The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are essential to the gospel. As the Apostle Paul tells us, "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain" (1 Cor. 15:14). Readers of this site are encouraged to read Henry Kollock's sermon, "Resurrection of Christ," in the From the Archive window below this one. Two books that are beneficial for understanding the importance of the resurrection particularly in the teaching of Paul are The Centrality of the Resurrection and Resurrection and Redemption by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. The author is professor emeritus of biblical and systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. The first title appears to be out of print, please correct me if I am wrong, but the latter is available from P&R. A book not specifically emphasizing the resurrection that I have found helpful for understanding the life and ministry of Jesus is Geerhardus Vos's The Self Disclosure of Jesus. The Vos book addresses the question whether or not Jesus understood himself to be the Messiah, which was an aspect of the Lord's consciousness theological liberalism denied but Vos defended when the book was first published in 1926. The Vos book is available from P&R in a newer edition. The three book titles mentioned are not easy reading and are directed to readers with theological interests and background, but Kollock's sermon is more generally user friendly.