Was Christ's glorious body physical or spiritual?

[Robert_Sock]

Ask me in the eschaton, when we’ll all have glorified bodies.

Seriously though: there’s no way to explain ‘how’, since those kinds of explanations require observation, testing, hypothesis, and verification. Since Jesus is the only possessor of a glorified body that walked the earth, there’s no way to answer that question.

Most people on this forum would probable agree with you, but I would argue that we are being biased because we are physical; there is still no reason it could have been spiritual body.

And Maimonides has particular factual insight on this question because…?

I happen to have gotten a lot out of Maimonides, and so I quote him because consider what he said to be relevant. Maimonides is simply held in the highest esteem for his contributions to Judaism.

 

[GEddie]

Most people on this forum would probable agree with you, but I would argue that we are being biased because we are physical; there is still no reason it could have been spiritual body.

I happen to have gotten a lot out of Maimonides, and so I quote him because consider what he said to be relevant. Maimonides is simply held in the highest esteem for his contributions to Judaism.

He would have disagreed with your statement on wisdom, however.

And more important, our LORD disagreed with him on the value of a solid body, as He redeemed his from death.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Bookcat]

catholic.com/sites/default/files/audio/radioshows/ca150406a.mp3

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Here is a good article by Msgr. Charles Pope on the bodily resurrection, that of Jesus and our own.

blog.adw.org/2015/04/what-will-our-resurrected-bodies-be-like-3/

Linus2nd

 

[Richca]

We know that Christ’s glorious body had flesh and bone, and that He did eat, and so we may think His body as being physical; but we also know that He walked right though a locked door which implies a purely spiritual body.

The glorified body of Christ is a material, physical body of flesh and bones. This is what the resurrection of the body means. A human being is a composite of soul and body, form and matter, and not just soul or form alone. The glorified body of Christ and which we hope to have someday too has special properties pertaining to glorified bodies which other posters here have mentioned. A glorified body is called a spiritual body not because it is simply a spirit but because it is totally under the influence and power of the soul.

Jesus came to restore what we lost through the sin of Adam and Eve, our first parents which resulted in death of the body. We have bodies just like Adam and Eve had and if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have never died. We also believe that at the end of the world, God is not going to completely destroy the material, physical universe but purify, transform, and renew it for creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay.

 

[Robert_Sock]

The glorified body of Christ is a material, physical body of flesh and bones. This is what the resurrection of the body means. A human being is a composite of soul and body, form and matter, and not just soul or form alone. The glorified body of Christ and which we hope to have someday too has special properties pertaining to glorified bodies which other posters here have mentioned. A glorified body is called a spiritual body not because it is simply a spirit but because it is totally under the influence and power of the soul.

Jesus came to restore what we lost through the sin of Adam and Eve, our first parents which resulted in death of the body. We have bodies just like Adam and Eve had and if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have never died. We also believe that at the end of the world, God is not going to completely destroy the material, physical universe but purify, transform, and renew it for creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay.

What you say may certainly be true but can you please explain how the physical body of Christ was able to walk right through a locked door?

 

[GEddie]

What you say may certainly be true but can you please explain how the physical body of Christ was able to walk right through a locked door?

If a solid body is able to move through time, as well as directionally, there is no difficulty whatsoever.

Really, HIS ability to walk His natural body on water, or for that matter, to awaken from death is far more problematic.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Robert_Sock]

If a solid body is able to move through time, as well as directionally, there is no difficulty whatsoever.

Really, HIS ability to walk His natural body on water, or for that matter, to awaken from death is far more problematic.

ICXC NIKA.

These acts of Christ may not be literal. For example, there are mystical meanings to water that one needs to explore before interpreting those passages of Scripture.

 

[Gorgias]

Most people on this forum would probable agree with you, but I would argue that we are being biased because we are physical

No – we’re being ‘biased’ because that’s what Scripture tells us and the Church teaches us. It’s a good basis for a ‘bias’ toward a glorified physical body.

