# G0386 - anastasis **Strong's:** [G0386](https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g386/) · BLB lookup **Pronunciation:** an-as'-tas-is **Part of speech:** feminine noun **Root:** *ana-* (up / again) + *stasis* (a standing), literally "a standing up again" **NT occurrences:** 42 ## Semantic range (Thayer / BDAG / TDNT) 1. **A rising / standing up**, physical raising 2. **Resurrection from the dead**, the dominant NT theological sense 3. **A rising up from spiritual death to spiritual life** (some Pauline / Johannine uses) The KJV: "resurrection" (40x), "raised to life again" (1x), "rising again" (1x). ## Theological force, the resurrection *Anastasis* is the **central NT eschatological term**. Three theological dimensions: ### 1. Christ's bodily resurrection The historical event grounding all Christian eschatological hope: - [Acts 1:22](/codex/acts-1-22/), "a witness with us of *anastaseōs*" - [Acts 2:31](/codex/acts-2-31/), "he foresaw the *anastasin* of Christ" - [Acts 4:33](/codex/acts-4-33/), "the apostles bore witness of *anastaseōs* of the Lord Jesus" - [Acts 17:18](/codex/acts-17-18/), Paul "preaching Jesus and the *anastasin*" (the Athenian crisis-point) - [Romans 1:4](/codex/romans-1-4/), Christ "declared the Son of God with power… by the *anastaseōs* from the dead" - [Romans 6:5](/codex/romans-6-5/), "united with Him in the likeness of His *anastaseōs*" - [1 Corinthians 15](/codex/1-corinthians-15/), extended treatment of *anastasis*: Christ's rising and the believer's ### 2. The believer's future bodily resurrection The eschatological hope: - [John 5:29](/codex/john-5-29/), "*anastasin zōēs* and *anastasin kriseōs*", resurrection of life and resurrection of judgment - [John 11:24](/codex/john-11-24/), Martha: "I know that he will rise in the *anastasei* on the last day" - [1 Corinthians 15:42](/codex/1-corinthians-15-42/), "the *anastasis* of the dead… sown perishable, raised imperishable" - [Philippians 3:11](/codex/philippians-3-11/), "if somehow I might attain the *exanastasin* (out-resurrection)" - [2 Timothy 2:18](/codex/2-timothy-2-18/), Hymenaeus and Philetus: "the *anastasin* has already taken place" (heretical denial of future bodily resurrection) - [Revelation 20:5-6](/codex/revelation-20-5-6/), "this is the first *anastasis*" ### 3. The general resurrection Both righteous and wicked are raised: - [Acts 24:15](/codex/acts-24-15/), "*anastasin* both of the righteous and the wicked" - [Daniel 12:2](/codex/daniel-12-2/), OT background ("many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt") ## Christ's resurrection as firstfruits [1 Corinthians 15:20-23](/codex/1-corinthians-15-20-23/), Christ as *aparchē* (firstfruits) of the *anastasis*. The argument: > But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the *anastasis* of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming. The pattern: Christ's *anastasis* is *the model and guarantee* of the believer's. He is the prototype; we follow. ## *Anastasis* against ancient alternatives The bodily-physical *anastasis* is *categorically distinct* from: - **Greek philosophical immortality of the soul**, the soul is naturally immortal; the body is irrelevant. NT: the body is part of the redemption ([Romans 8:23](/codex/romans-8-23/)). - **Pagan dying-and-rising god myths**, vegetative-cyclical resurrection (Adonis, Tammuz, Osiris); never bodily-historical - **Reincarnation**, soul transmigrates into another body; not the same body - **Spiritual-only resurrection**, Hymenaeus / Philetus ([2 Tim 2:18](/codex/2-timothy-2-18/)); modern liberal Bultmannian "demythologization" NT *anastasis* is *bodily, physical, historical, glorified*, a