Introduction
For hundreds and hundreds of years one of the most frequently asked questions not only by Christians but also by others, has been is there evidence for the resurrection of Jesus? Usually the next question that is asked is where can I find this evidence? In my report titled, “The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus”, I will provide you with content that will support the resurrection of Jesus Christ. First, I will provide you with records, of both Christian and non-Christians that support the crucifixion of Jesus. These records will include writings from, not only the Bible but also writings from the historian Flavius Josephus as well as many other non-Christian sources. Second, I will show you where to find documentation of claims from eyewitnesses, historical writings, and the records of whose lives were changed and how they were changed after Jesus had appeared to them, risen from the dead. Thirdly, I will discuss the early leaders of the church and their willingness to suffer in order to spread the word of God. By reading this report it will provide you with the necessary resources to effectively make a case in support of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Facts
In the next several paragraphs I will provide you with important historical information that will build a strong case for the resurrection of Jesus on just a few facts. These few facts are backed by so much evidence that it is extremely difficult to disagree with them.
Accounts of the Crucifixion
Crucifixion was a normal form of execution performed by the Romans at the time of Jesus’ death. Jesus’ execution by crucifixion is recorded in all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). There were also a number of non-Christian sources of that time that recorded the crucifixion as well. Josephus, The Talmud, and Tacitus are the three clearest references to Jesus outside of the New Testament.
Josephus
In his writings called “The Antiquities of the Jews”, Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian wrote:
“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at first did not forsake him: for he appeared to them alive again on the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”
This passage definitely lines up with the four gospels but there are scholars that believe that this passage may have been altered by Christian scribes. Schlomo Pines reconstructed this passage to look more like this:
“At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was good and he was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”
This reconstruction is not as powerful as the first passage but still confirms the basic story of Jesus and his disciples including accounts of the crucifixion.
The Talmud
The Talmud is a collection of Jewish writings that include interpretations of the law, anecdotes, historical references, parables, and also additional information. Like the writings of Josephus the Talmud also makes mention of Jesus. In “The Babylonian Talmud” it is written as follows:
“On the eve of the Passover Yeshu 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. Any one who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.” But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover!”
Like the writings of Josephus the writings in the Talmud also line up with the Gospels. There are only two main differences from the Gospels. The first is that the Talmud claims that a herald asked for any supporter of Jesus to come forward and plead on his behalf. The second is that the Talmud uses negative terms for the miracles that Jesus performed which are also in the Gospels only there they are described as miracles. These differences are minor and do not take anything away from the evidence of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Tacitus
In his writings titled “The Annals” The Roman historian Tacitus wrote:
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt 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, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind.”
The writings of Tacitus also line up with the Gospels in support of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Conversion of James
First in Mark 3:21, 3:31, 6:3-4, and John 7:5 it is written that Jesus’ brothers, including James, were unbelievers during his ministry. Then in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 it is written that after Jesus had risen he had appeared to James. Subsequently, as you can read in Acts 15:12-21 and Galatians 1:19, James is later identified as a leader in the church. Not only did James convert to Christianity, he also died because of his beliefs. This is attested in both Christian and non-Christian sources (Josephus, Hegesippus, and Clement of Alexandria). James’ conversion to Christianity is extraordinary since it is based on primary evidence.
The Conversion of Paul
Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus was known to persecute Christians before converting to Christianity himself. Skeptics are quick to comment that Paul’s conversion is no big deal because people convert from one set of beliefs to another often. However, Paul’s conversion is different because people are usually converted due to hearing the message from a secondary source, Paul’s conversion occurred because of a personal appearance of a risen Jesus. Like James, Paul’s conversion to Christianity is extraordinary since it is based on primary evidence.
Belief and Willingness to Suffer
As can be found in the book of Acts and in the writings of Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Tertullian, Origen, and Eusebius the disciples were willing to suffer and die for their belief that Jesus had risen and then appeared to them. Peter and Paul both suffered and died horrible deaths as it is written here by Tertullian:
“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 Caesars: 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.”
Peter and Paul were well aware that by publicly proclaiming Jesus as risen Lord suffering and the possibility of death were inevitable. Even with the knowledge of the probable consequences they still continued to publicly proclaim Jesus which displayed their willingness to suffer and even die for the belief that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them.
The Empty Tomb
Jesus was publicly executed in Jerusalem, the same place where Jesus’ after death appearances and the empty tomb were first publicly proclaimed. The rise of Christianity would have never happened if Jesus’ body remained in the tomb. The Jewish authorities strongly opposed Christianity and they were willing to go to any length to suppress it. The Jews would have had an easy time doing this if they had Christ’s body. Therefore if there was a body the Jew’s would have been determined to get it in order to destroy Christianity. Anything other than an empty tomb would eliminate the case for the resurrection. According to both Christian and non-Christian sources (Matthew 28:12-13, Justin Martyr, Trypho 108, Tertullian, De Spectatulis 30) the tomb was empty.
Conclusion
This report has presented evidence to support the resurrection of Jesus using just a few facts. Many of the references that were used in this report were from non-Christian sources. By presenting the writings of non-Christians the facts can not be immediately denied because of one’s rejection of Christianity or the Bible. By presenting these facts in this way I am attempting to show evidence in support of the resurrection of Jesus without showing any bias.
The facts presented in this report provide compelling evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. The content of this report provides documentation of claims from eyewitnesses, historical writings, and the records of whose lives were changed and how they were changed after Jesus had appeared to them, risen from the dead. Now that this report has provided you with the historical records to effectively make a case in support of the resurrection of Jesus Christ you can answer the question: Is there evidence for the resurrection of Jesus?
Bibliography
_ _ _. The New Complete Works of Flavius Josephus. Trans. William Whiston. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999.
Habermas, Gary R. and Licona, Michael R. The Case for the Resurrection of JESUS. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004.
Kreeft, Peter and Tacelli, Ronald K. Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Corduan, Winfried. NO DOUBT About It – The Case for Christianity. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997.
_ _ _. New Men’s Devotional Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 2006. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
_ _ _. Death and resurrection of Jesus. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_Resurrection_of_Jesus
Habermas, Gary R. The Truth And the Comfort of the Resurrection. http://www.garyhabermas.com/articles/decision_mag/dec_truth_comfort_res_2000-04.htm.An edited version of this article was published in Decision, vol. 41, no. 4 (April 2000), pp. 8-10
Licona, Mike. Did Jesus Rise From the Dead. http://www.risenjesus.com/
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