Peter,

“…provided we do not confuse it with the Christian faith as reflected in the New Testament.”

The question is this: Is there a single and coherent “Christian faith as reflected in the New Testament”?

You seem to be arguing for a Right or Correct reading of the NT. But I would say that it is precisely the odd angularity of the biblical text that constantly challenges any overarching formulation.

Moreover, my claim that it is “almost beside the point” whether Jesus was or was not crucified, doesn’t take us anywhere necessarily. At least for me, it doesn’t take us to metaphor.

I would agree that Jesus’ death and resurrection should be treated as an event. But it can’t be reduced to that One Timeless Event. Rather, it is an event told and retold in the Bible and it is an event whose telling and retelling shapes people’s lives today. The event of Jesus’ resurrection happens over and again.

People will continue to debate whether Jesus’ resurrection did or did not happen—its a debate that I personally am not that interested in. Why? I believe that the significance of the resurrection and the possibilities that Jesus opened up, aren’t reducible to the happening of this One Event.

I guess I would say that Jesus’ resurrection is an ongoing event, not One Timeless Event.