Assessing Psychological Explanations for Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances: A Response to Stephen H. Smith
In: Journal for the Study of the Historical JesusSearch for other papers by Andrew Ter Ern Loke in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Nick Meader in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
In a recent article published in this journal, Stephen Smith acknowledges that bereavement hallucination is an unlikely explanation for Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, and suggests supplementing it with theories concerning collective delusion, distorted memory, and cognitive dissonance. Our response contributes to the discussion by bringing our expertise in psychology and New Testament studies together to advance interdisciplinary study on this important topic. We show that Smith’s discussion confounds real-life cases and laboratory experiments on memory, and mass psychogenic illness with illusions. Moreover, Smith fails to consider a number of important differences between the case concerning Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances and cases of cognitive dissonance and other psychological theories, which indicate that these theories are not plausible explanations concerning Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 487 | 487 | 86 |
| Full Text Views | 13 | 13 | 8 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 126 | 126 | 62 |
Assessing Psychological Explanations for Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances: A Response to Stephen H. Smith
In: Journal for the Study of the Historical JesusSearch for other papers by Andrew Ter Ern Loke in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Nick Meader in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In a recent article published in this journal, Stephen Smith acknowledges that bereavement hallucination is an unlikely explanation for Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, and suggests supplementing it with theories concerning collective delusion, distorted memory, and cognitive dissonance. Our response contributes to the discussion by bringing our expertise in psychology and New Testament studies together to advance interdisciplinary study on this important topic. We show that Smith’s discussion confounds real-life cases and laboratory experiments on memory, and mass psychogenic illness with illusions. Moreover, Smith fails to consider a number of important differences between the case concerning Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances and cases of cognitive dissonance and other psychological theories, which indicate that these theories are not plausible explanations concerning Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 487 | 487 | 86 |
| Full Text Views | 13 | 13 | 8 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 126 | 126 | 62 |