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Evidence for Jesus and His Resurrection How we can know that Christianity is true

2016 Auxanō Series

Scripture to Consider (ESV) Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)

Today’s Agenda 1. 2.

The reliability of the Resurrection accounts of Scripture Evidence outside the Bible for Jesus’ earthly existence

Most Important Apologetic of them All ➢

The resurrection of Christ is not an apologetic, it’s the apologetic ○

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV)

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There is no other claim of Christianity more attacked or more defended than that of the historic, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ

Attacks on the Historicity Resurrection ●

What things have you heard unbelievers say against the resurrection? ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Disciples stole the body Someone other than the disciples stole the body Swoon theory (Jesus only fell unconscious on the cross and was revived in the tomb) Made up story The disciples had the wrong tomb Myth that developed later over time Disciples hallucinated Miracles just don’t happen

Five Reasons that Support the Resurrection as a Historical Event According to Gary Habermas & Michael Licona in their book The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Multiple, independent sources support the historical claims of the N.T. Attestation by an enemy supports its historical claims Embarrassing admissions support historical claims Eyewitness testimony supports historical claims Early testimony supports historical claims

1. Multiple, independent sources support historical claims of N.T. ●

Why do police look for more than one eyewitness to a crime or accident? ○

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Because more than one independent source testifying to the same event strongly indicates the historicity (historical accuracy) of that event

There are four different gospel accounts that all speak of the Resurrection There are other writers in the N.T. who also discuss the appearances of the risen Christ ○ ○

Paul on the road to Damascus 500 at once (1 Corinthians 15:6)

2. Attestation by an enemy supports its historical claims ●

Why do police seek out the testimony of witnesses who are friends/family with the accused criminal? ○

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Because if they can get a friend/family member to testify against the accused, then their testimony is likely to be unbiased since they wouldn’t profit from it

Paul and James were not believing disciples in Jesus and yet they later testify to seeing the risen Lord There are extra-biblical accounts (from non-Christians) that mention the disciples believing in the risen Jesus

3. Embarrassing admissions support historical claims ●

What would police think of the testimony of a driver who admits to having been drinking after getting pulled over? ○

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Details that are included in the testimony of the event that might embarrass its cause by “weakening” its position with opponents tend to lend to that testimony’s authenticity

Admissions of not recognizing Jesus in some of His appearances Women are the first to see Jesus risen Some disciples initially doubted (like Thomas)

4. Eyewitness testimony supports historical claims ●

Is it acceptable in court to only bring in people to testify who only heard what the eyewitnesses said they saw? ○

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Eyewitness accounts are almost always stronger than secondhand accounts

Many of the writings in the N.T. come from the actual eyewitnesses of the risen Jesus, just because they believed in Jesus as Messiah does not invalidate what they claimed to have seen for themselves (2 Peter 1:16)

5. Early testimony supports historical claims ●

Let’s say that within two years of an auto accident accident, multiple eyewitnesses in court tell what they saw and a verdict is reached. Then 30 years later someone comes along and says they saw one driver stage the whole thing in order to kill the other driver. Will this be believed? ○

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The closer to the time between the event and the testimony of it, the more reliable and less exaggerated the testimony is likely to be

All accounts were written within the lifetime of those that were there to see the Resurrection ○

This is unlike much of what we see written from antiquity, and yet we still believe that people like Alexander the Great and other famous figures from the past lived and did many things despite the accounts of them being written hundreds of years later

Additional Evidences to Consider The following can help us talk to a questioner or skeptic about Jesus’ resurrection: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Jesus was killed by crucifixion Jesus’ followers believed that He rose and appeared to them Paul, a Christian-persecutor, was converted James, the skeptical brother, was converted Jesus’ tomb was empty Transformation in the disciples

1. Jesus was killed by crucifixion ➢

We can trust the reliability of the Bible’s account of this event ○

Biblical writers recorded this very early by ancient standards

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Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian, Bar-Serapian and the Talmud all record this event as a historical event ■

John Dominic Crossan, a famous liberal and skeptical Bible scholar, admits that Jesus’ death under Pontius Pilate is as sure as historical as anything can be

2. Jesus’ disciples believed He rose & appeared ➢ ➢

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1 Corinthians 15 & all gospels except for Mark mention the appearances Jesus appeared to hundreds ○

Jesus appeared to over 500 in 1 Corinthians 15:6, many of whom would still be alive when Paul wrote that account, it cannot be a hallucination or group trance

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Jesus ate food and Thomas touched the risen Savior’s wounds and believed, this was not a “spiritual” resurrection

Many of the disciples went to their death proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection ○

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This is a huge apologetic: who is going to die for proclaiming a message they did not think is actually real or a lie that they made up?

