Easter celebrates the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead. Today, writes Philip Almond, the idea of the resurrected body is a matter of faith rather than reason. But for centuries the precise nature of this body was a matter of serious theological and philosophical discussion.

From St Augustine in the early fifth century to Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century to scientists such as pioneering chemist Robert Boyle, many questions were explored. How old would our resurrected bodies be? What of those devoured by beasts or fire? Would there be sexual desire in heaven? Vast amounts of theological ink, writes Almond, were spilt on the attempt to defend the “rationally indefensible”.

Still, even the most rationally minded of us may exchange eggs on Sunday to celebrate new life. Easter is the biggest chocolate-buying time of the year. A new report ranks the world’s leading chocolate makers on their social and environmental performance. And as John Dumay and James Guthrie write, most of the big, multinational companies have a long way to go.

Suzy Freeman-Greene

Section Editor: Arts + Culture

Stefan Lochner, Last Judgement, circa 1435. Wikimedia Commons

How will our bodies be put back together? What about those eaten by cannibals? A brief history of Christian resurrection beliefs

Philip C. Almond, The University of Queensland

Easter celebrates the Christian belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And for centuries this resurrection was seen as a guarantee that our own bodies would do the same.

Pixelbliss/Shutterstock

Is that a good egg? How chocolate makers rate on social and environmental measures

John Dumay, Macquarie University; James Guthrie, Macquarie University

Just four of 31 international chocolate makers have been rated 'good eggs' for their social, environmental and governance standards.

Andrew Henshaw/AAP

4 ways Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout has been bungled

Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute

These mistakes have been mainly caused by our leaders giving priority to a good political story over good policy.

Lukas Coch/AAP

Grattan on Friday: Vaccine rollout has enough problems without ministers politicking

Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra

The Brisbane lockdown was lifted, but the latest disruption, though limited, reinforced the importance of rolling out the vaccine as fast as possible.

Shutterstock

We tracked antisemitic incidents in Australia over four years. This is when they are most likely to occur

Matteo Vergani, Deakin University; Dan Goodhardt, Deakin University

Our research tried to identify patterns linking antisemitic incidents to particular dates, local trends or global events. The aim was to be better prepared to counter them.

Shutterstock

Sexuality education can counter what kids learn from porn, but some teachers fear backlash when tackling ‘risky’ topics

Sharon O'Mara, La Trobe University; Kirsty Duncanson, La Trobe University

A study on the delivery of sexuality education found some teachers were anxious about parental fear, negative media and political hysteria. Sometimes they watered down 'risky' content.

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