transformed continuation of the same body ([1 Cor 15:42-49](/codex/1-corinthians-15-42-49/)). ## The resurrection body [1 Corinthians 15:42-49](/codex/1-corinthians-15-42-49/), characteristics of the resurrection body: - *Imperishable* (vs perishable) - *Glorious* (vs in dishonor) - *Powerful* (vs in weakness) - *Spiritual* (*pneumatikon*, "Spirit-empowered" / "Spirit-animated"; not non-physical; cf. [Luke 24.39](/codex/luke-24-39/), "flesh and bones") - *Heavenly* (in Christ's pattern, cf. [Phil 3:21](/codex/philippians-3-21/)) The resurrection body is *the same body* (continuity preserved, see Christ's wounds, [Jn 20:27](/codex/john-20-27/)) yet *transformed* (glorified, imperishable). ## Apologetic significance *Anastasis* is one of the most apologetically loaded NT terms: 1. **Anchors the [Argument from the Resurrection](/codex/argument-from-the-resurrection/)**, Christ's *anastasis* as historical event 2. **Differentiates Christianity from pagan religion**, bodily-historical vs spiritual-mythical 3. **Grounds Christian eschatology**, bodily future hope vs Greek-philosophical immortality 4. **Refutes Sadducees / modern naturalists**, physical resurrection is real 5. **Engages cults**, JW resurrection-as-recreation differs from biblical bodily-continuation ## Notable verses ### Christ's resurrection - **[Matthew 22:23-33](/codex/matthew-22-23-33/); [Mark 12:18-27](/codex/mark-12-18-27/); [Luke 20:27-40](/codex/luke-20-27-40/)**, Sadducees deny resurrection; Christ refutes - **[Acts 17:31-32](/codex/acts-17-31-32/)**, Athenian audience splits over *anastasin* - **[Romans 1:4](/codex/romans-1-4/)**, Christ declared Son of God by *anastaseōs* - **[1 Corinthians 15:12-58](/codex/1-corinthians-15-12-58/)**, extended Pauline treatment ### Future resurrection - **[John 5:28-29](/codex/john-5-28-29/)**, *anastasin zōēs / kriseōs* - **[John 11:24-25](/codex/john-11-24-25/)**, Christ as the *anastasis* - **[Daniel 12:2](/codex/daniel-12-2/)**, OT background - **[Revelation 20:5-6](/codex/revelation-20-5-6/), [12-13](/codex/revelation-20-12-13/)**, final resurrection ### Cognates - *anistēmi* (G450), the verb "to raise / stand up" (107 NT uses) - *egeirō* (G1453), parallel verb "to raise" (144 NT uses; often passive of God's raising of Christ) - *exanastasis* (G1815), the "out-resurrection" of [Phil 3:11](/codex/philippians-3-11/) ## Patristic / scholarly note Patristic engagement: - [Justin Martyr](/codex/justin-martyr/) (*Dialogue with Trypho*; *On the Resurrection*) - Tertullian (*De Resurrectione Carnis*) - Athanasius (*De Incarnatione*, central to incarnation-resurrection-soteriology integration) - Augustine (*City of God* XIII; XX-XXII, extensive eschatological treatment) Modern conservative: - Murray Harris (*Raised Immortal*, 1985) - N. T. Wright (*The Resurrection of the Son of God*, 2003), 800-page comprehensive treatment - Anthony Hoekema (*The Bible and the Future*, 1979) - Wolfhart Pannenberg (*Jesus, God and Man*, 1968), modern Lutheran systematic - Mike Licona (*The Resurrection of Jesus*, 2010) - Gary Habermas (multiple works) ## See also - [G1453 - egeiro](/codex/g1453-egeiro/), the parallel verb - G450 - anistemi, the cognate verb - [G2222 - zoe](/codex/g2222-zoe/), life - [G2288 - thanatos](/codex/g2288-thanatos/), death - [G4983 - soma](/codex/g4983-soma/), body - [Argument from the Resurrection](/codex/argument-from-the-resurrection/), apologetic syllogism - [Matthew 28.6](/codex/matthew-28-6/), [Luke 24.39](/codex/luke-24-39/), [John 20.28](/codex/john-20-28/), resurrection passages - [1 Corinthians 15.3-8](/codex/1-corinthians-15-3-8/), pre-Pauline creed ## Notes _Lexical workspace for anastasis._