For Jewish followers to believe someone rose from the dead at that time, it would take something radical to happen

2. Jesus’ disciples believed He rose & appeared N.T. Wright makes the point: ➢

Resurrection was a doctrine in Judaism, but only one among many doctrines ○ ○ ○

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It meant something very specific, not merely “visions” of someone after they have died Pharisees believed it wouldn’t happen until the end of the world Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrections

Early Christianity (almost all initial believers were Jews) made resurrection the focal point doctrine Something must have actually happened in order to cause this doctrine to be believed in a Jewish context

3. Paul, a Christian-persecutor, was converted ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

It is well attested historically that Paul (Saul) had been a persecutor of the first Christians Paul was not close to or sympathetic to Jesus, so he could not have been a candidate for having a “grief hallucination” of Jesus on the road Paul was intelligent (ever read his works?) and not likely to be easily duped He suffered greatly for the change he experienced after converting ○

What can best explain such an amazing change from being a hostile skeptic to a willing martyr?

4. James, the skeptical brother, was converted ➢

James is a half-brother of Jesus ○ ○

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Siblings are likely candidates to believe in the greatness or uniqueness of siblings, “familiarity breeds contempt” See Mark 6:3-4, John 7:5, and Mark 3:21

Jesus appeared to James after He resurrected (1 Cor. 15:7) Became the leader of the church in Jerusalem ○ ○

He knows what his brother looks and sounds like, he had to have seen Jesus in order to be so convinced as to become a leader in the movement that proclaimed Jesus was alive Tradition has it that James was martyred

5. Jesus’ tomb was empty ➢ ➢ ➢

The followers who saw the risen Jesus likely would have checked the tomb out of curiosity to verify He wasn’t still in there Others outside the disciples would have also checked the tomb upon hearing stories about Jesus’ resurrection There are no records from any ancient sources claiming that the tomb still had a body ○

The enemies of Christianity would have certainly checked the tomb and if they had found a body could have easily ended Christianity right then and there

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The empty tomb had to be explained: therefore, stories were invented and floated around that the body was moved or stolen (see Matthew 28:13)

5. Jesus’ tomb was empty ➢

Ancient Jewish burial practices: clear imperative to bury the dead regardless of wealth or criminality (a dead body not buried defiled the land God gave them) ○ ○ ○ ○

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So Jesus would not have simply been thrown in a ditch The disciples would have known exactly where this burial took place (the women visit) The Pharisees knew the location, that is why it was sealed and guarded This throws out the hypothesis that the disciples had the wrong tomb

Joseph of Arimathea ○ ○

Accounted by all four gospels as the one who donated his personal tomb to Jesus Sanhedrin member, one of the counsels responsible for sending Jesus to the cross

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Why was this narrative included? Not likely that the gospel writers, who would be ideologically opposed to the Sanhedrin, would make up a story about one of the Sanhedrin members being sympathetic to Jesus unless it actually happened

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Non-biblical Jewish sources make note: Sanhedrin had the duty to bury executed criminals: the Jewish authorities would know where Jesus was buried

5. Jesus’ tomb was empty ➢

The first eyewitnesses according the gospel accounts of the Resurrection at the tomb were women ○

A woman’s testimony in that culture was not viewed as valid

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If the story was made up and the goal was to get people to actually believe it, who would add into the story that the first eyewitnesses were people whose testimonies were not appreciated or generally trusted?

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There are no accounts in history that claim that Jesus was buried in any other way than what the gospels say There was no known veneration of the tomb by any followers because Jesus’ body was no longer there

6. Transformation in the disciples ➢

The disciples were changed from doubters to bold proclaimers ○

What best explains how deniers and doubters at Jesus’ arrest and even when He first rose again changed into people who willingly underwent persecution to present the message of Christ?

“Minimal Facts Approach” ➢

The previous arguments are part of what Gary Habermas calls the minimal facts approach ○ ○ ○

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These bare minimum things are strongly evidenced for and almost all scholars/historians (liberal, skeptical, conservative, and believing alike) would accept as historically accurate They do not go on to make theological statements There are actually more “minimal facts” than those that have been listed here

What do you think might be advantageous in using a minimalist approach with a questioning friend? ○

Most people would respect things that are generally agreed upon as historically accurate, so it gives us some things to work with that a person cannot truly refute with any evidence

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Protects you from having to defend any theological positions which is difficult if you are dealing with someone who by default already rejects Christianity’s theological claims!

