Evidence for The Resurrection Copyright © 2005 Harold C. Felder

Evidence for The Resurrection

Copyright © 2005 Harold C. Felder


I. Why is the Resurrection Important

II. What is the Evidence

III. What about the Alternate Theories

IV. What are the Implications of the Resurrection




I. Why is the Resurrection ImportantA. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is false

“For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

1 Corinthians 15:17-19


I. Why is the Resurrection ImportantB. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, he was a false prophet

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”

Mark 8:31


I. Why is the Resurrection ImportantB. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, he was a false prophet

“Then the Jews demanded of him, ‘What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body.’”

John 2:18-20



If, however, God did raise Jesus from the dead, His message was confirmed by God.





II. What is the EvidenceA. Jesus died by crucifixion

“When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified . . . .”

(Antiquites 18.64)

1. The Jewish historian Josephus (ca. A.D. 37–ca. 100)



“Nero fastened the guilt [of the burning of Rome] and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.”

(Annals 15:44)

2. Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (A.D. 55?–117)



A letter currently housed in the British Museum, speaks of Christ’s death, asking: “What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King seeing that from that very time their kingdom was taken from them?”

3. Mara Bar-Serapion” (ca. a.d. 73)



“On the eve of Passover Yeshua was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, ‘he is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favour, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.’ But since nothing was brought forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.’”

(Sanhedrin 43a)

4. Talmud (Probably late 2nd century)


II. What is the EvidenceB. Disciples believed Jesus rose for the dead

“For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this [i.e. Jesus’ resurrection appearance] is what we preach, and this is what you believed.”


1. They claimed it

Paul said the disciples claimed that Jesus rose from the dead

After writing of Jesus resurrection in 1 Cor. 15:3-8, Paul writes:



“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”


1. They claimed it

Creeds



“Having therefore received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and established in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand”

1 Clement 42:3

1. They claimed it

Written Traditions

Apostolic Father Clement of Rome (A.D. 95) writes:



“Paul himself, and the rest of the apostles. [This do] in the assurance that all these have not run in vain, but in faith and righteousness, and that they are [now] in their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not this present world, but Him who died for us, and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead.”

Pol. Phil. 9:2

1. They claimed it

Written Traditions

Apostolic Father Polycarp (written circa 110 AD)



After Jesus’ death the apostles were transformed from men who hid in fear and denied Christ to men who boldly proclaimed their message under persecution and unto martyrdom.

2. They demonstrated their belief



“Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west,and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience.”

1 Clement 5:2-7


Apostolic Father Clement of Rome (A.D. 30–100 )



“When, for instance, He came to those who were with Peter, He said to them, “Lay hold, handle Me, and see that I am not an incorporeal spirit." And immediately they touched Him, and believed, being convinced both by His flesh and spirit. For this cause also they despised death, and were found its conquerors.”

(Ign. Smyrn 3:2-3)


Ignatius bishop of the church in Antioch in Syria (martyred c AD 110)



“Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned”

(Antiquities 20.200)


Jewish Historian Josephus (writing circa 95 AD)



“That Paul is beheaded has been written in their own blood. And if a heretic wishes his confidence to rest upon a public record, the archives of the empire will speak, as would the stones of Jerusalem. We read the lives of the Cµsars: At Rome Nero was the first who stained with blood the rising faith. Then is Peter girt by another, when he is made fast to the cross. Then does Paul obtain a birth suited to Roman citizenship, when in Rome he springs to life again ennobled by martyrdom.”

(Scopiace 15)


Early Church Father Tertullian (writing during the late first century)



There is no record of even an accusation being brought that any one of the apostles ever recanted their story of seeing the resurrected Christ even unto death.



II. What is the EvidenceC. The Conversion of the Church Persecutor Paul

“I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: the man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.’ And they praised God because of me.”

