Abstract
The resurrection of Jesus was considered by Paul and the early Christians as the central truth claim of Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15). This article shows how the resurrection of Jesus was argued by medieval Christians in their polemical literature and how medieval Jews approached the same subject matter.
Highlights
The resurrection of Jesus was a significant issue in Jewish-Christian polemical literature in the Middle Ages, though it does not appear to be the most prominent one in relation to other issues that appear in polemical texts.[1]
We will focus our attention on how the issue of the resurrection of Jesus appeared in medieval Jewish and Christian polemical literature, especially in the polemical works of two Spanish authors, Moses Nachmanides (1194-1270) and Alonso de Espina (d. 1464)
4 This follows the scholastic pattern as we find in Thomas Aquinas and other medieval authors to see what effect any activity of Christ had on himself and on the human being
Summary
A review of medieval Christian polemical texts against Jews shows that, while the resurrection of Jesus was not the most discussed issue, it was significant. The Jewish interpretation of the Talmud and midrashim prevents them from seeing the true meaning of these texts— that Jesus was the Messiah, that he was to rise from the dead, and that he would sit at the right hand of God the Father Another major issue is the reward for following Jesus, which is the resurrection of true believers. A review of this polemical text of de Espina gives us an example of what some medieval Christians were thinking in terms of the consequences of denying that Jesus was the Messiah and that he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning Such literature demonstrates that the Jewish rejection of Jesus’ messiahship and resurrection shows that Jews did not know how to read their own scriptures. De Espina cites the Apostle Paul’s would eventually be subjugated and embrace the true faith did not fit into the Christian perception of the final age, in which the Jews would convert to Christianity, the true faith
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