"The Bible gives instances of two men being translated to heaven without dying at all; of some dead people, who were raised to life, only to die again; but we never read of a resurrected man ascending to heaven, save in the one exception of our Lord. He died, and was raised the third day, and having abundantly proved His resurrection to His doubting disciples, He ascended to glory, and set Himself down at the right hand of God. Such a claim is stupendous. Prove it, and you prove Christianity. Disprove it, and you disprove Christianity. ... The truth of Christianity hinges on the fact of the resurrection of our Lord. Apart from the resurrection of Christ, there can be no salvation, no forgiveness of sins, no justification, and no gift of eternal life - in short, no Christianity. Remove the central stone of an arch, and the whole structure falls to the ground. So it is with the Deity and Manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ, His spotless life, His atoning death, His resurrection, and His ascension. These are all linked up together, making one complete whole. If one part fails, the whole of Christianity fails." So wrote Algernon Pollock, that indefatigable apologist from the pulpit and in print wherever he saw the Christian faith under attack.
Beginning with an overview of the Bible's detailing of the facts and consequences of Christ's resurrection, the author briefly considers Old Testament prophecies of the resurrection, before reviewing Christ's own prophecies of His death. He continues with an examination of the person, life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and their connection with His resurrection. He then considers the circumstances of the Lord's resurrection, before an extensive discussion of all the recorded appearances of the risen Christ. An examination of objections to the inspiration of the Gospel accounts is followed by a look at some theories presented in denial of the resurrection. Significant reference is made to an interesting mid-18th century study entitled Observations on the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul; In a Letter to Gilbert West, Esq. by Sir George Lyttleton, later Lord Lyttleton, Baron of Frankley. Lyttleton and West set out to disprove Christianity by proving two key points of Christianity false: Lyttelton that St. Paul did not convert to Christianity, and West that Jesus never rose from the dead. However, as their researches progressed, they both became convinced of the truth of the events they sought to disprove.
The author, himself convinced of the fact of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, plainly sets out his reasons in this book.
About the author
Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Algernon James Pollock (1864-1957), in his own words, "had the inestimable privilege of being brought up in a Christian home". At the age of eleven he made a profession of faith in Christ. Early in life he was introduced to leading figures amongst the Brethren, including John Nelson Darby. He followed his father into banking, but his true calling was to share the treasure in heaven, and he left to become a full-time evangelist. When not undertaking preaching engagements he wrote gospel hymns, edited the Gospel Tidings hymnbook, and took on the editing of the magazine The Gospel Messenger, started by Dr W T P Wolston, and frequently contributed articles to Scripture Truth magazine. He was also led to become an indefatigable apologist from the pulpit and in print wherever he saw the Christian faith under attack. He wrote a number of major books and he is probably best known for over fifty pamphlets showing the error of different cults and ideas. In 1909 he was selected to contribute a chapter entitled Modern Spiritualism Briefly Tested by Scripture to "The Fundamentals". His ministry was not restricted to the United Kingdom; he travelled in the USA in 1898, and also visited Scandinavia, India, Spain and Germany.
