Question #1: I am looking for information on reincarnation in the New Testament and understand that the word anastasei can sometimes be used in that sense. Can you help with this?
Response #1: The only New Testament Greek form that fits the English transliteration of the word you provided is the dative singular of the noun anastasis, meaning (most commonly in the NT) "resurrection". In the dative (almost always following the Greek preposition en) it would have the meaning "in the resurrection" (i.e., when it takes place); these are the forms that occur, for example, at Matt.22:28 & 30.
For information about what the Bible has to say regarding the resurrection of believers' bodies, see Peter lesson #20.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Bob Luginbill
Question#2:
So could you please clarify? Can this word ever mean reincarnation as the source I'm reading claims it can? I'd appreciate your help.
Response #2:
Glad to be of service. The word anastasis never means reincarnation, and the idea of reincarnation is a non-biblical one, never occurring in either testament (even in the form of a wrong idea to be rejected). I have no idea why the person you were reading made this false claim, except to say that people are always trying to clothe their own personal ideas with the mantle of biblical authority. We get one chance - this life. We are here to seek God and respond to Him (the only way to do so being through faith in His Son Jesus Christ). No one is reincarnated. Everyone is resurrected. Those who choose for God through Jesus Christ to eternal life, those who choose to ignore Him and His Son to eternal condemnation (Matt.25:46; Jn.5:29). There is no middle ground. But in the great love and grace of our God, through the sacrifice of His Son, the gift of eternal life is available to all who wish to receive it, and is only missed by those who consciously choose to reject Him.
At Ichthys there are several files treating both the issue of salvation through Christ and the characteristics of false teachings (such as reincarnation):
Read Your Bible: Protection Against Cults
Choosing Hell: Questions about Salvation and the Love of God.
Christians Beware: Internet Frauds and the Need for Spiritual Discernment (part 2).
Christians Beware: Internet Frauds and the Need for Spiritual Discernment.
How can I protect myself from false teaching?
In the love of Jesus Christ,
Bob Luginbill