stood what Jesus meant they would have put a different construction on everything. If they had known the facts they never would have troubled themselves about the man Jesus, but would have let that body remain in the tomb and when Christ showed Himself to His disciples and others they could have seen the flesh and blood in the tomb. Then He, that is Christ, had established the saying, although you destroy this flesh and blood you do not destroy the knowledge of it, and this same knowledge can make to itself another body and show it to the people, to convince them of eternal existence, not after death, but after a progress of our knowledge.
Now, I want to be as liberal as I can to the friends of
Jesus, but I must say that in their zeal to establish what
Jesus told they made a great mistake. For I do believe
they did steal or take away the body of Jesus to establish
their belief that it rose again. This upset what Jesus
intended to prove, that is, that although they should destroy this
flesh and blood, Christ would show Himself to prove that man
can live and have all his faculties and knowledge after the
world calls him dead. But as it stands it shows nothing, for
no one expects the body to rise. Like all religious fanatics,
in their zeal to carry out an idea they left the whole affair
in a worse state than before. This gave rise to all sorts of
controversies, and as Christ had made Himself manifest to
the people they of course believed that Jesus' body rose,.
Others saw the absurdity of the idea that flesh and blood
rose, so it was not long before the believers were fighting,
just as in our days.
Paul said to them, “I understand there is a dissension
among you as touching the resurrection of the dead. Now,
“if Christ be preached (not Jesus but this truth or Science)
that he rose from the dead (or from Jesus) how say some
among you, there is no resurrection (or Science)
and all is of no force?” You see the people confounded
the two ideas, that is, the people called Jesus Christ one and
when Jesus Christ rose He was one because they had no idea
of two identities. Those that differ from them had to contend
against the deception of these fanatics who stole the body
of Jesus, for those who believed the body rose were more
enthusiastic in their belief than those who believed in the
science. You see how all those persons that can work
themselves up to believe that the time is coming when our bodies
