Tracing the Footsteps of the Resurrection: Historical Evidence
Updated: Aug 9, 2024
I remember going to church as a kid, especially on Easter Sunday. I believed Jesus was the Son of God but had no knowledge of the historical evidence for the resurrection. In the spirit of Easter, I figured I'd answer five notable objections to the resurrection.
Objection 1: The Apostles fabricated the resurrection.
The disciples of Jesus had promised to die for him (Matt. 26:35), but when he was arrested, they fled (Matt. 26:56), and Peter denied him three times (Luke 22:54-62). However, after Jesus' resurrection, Peter and John were arrested and questioned by the high priest family and Sanhedrin for preaching the resurrection (Acts 4:1-6). They testified that they had healed the lame beggar through Jesus' power, whom they crucified but then rose from the dead (verse 10). Despite being forbidden to preach, they insisted they couldn't help but speak of what they had seen and heard and were eventually released (verses 20-22). Later, the Apostles were arrested again (Acts 5:18) but firmly doubled down on their message (verses 28-32) and were beaten and left rejoicing through their shame and preaching every day afterward (verses 41-42). They were excommunicated from the synagogue (John 12:42), meaning their community shunned them, possibly including family, and thus banned them from all Jewish business and socio-religious life activities. And they risked being excluded from the Messianic Kingdom. Many became martyrs, including James of Zebedee (Acts 12:2) and likely Paul (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
Objection 2: The Apostles hallucinated.
Hallucinations were acknowledged in ancient times, even during grief. The disciples saw Jesus walking on water, mistaking him for a ghost (Matthew 14:26), and the same thing occurred after his death (Luke 24:36-51). In other words, had it just been a hallucination, it would affirm the fact he was still dead. Some suggest it was a mass hysteria (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), but the absence of cultural and social expectations eliminates that possibility (John 20:19). Hallucinations also tend to occur in individual minds.
Objection 3: Jesus didn't die but fell unconscious, woke up, and left the tomb.
Roman crucifixion was a gruesome punishment in ancient times. The flogging (Mark 15:15) entailed a whip with braided straps of jagged pieces of glass, metal, and bone fragments, shredding the human body, which alone would cause horrific shock and blood loss. Jesus was given a weaved crown of thorns (John 19:2), with very long thorns stabbing into the scalp, causing significant blood loss. A soldier stabbed Jesus' side (verses 34), causing blood and water to flow out. A description of pleural or pericardial effusion. The spear likely pierced the vena cava, aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, or the very heart, which is a definitive death blow. Medically speaking, Jesus indeed died on the cross. One may ask, "How could Jesus be God if he died?" Jesus was God from eternity (John 1:1-3); all things were made through him and became incarnated in the flesh (verses 14), meaning his human nature died, but his divine nature and soul didn't.
Objection 4: The four Gospels were written in 70 AD or later, which means that the resurrection was a legend developed decades or even centuries after Jesus’ crucifixion.
The book of Acts doesn't mention the Seige of Jerusalem and the Temple's Destruction, which happened in 66 to 70 AD, despite Jesus foretelling it in Mark 13:14-18. Therefore, it was likely written before 70 AD. Luke (1:1-2) came before Acts, and 1 Corinthians 11:24 (53-55 AD) likely quotes Luke 22:19, "Do this in remembrance of me." Matthew and Mark likely came before the Gospel of Luke, as he needed to write an "orderly" account of Jesus' life (Luke 1:1-3) and quote many of the same events in those Gospels.
Objection 5: The disciples stole Jesus' body to create the appearance of a resurrection.
The Roman guards who were watching Jesus' tomb reported his missing body to the chief priests. The priests bribed the guards to claim they were sleeping when the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15). Some argue that the guards were not Roman soldiers, but this is unlikely because the priests told them they would handle Pilate if needed, which wouldn't be necessary if the guards weren't Romans. It's also unlikely that Roman soldiers would have been intimidated by ordinary Jewish citizens without causing severe injuries or death.
Of course, there were many other objections I could have included, but I had to stop somewhere. I hope I have given you some starting points to help you understand how to answer people's questions. Are any of these objections possibly true? Could fabricating the resurrection conjure such a radical transformation in the Apostles? Could 500+ people have hallucinated Jesus' resurrection for 40 days straight (Acts 1:3)? As J Warner Wallace says, the better question is not whether such hypotheses are possible but are reasonable. In short, none of these objections are reasonable. J Warner Wallace also wrote a book, "Cold Case Christianity," which I reviewed in a previous article. Now let us rejoice significantly in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!
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