An MP3 version of this talk can be found on my Talks and Thoughts podcast, available via your feed.
Is the resurrection a miracle? Are the events of Golgotha a mystery? And what of the resurrection of the body and attempts to prove what happened as an historical fact?
William Blake argued passionately that treating Easter as a miracle or a mystery entirely misses its significance, which is visionary – a moment when perceptions are cleansed and eternal life becomes manifest.
In this talk, I examine his images of the resurrection and crucifixion to see how he saw them as one moment of transformation, then and now.
I look particularly at his portrayal of Mary Magdalene and how he realised she participated in resurrection life through her encounter with Jesus.
Blake’s communication of Easter joy is contagious. He presents us with the end of a golden string, never more needed than now. He desires that all might come to know that “God becomes as we are that we may become as he is.”