; there is still no reason it could have been spiritual body.

By spiritual, I presume you’re intending ‘immaterial’. That flies in the face of Jesus’ own intent to have the apostles touch His wounds and see Him eating food – His glorified body is physical, but perfected.

I happen to have gotten a lot out of Maimonides, and so I quote him because consider what he said to be relevant. Maimonides is simply held in the highest esteem for his contributions to Judaism.

That’s the problem, though, Robert. Does Judaism believe doctrinally in the resurrection of the body? If not, then Maimonides’ opinions – regardless of the esteem in which he’s held – don’t really adequately apply in a discussion of the Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the body.

 

[Robert_Sock]

That’s the problem, though, Robert. Does Judaism believe doctrinally in the resurrection of the body? If not, then Maimonides’ opinions – regardless of the esteem in which he’s held – don’t really adequately apply in a discussion of the Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the body.

Yes, they too believe in a bodily resurrection, but as Maimonides believes, it will be a spiritual body, apparently non-physical.

 

[GEddie]

These acts of Christ may not be literal. For example, there are mystical meanings to water that one needs to explore before interpreting those passages of Scripture.

Not really.

It was the real physical water of the real Sea of Galilee that made that incident noteworthy.

And if His solid body did not awaken from death, there is no point to the exercise of faith at all.

And if you are going to mysticize away the walking on water, why not the locked door as well?

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Not really.

It was the real physical water of the real Sea of Galilee that made that incident noteworthy.

And if His solid body did not awaken from death, there is no point to the exercise of faith at all.

And if you are going to mysticize away the walking on water, why not the locked door as well?

ICXC NIKA.

Death, again, may have a greater mystical meaning that Christ Himself recognizes what He said, “Let the dead bury the dead.”

 

[CHRISTINE77]

If a solid body is able to move through time, as well as directionally, there is no difficulty whatsoever.

Really, HIS ability to walk His natural body on water, or for that matter, to awaken from death is far more problematic.

ICXC NIKA.

very true!

 

[CHRISTINE77]

These acts of Christ may not be literal. For example, there are mystical meanings to water that one needs to explore before interpreting those passages of Scripture.

What?? You don’t believe in the resurrection of Christ??

 

[Robert_Sock]

What?? You don’t believe in the resurrection of Christ??

Yes, of course, but are you to deny that much of the Bible is based on symbolism? Why, for example, does the number ‘40’ pop up so frequently?

 

[GEddie]

Yes, of course, but are you to deny that much of the Bible is based on symbolism? Why, for example, does the number ‘40’ pop up so frequently?

Numbers are symbols, in themselves, to to treat them as symbolic is very different from mysticizing away the central event of our Faith.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Robert_Sock]

Numbers are symbols, in themselves, to to treat them as symbolic is very different from mysticizing away the central event of our Faith.

ICXC NIKA

I’m just pointing out the paradox of blindly assuming that the body must be physical.

 

[GEddie]

I’m just pointing out the paradox of blindly assuming that the body must be physical.

It is not a paradox at all. The tomb was empty. Our LORD had flesh and bone. His hands and feet were scarred. It was His good old human body!

Paradox only arises if you are determined to wish the body away. But if you do that, there is literally nobody at the core and head of our faith.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Robert_Sock]

It is not a paradox at all. The tomb was empty. Our LORD had flesh and bone. His hands and feet were scarred. It was His good old human body!

Paradox only arises if you are determined to wish the body away. But if you do that, there is literally nobody at the core and head of our faith.

ICXC NIKA

The paradox comes from our wanting to prove that Christ’s glorified physical while knowing that Christ walked through a locked door.

 

[GEddie]

The paradox comes from our wanting to prove that Christ’s glorified physical while knowing that Christ walked through a locked door.

If you mysticize away the water-walking and the rising from death, then why don’t you also mysticize the locked door away?