Resurrections

Resurrection refers to the act of rising from the dead or revival after death. In common usage, it can describe religious beliefs about a future return of the dead, or metaphorical or secular revival of people, ideas, or organisms believed to be dead.

In religious contexts, many traditions hold some form of resurrection. In Christianity, the belief in bodily resurrection is tied to the resurrection of Jesus and the expectation of a future general resurrection at the end of time. In Judaism, resurrection of the dead appears in prophetic and rabbinic literature, and is associated with the world to come. In Islam, belief in the Day of Resurrection (Qiyamah) involves the awakening of the dead for judgment. Other religious traditions have different concepts: Osiris in ancient Egyptian religion embodies a myth of dying and reviving divinity; some Hindu and Buddhist ideas involve cyclical rebirth rather than a single bodily resurrection.

Biology and medicine use the term in different ways. Some organisms are capable of revival after extreme dehydration or freezing, a phenomenon sometimes described as resurrection biology, including tardigrades and certain plants known as resurrection plants. In medicine, resuscitation or revival refers to restoring life after clinical death, such as through CPR or defibrillation; this is not the same as bodily resurrection and does not imply immortality. Cryonics is an idea that people might be resurrected after long-term preservation, but remains speculative.

Cultural usage includes literature, film, and folklore where resurrection serves as a dramatic or thematic device, such as plotlines involving the return of a character or the revival of traditions or movements once thought dead. Related terms include resuscitation, revival, and immortality.