Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus
Christianity is unique among all the world religions because of the fact that so much of what we believe rests on verifiable historical events, primarily the resurrection of Christ. This is how the Apostle Paul put it, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead." (1 Corinthians 15:11-14).
The apostles and the early church did not proclaim the Gospel as a mystery, rather they continually made reference to the validity of the resurrection of Jesus. In Acts 26 when Paul is arguing his case before Festus and Agrippa he claims " For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner." In the same way, today we are not proclaiming some mystical event that happened in a cosmic vacuum, rather we are proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus, a real event that happened in time and in the presence of eyewitnesses.
I am often astonished at how so many seasoned Christians cannot distinguish the difference between sightings of Elvis and the sightings of Jesus following his resurrection. As effective evangelists, we should all be able to put forth a reasonable argument for the validity of the resurrection, seeing it is the cornerstone of our faith.
Principles for Historic Validity
First, let's review some of the points historical scholars use to make a case for the validity of any historical event.
The Resurrection of Jesus, History or Hype?
My wife and I love to watch real murder mysteries on Dateline. We once saw an episode where a woman was found murdered by the rear door of her house. Shortly after the investigation, two witnesses came forward and claimed they saw the husband in the backyard with the wife just before the murder. They also claimed they saw him run out of the house and speed off in his car, despite the fact that the husband had a good alibi putting him miles from the crime scene. Based on this evidence, the husband was arrested and charged with murder. No murder weapon was ever found, no DNA or fingerprints linked the husband to the crime. The husband had no criminal record, he cooperated with investigators and his testimony remained consistent throughout the investigation. After a long trial the husband was found not guilty and set free.
In another case, a man is found stabbed to death in his living room. The initial investigation produced no witnesses and no solid suspects. Then fingerprints come back from the crime scene. Shortly after, the prints are linked to a friend of the victim who claims his fingerprints were there because of a visit the day before the murder. Investigators discover that the suspect, who has a criminal past, purchased a similar weapon as the one used in the crime several days before the crime and around the time the two had a falling out. Though the suspect's testimony is inconsistent, he claims to be innocent throughout the investigation and trial. In his defense, two friends serve as alibis putting him at a job site during the time of the murder. This man is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
The stark difference with these two cases is that the first has only one line of evidence, the witnesses. The second has a motive, inconsistent testimony, fingerprints, a criminal past and a murder weapon. When investigators, and historians, for that matter, are piecing together events in the past, the strongest cases come together like a jigsaw puzzle, with multiple pieces rather than a post card with only one piece of evidence. Such is the case for the resurrection of Jesus. No, we don't have video footage of the event, but we can piece together the existing evidence and come to the most plausible explanation of the facts.
I was once listening to a Christian talk show on the radio when a caller asked the host why he believed in the Bible. The host responded by claiming that God revealed to him in his heart that the Bible was the word of God and that Jesus was raised from the dead. The problem with that, is that you can insert the word Quran and Mohamed and make the same case (and Muslims do every day). The question remains, do we have to resort to subjective experience to make our case? Are we limited to inspiration; the Bible says so, that settles it. Or can we as Christians make a solid historically valid argument for the resurrection of Jesus? Gary R. Habermas has made this his life's work and therefore we will use his arguments found in The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus as the primary source. He lays out seven facts which, when pieced together, leave the resurrection of Jesus as the only plausible explanation for the evidence.
First Fact: The Hebrew Text foretold His brutal atonement and resurrection.
Second Fact: Jesus foretold of his resurrection.
Third Fact: Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.
Fourth Fact: Jesus’ disciples believed that He rose from the dead.
Fifth Fact: Skeptics lives transformed
Sixth Fact: The tomb was empty.
Seventh Fact: The apostles died for what they believed.
Claims from Secularists, Counter Claims from Believers
Over the centuries many naturalistic explanations have been offered to discredit the resurrection. All fail to account adequately for the known facts. They are explained below.
Embellishment – The resurrection was an exaggerated story.
Resurrection in other religions – They claim the resurrection story of Jesus is plagiarized from other religions.
Fraud – The disciples or someone else stole the body and lied.
Wrong tomb – Some have claimed that the disciples went to the wrong tomb.
Apparent death theory – Jesus never died and appeared to the disciples after his crucifixion.
Delusion – is a false belief held with conviction despite the evidence.
Hallucination – false perception of something that is not there.
Illusion – is a distorted perception of something that is there.
Conclusion
While all other world religions rely on inspiration to support the claims in their holy books, only Christianity can back inspiration with solid historical evidence. Given the seven verifiable facts above and the absence of an alternative, the best possible explanation for the evidence is that Jesus was raised from the dead.
