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  Resurrection, by Luca Giordano, after 1665

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  Resurrection, by Hans Multscher, 1437

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  Resurrection, by Dieric Bouts, around 1450–1460

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  Der Auferstanden, by Lucas Cranach, 1558

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  Piero della Francesca, 15th century

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  The Resurrection of Christ, by Alonso López de Herrera, around 1625

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  The Resurrection by James Tissot, around 1890, at the Brooklyn Museum

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  Resurrection of Jesus, by Anton von Werner, Berlin Cathedral

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  Stained glass showing two Marys, Lutheran Church, South Carolina

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  Women at the empty tomb, by Fra Angelico, 1437–1446

See also

In Spanish: Resurrección de Jesús para niños