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Sunday, July 06, 2008

Why didn't the Apostles raise James from the dead?

Jesus brought some people back from the dead to life. The early church did, too.

In Acts 9:36-41, Peter raised Dorcas from the dead.

Another possible instance is in Acts 20:7-10, where Eutychus fell from a high window ledge, and Paul either brought him back to life, or reported that he wasn't really dead.

There may have been other instances, that weren't recorded.

Clearly, however, such events were infrequent. In Acts 12:1-2, the Bible tells us that James, John's brother, was killed by Herod. He wasn't raised from the dead.

Why was Dorcas raised from the dead, when James, one of the inner circle of Christ's twelve special followers, was not? Obviously, I don't know. It is possible, however, that Dorcas's work with the poor was so important that God wanted it continued. That's only musing on my part, you understand!

Thanks for reading.

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