N.T. Wright further goes on to explain that from analyzing the historic data, there are two conclusions that must be made: 1) 2)

There must have been an empty tomb, the correct one in which Jesus was laid, that people knew about Jesus made appearances to people after His death

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Why? ○

Because, if not, then everyone at that time would have came to the conclusion that people must have stolen the body (tomb theft was common then)

Other Arguments for the Validity of the Resurrection to Think Through ➢

Jesus appeared to people for 40 days ○

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The changed lives of the disciples (take Peter, for just an example) ○

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Why would this be important? How can this be evidence for the resurrection?

The fact that a small persecuted and ostracized sect of Judaism, whose leader was killed off, exploded into the world movement it did ○

How can this be explained?

Learn the common objections! ●

Now with what we were just presented, how can we respond to the attacks mentioned earlier? ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Disciples stole the body Someone other than the disciples stole the body Swoon theory (Jesus only fell unconscious on the cross and was revived in the tomb) Made up story The disciples had the wrong tomb Myth that developed later over time Disciples hallucinated Miracles just don’t happen

What happens if you do not know the answer? ●

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If someone asks you a question or presents a challenge to the resurrection you have never heard before, what should you do? ○

Wing it? Nah...

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Be honest, admit that you do not know the answer and ask them if you can look into it and get back to them ■ What are the benefits of this honest approach?

Habermas & Licona suggest a two-step approach 1.

Ask yourself whether or not this objection would actually refute Jesus’ resurrection if true, if it doesn’t, then let your skeptical friend know

2.

Reflect on the minimal facts approach and see if any of the minimal facts (that you hopefully already presented) remain unexplained if the skeptic’s claim is true

Avoid red herrings, stay on topic of Jesus’ resurrection ○

Example: “Yeah, but the four gospels were not written by the people that have their names on them, so claiming that the original disciples taught that Jesus rose from the grave cannot be supported.” Take the minimal facts approach!

For Further Info on the Resurrection ➢

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, by Gary Habermas & Michael Licona ○

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Much of the information from this lecture came from this book!

RisenJesus.com (Michael Licona’s ministry website)

If someone were to ask you... ●

How would you respond to a non-Christian if that person asked you, “what is your evidence that Christianity is true?”

Persuasive Evidence? There is compelling evidence that the New Testament is historically reliable (more so than any other document in antiquity) ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

Internal consistency of eyewitness accounts Inclusion of embarrassing events to the writers Documents were written within the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses No ancient document has more manuscript copies than the N.T.

But, is there any evidence of Jesus outside the Bible and does it corroborate with the biblical account? The answer is: yes!

Non-Christian Accounts of Jesus Cold case detective J. Warner Wallace catalogues a number of pagan and Jewish accounts from the ancient world that mention details about Jesus or early Christians that line up with what is taught in the N.T. ➢ ➢

These accounts are mostly written from perspectives that are hostile towards Christianity Although some of their interpretations of the events differ from Scripture, the accounts nonetheless affirm the evidence recorded in the N.T.

Wallace’s website http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/is-there-any-evidence-for-jesus-outside-the-bible/

How it Works...Here’s an Analogy ➢ ➢ ●

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Let’s say we record a video of us talking about the life of Abraham Lincoln 1,000 years from now someone discovers this video and watches Since that person has no direct sources of info available about Abe, should that person conclude that it’s possible or even likely that Abe Lincoln never existed? Of course not, we are only 150 years removed from Lincoln’s life and we are discussing from our knowledge which comes either by direct sources from Lincoln’s time period or by contemporary sources which have access to the direct info from the 1800’s (such as a scholarly a textbook) The non-Christian sources about Jesus tend to come from either the late 1st century or early 2nd century

Thallus (52 AD) In 221 AD Julius Africanus quoted something ancient Greek historian Thallus wrote around 52 AD: “On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls, as appears to me without reason, an eclipse of the sun.” (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18:1)

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Thallus’ original writings are lost, but Africanus was quoting Thallus in order to argue against some of the things he wrote ○

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Chances are that Africanus wouldn’t make up what Thallus wrote in order to argue against him!

What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Tacitus (56-120 AD) Cornelius Tacitus is among the most trusted ancient historians. He wrote about Nero’s response to a large fire that damaged Rome, blaming the Christians for it: “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 centre and become popular.”

