The body of Jesus, he has said often, "rotted in the tomb if it was not eaten before then by vultures and jackals.
• Christian Fundamentalism
A German theologian who rejects the Virgin Birth and Resurrection, yet calls liberal Protestant theology "bankrupt," is fighting for the right to continue to teach would-be ministers, in a case that has drawn attention from religion scholars as a test of how far academic freedom should extend.
Gerd Luedemann, a biblical scholar who argues that the Resurrection was "a pious self-deception" by Jesus's followers, faults his liberal colleagues for believing as he does but not speaking out. Their re-interpretation of basic Christian dogma for a modern audience, he says, amounts to "worshiping a bloodless metaphor."
Germany's Goettingen University, where Luedemann has taught for two decades, declared in 1998 that he had disqualified himself from teaching ministerial students because of his views. Luedemann has sued to reclaim his full teaching status and will present his case in a German civil court next month.