Understanding Our Faith

The Resurrection of the Dead

The final phrase of the creeds is about the future.  The Apostles’ Creed has: “the resurrection of the body and life everlasting”, whereas the Nicene Creed has: “and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come”.

Notice that both the creeds speak of the resurrection of the body or of the dead.  They do not speak of the salvation of the soul.  The phrases used by the creeds fit in better with the biblical way of thinking.  Even though the soul is spoken about in the Scriptures, it has a meaning more like the core of human beings or ‘the heart’.  In the Greek world, the soul was seen as a part of the human being separate from the body, so they would speak about the soul leaving the body and leaving the body behind. 

In the thinking behind the creeds, the body is given more dignity; it is destined for glory.  It is the whole person who will be with God in the future.  It is almost as if in the present the person is in the body whereas in the future, the body will be in the person! 

Notice that the terminology we tend to use these days – in more continuity with the scriptural view – involves the terms body and person.  We do not know the future that God had planned for us and so we express ourselves as best we can in regard to that future.

The resurrection ‘of the body’ or ‘of the dead’ expresses the continuity between who we now and who we will be in the future.  Notice that the risen Jesus still has the marks of his wounds on his body in the resurrection appearances.  He carries with him into the world of the resurrection what happened to him in his life on earth.  His relationship to his disciples continues after his resurrection even though in a different form.  As his relationship continues with us, his disciples in this our present time.

Notice also the phrase: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead…”.  There have been times when the future was presented as something to fear.  In the creed, it is something to look forward to.

The creeds also say earlier on that Jesus will be the judge of the living and the dead.  He is indeed the criteria by which goodness is discovered.  It is in his light that we will see the goodness and the sinfulness that is in us.  But we will see that in his light.  We will see that while being suffused by the love of God being poured out upon us.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin

Published: 10 May 2024