Sir, - Your correspondent, (Father) Dominic Johnson, OSB (April 13th) in his comments on Patrick Comerford's analysis of recent books on Jesus and the Resurrection (April 6th, which unfortunately I did not see), makes the arguments for the Resurrection clearer by listing four simple points and reaching a very definitive "Conclusion: Christ has risen and is alive."
Unfortunately not sharing the learned Father's faith in the accuracy of the "inspired Gospels" or in the "traditionally held (view) that St Helena found the Cross in 323 AD, in Jerusalem", I find the four simple points not proven under normally accepted historical analysis. It is accepted by most historians and theologians that the Gospels were written decades after the events they describe, by people who had to rely on what today would be called folk history or even myth.
In addition, the Gospels differ with each other in many places and it has also been shown that they have been greatly interfered with throughout the centuries by transcribers putting their own individualistic "spin" on their interpretation of events, or that of the ruling bishop or Pope at the time. This latter point is vividly highlighted by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which the Dominican Order of the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem did its best to suppress for nearly 35 years, and which portray a very different view of events at the time of the "Resurrection".
I would dearly love to believe the stories of the Resurrection and would be grateful to Father Johnson if he has any factual evidence that he could share with us? - Yours, etc.,
Stoney Road,
Dublin 14.