Finished Reading “Heretics”

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  "G. K. Chesterton, the "Prince of Paradox," is at his witty best in this collection of twenty essays and articles from the turn of the twentieth century. Focusing on  "heretics" - those who pride themselves on their superiority to Christian views - Chesterton appraises prominent figures who fall into that category from the literary and art worlds... those who hold incomplete and inadequate views about "life, the universe, and everything." He is, in short, criticizing all that host of non-Christian views of reality, as he demonstrated in his follow-up book Orthodoxy. The book is both an easy read and a difficult read. But he manages to demonstrate, among other things, that our new 21st century heresies are really not new because he himself deals with most of them." (Goodreads)

Who Saw Jesus First: Mary or Peter?

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"The Gospels say that women were the first to see the resurrected Christ (Mary first and then to the other women) and then to Peter and then to the Twelve. Later in the New Testament, Paul says that Peter (Cephas) was the first one to see Christ after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5). Which is correct?"

Since men’s testimonies were considered legal (official) in the first century, it is understandable that the apostle Paul would not list the women as witnesses in his defense of the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthians. Jesus did appear first to Mary Magdalene, then to the other women, and then to Peter. Paul was not giving a complete list. The order of the appearances of Christ is as follows:

The order of the Resurrection appearances is as follows:
  1. Mary and the women (Matthew 28:1-10; John 20:10–18);
  2. Peter (1 Corinthians 15:5);
  3. Two disciples (Luke 24:13–35);
  4. Ten apostles (Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23);
  5. Eleven apostles (John 20:24–31);
  6. Seven apostles (John 21);
  7. All apostles (Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:14–18);
  8. 500 brethren at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6);
  9. James (1 Corinthians 15:7);
  10. All apostles (Acts 1:4–8);
  11. Paul (Acts 9:1–9; 1 Corinthians 15:8)

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