Articles
Reasoning About the Resurrection of Christ Eric Lyons
The Resurrection of Jesus Hoax or History Steven B. Cowan
Resurrection Claims in non-Christian Religions Gary Habermas
Video - The Resurrection Argument That Changed a Generation of Scholars Gary Habermas at UCSB
Why Atheists Believe in Alexander the Great, but not the Resurrection of Jesus Gary Habermas
The apostles and the early church did not proclaim the Gospel as a mystery, rather they continually made reference to the validity of the resurrection of Jesus. In Acts 26 when Paul is arguing his case before Festus and Agrippa he claims " For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner." In the same way, today we are not proclaiming some mystical event that happened in a cosmic vacuum, rather we are proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus, a real event that happened in time and in the presence of eyewitnesses.
I am often astonished at how so many seasoned Christians cannot distinguish the difference between sightings of Elvis and the sightings of Jesus following his resurrection. As effective evangelists, we should all be able to put forth a reasonable argument for the validity of the resurrection, seeing it is the cornerstone of our faith.
Principles for Historic Validity
First, let's review some of the points historical scholars use to make a case for the validity of any historical event.
- Early testimony - The Gospels were written within 30 years of the events.
- Eye witness testimony - James, John and Peter all witnessed the risen Christ.
- Embarrassing admission - All the apostles initially rejected Jesus and denied the resurrection.
- Hostile witness - Paul was initially hostile towards Christianity along with others who provide secondary sources (see who was Jesus).
- Multiple independent sources - Justin Martyr, Tertullian, the Jewish Talmud, and others attest to an empty tomb.
The Resurrection of Jesus, History or Hype?
My wife and I love to watch real murder mysteries on Dateline. We once saw an episode where a woman was found murdered by the rear door of her house. Shortly after the investigation, two witnesses came forward and claimed they saw the husband in the backyard with the wife just before the murder. They also claimed they saw him run out of the house and speed off in his car, despite the fact that the husband had a good alibi putting him miles from the crime scene. Based on this evidence, the husband was arrested and charged with murder. No murder weapon was ever found, no DNA or fingerprints linked the husband to the crime. The husband had no criminal record, he cooperated with investigators and his testimony remained consistent throughout the investigation. After a long trial the husband was found not guilty and set free.
In another case, a man is found stabbed to death in his living room. The initial investigation produced no witnesses and no solid suspects. Then fingerprints come back from the crime scene. Shortly after, the prints are linked to a friend of the victim who claims his fingerprints were there because of a visit the day before the murder. Investigators discover that the suspect, who has a criminal past, purchased a similar weapon as the one used in the crime several days before the crime and around the time the two had a falling out. Though the suspect's testimony is inconsistent, he claims to be innocent throughout the investigation and trial. In his defense, two friends serve as alibis putting him at a job site during the time of the murder. This man is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
The stark difference with these two cases is that the first has only one line of evidence, the witnesses. The second has a motive, inconsistent testimony, fingerprints, a criminal past and a murder weapon. When investigators, and historians, for that matter, are piecing together events in the past, the strongest cases come together like a jigsaw puzzle, with multiple pieces rather than a post card with only one piece of evidence. Such is the case for the resurrection of Jesus. No, we don't have video footage of the event, but we can piece together the existing evidence and come to the most plausible explanation of the facts.
I was once listening to a Christian talk show on the radio when a caller asked the host why he believed in the Bible. The host responded by claiming that God revealed to him in his heart that the Bible was the word of God and that Jesus was raised from the dead. The problem with that, is that you can insert the word Quran and Mohamed and make the same case (and Muslims do every day). The question remains, do we have to resort to subjective experience to make our case? Are we limited to inspiration; the Bible says so, that settles it. Or can we as Christians make a solid historically valid argument for the resurrection of Jesus? Gary R. Habermas has made this his life's work and therefore we will use his arguments found in The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus as the primary source. He lays out seven facts which, when pieced together, leave the resurrection of Jesus as the only plausible explanation for the evidence.
First Fact: The Hebrew Text foretold His brutal atonement and resurrection.
- Surely He has borne our grief. And carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:4-5).
- For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption (Psalm 16:10).
- Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us;
- He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight (Hosea 6:1-2).
Second Fact: Jesus foretold of his resurrection.
- Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again (Mark 10:33-35).
Third Fact: Jesus of Nazareth was crucified.
- The historian Josephus writes, “When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified … ” Josephus, Antiquities
- The historian Tacitus reports “Christus …. suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate.” Tacitus, Annals
- The Hebrew Talmud states, “On the eve of the Passover Yeshua was hanged.” The Babylonian Talmud
Fourth Fact: Jesus’ disciples believed that He rose from the dead.
- The Apostles claimed Jesus rose from the dead in their writings; primarily the New Testament documents. Here, we are not appealing to inspiration but rather to the historical reliability of the documents.
- The Apostles communicated the message of the resurrection. Clement, who was a student of the Apostle Peter, writes: “Therefore, having received orders and complete certainty caused by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ ….they went with the Holy Spirit’s certainty.” First Clement 42:3.
