More evidence for the resurrection
“Maybe Jesus didn’t really die. Maybe he was only unconscious or in a coma.”
–The Romans were expert executioners. Soldiers were sent out to make sure Jesus and the two thieves were dead before the sabbath began. They found Jesus already dead, but impaled his side with a spear to be certain. Then Jesus was removed and buried in a dark, damp cave. Even supposing that he was clinging to life after crucifixion and being impaled by a spear, how could he revive from a coma and get up and walk from the tomb. Even if he did that, the tomb was covered by a huge stone, sealed with wax, and guarded by Roman soldiers. How would he move the stone and get past the guard?
“Maybe the disciples hallucinated the whole thing.”
–Jesus appeared to more than 500 disciples. Did they all have simultaneous hallucinations? Also, Jesus appeared on at least ten different occasions. Could they all have been hallucinations?
“Maybe it wasn’t Jesus, but someone else on the cross.”
–Jesus’ mother was present at the crucifixion. Surely Miriam (Mary) would have known her son.
“Maybe the disciples stole the body.”
–How would they have gotten past the Roman guard posted at the tomb specifically to prevent theft of the body? Roman soldiers were faithful to their task, for disobedience could mean death for them. Even if the disciples could have defeated the Roman soldiers, Eusebius (263-339 CE) points out the absurdity of the thought that the disciples would lie about the resurrection: “Let us band together to invent all the miracles and resurrection appearances that we never saw and let us carry the shame even to death. Why not die for nothing? And even if we don’t convince anybody, at least we’ll have the satisfaction of drawing down on ourselves the punishment for our own deceit.”
“Maybe the body was eaten by carrion birds and wild dogs.”
–This is a recently published theory by John Dominic Crossan. But Joseph of Arimethea is recorded as having buried the body. Also, the disciples were recorded as seeing Jesus after the crucifixion, alive. For the body to have been eaten by carrion birds, the disciples would have to be lying. If they were, why is it that no one during their lifetime refuted their claims? Also, as Eusebius already aptly pointed out, why would the disciples die for a lie?
“Maybe the Jewish leaders or the Romans removed the body.”
–If the Jewish leaders had Jesus’ body, they could have produced it to refute the resurrection. Rather, they had enlisted the Roman guard to prevent the body from being stolen. Why would the Romans remove the body? Pilate had given it to Joseph of Arimethea to bury and had posted a guard to keep it in the tomb. Besides, Jesus appeared alive at least ten times. An empty tomb is not the only evidence of the resurrection.
“Maybe the whole New Testament is a myth written by later generations.”
–The evidence for Jesus as an historical figure and for Paul and the early church is overwhelming. No serious historian disputes it. There are fragments of the Gospel of John from 125 CE. Second century historians like Thallus had already referred to Jesus as historical. Some scholars dispute it, but many agree that Josephus, a first century historian refers to Jesus as historical. The greatest evidence is the church, which by 319 CE was poised to spread to the whole Roman world and was already an ancient religion by that time.
“Maybe the gospels manufacture some of the evidence to be more convincing.”
–The disciples were so convinced of the resurrection, that they died torturous deaths. Why would they do that if they weren’t convinced beyond a doubt? Not only were they convinced, but they became a force which changed the world. They were empowered by this truth of which they were convinced!
This is the testimony of the Orthodox Jewish scholar, Pinchas Lapide, who believes in the resurrection, but does not accept that Jesus is the Messiah:
“When these peasants, shepherds, and fishermen, who betrayed and denied their master and then failed him miserably, suddenly could be changed overnight into a confident mission society convinced of salvation and able to work with much more success after Easter than before Easter, then no vision or hallucination is sufficient to explain such a revolutionary transformation. Thus, according to my opinion, the resurrection of Jesus belongs in the category of the truly real and effective occurrences. Without a fact of history, there is no true act of faith.” — The Resurrection of Jesus: A Jewish Perspective