Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright
Week 5: Part I, Chapter 4 — The Strange Story of Easter
Read Part I, Chapter 4 of Surprised by Hope. Key passages: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20–21; Acts 1.
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The Easter stories in the Gospels are stranger and more specific than we often notice — Wright explores what they actually claim and why their very oddness is evidence of their authenticity.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Wright notes that the four Gospel accounts of the resurrection differ significantly in their details, yet all agree on the empty tomb and the appearances. How does Wright use these differences as an argument for authenticity rather than against it?
2.Wright points to the prominent role of women as the first witnesses of the resurrection as significant evidence for the accounts' reliability. Why would this detail be embarrassing in a first-century Jewish and Roman context, and why is it therefore unlikely to have been invented?
3.The disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) did not recognize the risen Jesus until the breaking of bread. What do you make of these moments of non-recognition in the resurrection accounts? What do they suggest about the nature of resurrection life?
a.How does the Emmaus story connect to the Church's practices of Scripture reading and the Eucharist?
b.In what ways might we today similarly fail to recognize the risen Jesus in our midst?
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