Evidence for the Resurrection

Belief in the resurrection stands on historical facts attested to by eyewitnesses. The apostle Paul cited an early Christian creed.

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 Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters 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 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Paul implicitly challenged skeptics to seek out living eyewitnesses to confirm the events. This scripture was written no later than 57 AD, at most 27 years after the crucifixion. The creed is an oral tradition that was preached long before the writing of any New Testament book, which places it even closer to the time of Jesus. We know Paul had already preached the gospel at Corinth around 51 AD. He preached what he heard from the disciples, probably from Peter and James in Jerusalem around 35 or 36 AD (Galatians 1:18-20). That places the creed even closer to the time of Jesus. The creed contains an unusually early report for ancient history.

Luke carefully investigated everything from the beginning.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)

Peter declared the disciples did not fabricate stories about Jesus.

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (2 Peter 1:16)

New Testament scholars identified twelve widely accepted facts about Jesus. They are

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.

2. He was buried.

3. His death caused His disciples to despair and lose hope.

4. His tomb was found to be empty a few days later.

5. His disciples sincerely believed they saw literal appearances of the risen Jesus.

6. His disciples were transformed from fearful doubters to bold proclaimers of His death, resurrection, and appearances.

7. The resurrection message was central to the preaching in the early church.

8. The resurrection was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem where Jesus was slain and buried only a short time before.

9. The Christian church was born and grew as a result of the preaching.

10. Sunday became the primary day of Christian worship, which is especially significant since the first Christians were Jews living in a nation that strictly observed the Sabbath.

11. James, the brother of Jesus (and a skeptic), was converted when he also encountered what he believed to be the risen Jesus.

12. Paul, a skeptic and persecutor of Christians, was also converted, after an encounter with what he believed to be the risen Jesus. Paul went from being a violent persecutor of the Christian movement to bold proclaimer of the resurrection.

The gospel authors actually told embarrassing things about themselves. They abandoned Jesus when He was arrested. Peter denied Jesus three times. The women went to Jesus’ tomb while the men hid in fear. If the disciples had fabricated the stories of the empty tomb and the resurrection, it is unlikely they would have told embarrassing things about themselves.

Skeptics have many theories to try to explain away the twelve facts without including the resurrection as part of the explanation. There are ten common skeptical theories about the resurrection.

1. Unknown tomb. Jesus was buried in an unknown tomb. His body could not be found, so the empty tomb story got started, and a myth began that Jesus rose from the dead. Rebuttal: The gospels state that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, the high court of the nation of Israel. Surely, the local people had to know where that tomb was located. Furthermore, Roman soldiers guarded the tomb. They too had to know the tomb’s location.

2. Wrong tomb. The women were confused and went to the wrong tomb, which did not have Jesus’ body, so a myth began that Jesus rose from the dead. Rebuttal: Surely, the women would have known where their Master (Jesus) was buried. In any case, they should have been able to find the tomb of such a prestigious man as Joseph of Arimathea.

3. Legend. The resurrection story is a fabrication that was invented much later than the events. Rebuttal: The creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, cited above, is an early creed that was proclaimed very shortly after the events of the cross. There were living eyewitnesses to the events of the cross. The resurrection story could not have been a later day fabrication.

4. Twin. Jesus had an identical twin brother who appeared after His death. The disciples believed the brother was the resurrected Jesus. Rebuttal: This theory defies common sense. The disciples had been in close contact with Jesus for three years. Surely, at least some of them would have recognized an impostor. Furthermore, there is no evidence that Jesus had a twin brother. But even if He did, Jesus’ other brother James would have recognized the impostor.

5. Hallucination. The disciples hallucinated that they saw the risen Jesus. Rebuttal: Jesus was seen alive by many people in many places over an extended period of time. They could not all have hallucinated. Furthermore, hallucinations are in the mind, with no external reality. Shared hallucinations are impossible. Mass hallucinations are impossible.

6. Stolen body. The disciples stole the body. When the tomb was found empty, a myth began that Jesus rose from the dead. It was the first skeptical theory (Matthew 28:12-15). Some still believe it. Rebuttal: Jesus’ tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers, who were known to be ruthless. In order to steal the body, the disciples would have to overpower well armed and ruthless Roman soldiers, which is highly unlikely.

7. Hidden body. The authorities hid the body of Jesus. Since His body could not be found, a myth began that Jesus rose from the dead. Rebuttal: This theory defies common sense. Suppose the authorities hid the body, and a false narrative began that Jesus rose from the dead. The authorities could have produced the body and displayed it for the people to see. That would have ended the Christian movement right there and then.

8. Apparent death (also known as the swoon theory). Jesus did not really die. He passed out on the cross, the authorities believed He was dead and buried Him, but He regained consciousness inside the tomb, walked out of the tomb, was seen and then believed to be risen from the dead. Rebuttal: This theory defies common sense. Romans soldiers were experts at killing. But even if Jesus had survived crucifixion, he would have suffocated and died in the sealed tomb. But even if He survived burial, His body would still have been badly bruised and broken. He would be unable to open the tomb, overpower the Roman guards, and make it to the hiding place of His disciples. But even if He did those things, He would have appeared to His disciples in a badly bruised and broken body in desperate need of medical attention. There is no way the disciples would have believed that a miraculous resurrection occurred.

9. Conspiracy (also known as the Passover plot). Someone orchestrated events to make it look like Messianic prophecy was being fulfilled. Rebuttal: This theory assumes the common people of Judea had the resources to orchestrate and pull off the biggest imaginable hoax of the human race. That requires a lot of money to bribe many people, along with a lot or organization and “political machinery.” The disciples were common people. Several were fishermen of modest means. They did not have the resources to pull off such a hoax. But even if they did, many endured persecution, martyrdom, and cruel execution for their faith. It is true that deceived people often die willingly for a lie if they really believe it is true. But no one dies willingly for what he knows is a lie.

10. Alien. Jesus was an extraterrestrial. His “miracles” were produced by advanced extraterrestrial technology that would appear magical or miraculous to the primitive people of the time. Rebuttal: This theory is a twentieth century fabrication coming out of a culture influenced by science fiction television shows and movies. There is not a shred of evidence to support it.

These ten theories do not hold up under close examination. Skeptics cannot produce any first century AD data to support any of these theories. The only credible explanation that is consistent with the twelve widely accepted facts is that Jesus died, was buried, rose from the dead, and appeared bodily to His disciples. But this requires belief in a God who performs miracles. That is the real root of the problem skeptics have regarding the resurrection. They are philosophically predisposed to a naturalistic worldview that lacks belief in a God who has revealed Himself in the creation.

I encourage you to watch some enlightening videos prepared by the Reasonable Faith organization, a Christian philosophy and apologetics ministry. The videos are available at the links below.

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? - Part I: The Facts

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? - Part II: The Explanation