- Polycarp, who was instructed by Paul, mentions the resurrection five times in a letter to Philippi. To the Philippians 9:2
Fifth Fact: Skeptics lives transformed
- Paul was a persecutor of Christians. He experienced a great transformation on the road to Damascus. Most people convert, having heard a message from a secondary source, but Paul already knew the message of the resurrection and was already dead set against it prior to his conversion. This transformation is well documented by Luke, Origen, Polycarp, Clement of Rome and Paul himself.
- James was a skeptic as well, and shortly after the crucifixion, became one of the strongest advocates of the resurrection. Mark 3:21 and John 7:5 both report that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him. 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 states, “then He appeared to James.” James becomes the leader of the Jerusalem Church (Acts 15:12-21). The historians Josephus, Hegesippus and Clement of Alexandria all attest to his martyrdom.
Sixth Fact: The tomb was empty.
- Shortly after the crucifixion, the enemies of the new faith were doing everything possible to crush the movement. All they had to do was exhume the body of Jesus, and it would have stopped Christianity in its tracks. Yet, there is no recorded evidence that a body was produced, or more specifically, there was no debate on the issue of the empty tomb.
- The counterclaim from hostile witnesses at the time was that the body was stolen, and therefore an empty tomb. This can be found in the Gospels and extra Biblical accounts from Justin Martyr Typho 108 and Tertullian, De Spectaculis 30.
- If the story was concocted, it is highly unlikely that the writers of the Gospels would have used women as the initial witnesses due to their lack of credibility in the culture at that time.
- “All of the strictly historical evidence we have is in favor of the empty tomb, and those scholars who reject it ought to recognize that they do so on some ground other than that of scientific history.” --William Wand, Oxford University Historian, Christianity: A Historical Religion?
Seventh Fact: The apostles died for what they believed.
- The Apostles believed it, as all suffered, and all but one died for their faith. More importantly the disciples’ lives were transformed shortly after the crucifixion. Ignatius notes that the disciples, having seen the risen Christ, were so encouraged that “they also disregarded death.” To the Smyrnaeans 3:2
- While many people have died for a lie, they do it believing it to be true. Few would die knowing what they taught was a lie. All of the apostles suffered and died believing they saw the resurrected Jesus.
Claims from Secularists, Counter Claims from Believers
Over the centuries many naturalistic explanations have been offered to discredit the resurrection. All fail to account adequately for the known facts. They are explained below.
Embellishment – The resurrection was an exaggerated story.
- The disciples claimed resurrection from the beginning.
- These are early accounts; embellishment takes time.
- No evidence for embellishment.
- No explanation for disciples’ conversions.
Resurrection in other religions – They claim the resurrection story of Jesus is plagiarized from other religions.
- Other accounts are unclear.
- Other accounts are not parallels.
- First parallel story is dated 100 years after Jesus.
- Accounts lack evidence.
- No explanation for disciples’ conversions.
Fraud – The disciples or someone else stole the body and lied.
- Disciples really believed the resurrection.
- Paul’s conversion is based on Jesus’ appearance.
- The skeptic James’ conversion is based on appearance.
Wrong tomb – Some have claimed that the disciples went to the wrong tomb.
- Does not account for appearances to disciples.
- Followers were not convinced by empty tomb.
- James and Paul not convinced by empty tomb.
- No sources suggest wrong tomb.
Apparent death theory – Jesus never died and appeared to the disciples after his crucifixion.
- Spear wound would have ended his life.
- Hanging on a cross would have left him badly wounded.
- Paul experienced a “glorious” appearance.
- Crucifixion causes asphyxiation.
Delusion – is a false belief held with conviction despite the evidence.
- Does not explain the empty tomb.
- Conversion of Paul.
- Conversion of James the skeptic.
- Based on expectation that was not there.
Hallucination – false perception of something that is not there.
- Not a group occurrence.
- Does not explain the empty tomb.
- Conversion of Paul.
- Conversion of James the skeptic.
- Based on expectation that was not there.
Illusion – is a distorted perception of something that is there.
- Not a group occurrence.
- Does not explain the empty tomb.
- Conversion of Paul.
- Conversion of James the skeptic.
- Based on expectation that was not there.
Conclusion
While all other world religions rely on inspiration to support the claims in their holy books, only Christianity can back inspiration with solid historical evidence. Given the seven verifiable facts above and the absence of an alternative, the best possible explanation for the evidence is that Jesus was raised from the dead.
Articles
Reasoning About the Resurrection of Christ Eric Lyons
The Resurrection of Jesus Hoax or History Steven B. Cowan
Resurrection Claims in non-Christian Religions Gary Habermas
Video - The Resurrection Argument That Changed a Generation of Scholars Gary Habermas at UCSB
Why Atheists Believe in Alexander the Great, but not the Resurrection of Jesus Gary Habermas