Was Jesus’ resurrection culturally expected?

There is an article in today’s New York Times that is bound to generate a lot of debate and hand wringing. It purports that the story of Jesus’ resurrection might not have been so unique after all. The claim is based on the discovery of a stone tablet that precedes Jesus’ birth and speaks of a coming messiah who will rise from the dead after three days. It’s three-feet tall and 87 lines long. The story, which explains how the tablet was translated, is after the jump.