(Galatians 1:22-23)

1. The Conversion



“For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

(1 Corinthians 15:9)

1. The Conversion



Paul recounts is conversion experience in Acts 9,22,26

1. The Conversion



“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches”(1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

2. Suffering and Martyrdom



Clement of Rome (1 Clem 5:2-7)

Polycarp (Pol. Phil. 9:2)

Tertullian (Scorpiace 15)

3. Martyrdom



Resurrection expert Dr. Gary Habermas surveyed almost 30 years of German, French, and English scholarship and writes “virtually all scholars recognize Paul’s testimony that he had an experience that he believed was an appearance of the risen Jesus”

(Dr. Gary Habermas and Michael R. Licona, The Case for the Resurrection Jesus, 74)


II. What is the EvidenceD. The Conversion of the Skeptic James

“When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

(Mark 3:20)

1. Conversion



“Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.”

(John 7:3-5)

1. Conversion



Acts 15:12-21

Galatians 1:19

2. James Later Became a Leader in the Church of Jerusalem



“Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned”

(Antiquities 20.200)

3. Martyrdom

Jewish Historian Josephus (writing circa 95 AD)


II. What is the EvidenceE. The Empty Tomb

Accepted by 75% of Scholars

If the tomb wasn’t empty, the Jewish leaders and Roman officials would have simply produced the body of Jesus

The early explanation that the disciples stole the body would not have been necessary unless the tomb was empty

It would not make sense to list women as the first witnesses unless it was true


II. What is the EvidenceSummary of the Evidence

1. Jesus Died by Crucifixion

2. The Disciples Believed that Jesus Rose from the Dead

3. The Conversion of the Church Persecutor Paul

4. The Conversion of the Skeptic James

5. The Empty Tomb







A. Legend1. The disciples never claimed that Jesus rose from the dead.

This was added later

a) The original disciples claimed resurrection from the beginning

b) Paul and James claimed to have seen the risen Jesus

c) This theory provides no evidence



A. Legend2. Resurrection in other religions

a) These alleged parallel accounts are vague and unlike Jesus’ resurrection

b) Accounts lack evidence and can easily be accounted for by opposing theories

c) Accounts cannot explain the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection



B. Fraud Theory1. The Disciples Lied or Stole the Body

a) Disciples really believed the resurrection

b) Conversions of Paul and James are based on appearances



C. Wrong Tomb Theory

a) Does not account for the appearances to the disciples

b) Paul and James were not convinced by empty tombs but by appearances

c) No sources suggest wrong tomb

d) Burial by Joseph indicates tomb’s location was known



D. Apparent Death Theory (Swoon)

1. According to an article in the March 21, 1986 Journal of the American Medical Association, survival was highly unlikely

2. Paul experience “Glorious” Appearance



E. Hallucination Theory

1. Hallucinations are not group occurrences, but individual (like dream)

2. Does not explain the empty tomb

3. Does not explain the conversions of Paul and James

4. Too many personal variances



F. Biased Testimony

1. Paul and James were both unbiased

2. Eliminates virtually all history

3. Bias does not require distortion

4. Does not explain the evidence



G.Discrepancies in the Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection Makes the Entire Story Suspect

1. At most, calls inerrancy into question, not resurrection

2. Historical conclusions are not made this way

3. Differences may indicate Gospels are independent accounts of resurrection and, therefore, provide multiple attestations

4. Many, if not all, tensions in accounts can be answered



Conclusion

1. All natural explanations fail

2. Only the fact of the resurrection can account for all of the data








A. All Other Religions that Deny the Resurrection Must be Wrong

B. Serves as a Confirmation of Christ’s message


IV. What are the Implications of the ResurrectionB. Serves as a Confirmation of Christ’s Message

1. About Himself

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 )

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25 )


IV. What are the Implications of the ResurrectionB. Serves as a confirmation of Christ’s message

2. About Salvation

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 )

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 )

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 )

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9 )


The End

Copyright © 2005 Harold C. Felder

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Evidence for The Resurrection Copyright © 2005 Harold C. Felder