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Mara Bar-Serapion (70 AD) Bar-Serapion was a Syrian philosopher writing to encourage his son, discussing how great philosophers were persecuted: “What benefit did the Athenians obtain by putting Socrates to death? Famine and plague came upon them as judgment for their crime. Or, the people of Samos for burning Pythagoras? In one moment their country was covered with sand. Or the Jews by murdering their wise king?…After that their kingdom was abolished. God rightly avenged these men…The wise king…Lived on in the teachings he enacted.”

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Pliny the Younger (61-113 AD) Pliny the Younger wrote to Roman emperor Trajan and described the behavior of early Christians as such: “They (the Christians) were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food—but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.”

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Lucian of Samosata: (115-200 AD) Lucian was a Greek satirist who sarcastically wrote of Christians: “The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account….You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property.” (Lucian, The Death of Peregrine. 11-13)

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Celsus: (175 AD) Celsus was a writer antagonistic towards the Christian gospel, but ironically affirmed a lot of the content in the N.T., even alluding to 80 different quotes from the Bible: “Jesus had come from a village in Judea, and was the son of a poor Jewess who gained her living by the work of her own hands. His mother had been turned out of doors by her husband, who was a carpenter by trade, on being convicted of adultery [with a soldier named Panthéra (i.32)]. Being thus driven away by her husband, and wandering about in disgrace, she gave birth to Jesus, a bastard. Jesus, on account of his poverty, was hired out to go to Egypt. While there he acquired certain (magical) powers which Egyptians pride themselves on possessing. He returned home highly elated at possessing these powers, and on the strength of them gave himself out to be a god.”

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Josephus (37-101 AD) Josephus was a Jewish historian born four years after the crucifixion. In his “Antiquities of the Jews” from 93 AD he wrote three passages dealing with Jesus and His followers (including the deaths of John the Baptist & James): “Now around this time lived Jesus, a wise man. For he was a worker of amazing deeds and was a teacher of people who gladly accept the truth. He won over both many Jews and many Greeks. Pilate, when he heard him accused by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, (but) those who had first loved him did not cease (doing so). To this day the tribe of Christians named after him has not disappeared” ➢

Controversy about Christians later editing Josephus’ original words, but this version is likely accurate ○ This neutral reconstruction follows closely the one proposed by John Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: The Roots of the Problem and the Person)

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Jewish Talmud (400-700 AD) Though the Jewish Talmud is from the 400’s, it indicates that the Rabbinic tradition faithfully transmitted the writings of Jewish Rabbis from the 1st and 2nd century. There are several passages discussing Jesus: “It was taught: On the day before the Passover they hanged Jesus. A herald went before him for forty days (proclaiming), ‘He will be stoned, because he practiced magic and enticed Israel to go astray. Let anyone who knows anything in his favor come forward and plead for him.’ But nothing was found in his favor, and they hanged him on the day before the Passover.” (b. Sanhedrin 43a)

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible?

Jewish Talmud (400-700 AD) “Jesus practiced magic and led Israel astray” (b. Sanhedrin 43a; cf. t. Shabbat 11.15; b. Shabbat 104b)

“Rabbi Hisda (d. 309) said that Rabbi Jeremiah bar Abba said, ‘What is that which is written, ‘No evil will befall you, nor shall any plague come near your house’? (Psalm 91:10)… ‘No evil will befall you’ (means) that evil dreams and evil thoughts will not tempt you; ‘nor shall any plague come near your house’ (means) that you will not have a son or a disciple who burns his food like Jesus of Nazareth.” (b. Sanhedrin 103a; cf. b. Berakhot 17b)

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What in these passages agree with the Bible?

Jewish Talmud (400-700 AD) “Our rabbis have taught that Jesus had five disciples: Matthai, Nakai, Nezer, Buni and Todah. They brought Matthai to (to trial). He said, ‘Must Matthai be killed? For it is written, ‘When (mathai) shall I come and appear before God?’” (Psalm 92:2) They said to him, “Yes Matthai must be killed, for it is written, ‘When (mathai) he dies his name will perish’” (Psalm 41:5). They brought Nakai. He said to them, “Must Nakai be killed? For it is written, “The innocent (naqi) and the righteous will not slay’” (Exodus 23:7). They said to him, “Yes, Nakai must be killed, for it is written, ‘In secret places he slays the innocent (naqi)’” (Psalm 10:8). (b. Sanhedrin 43a; the passage continues in a similar way for Nezer, Buni and Todah)

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What in that passage agrees with the Bible? There are more examples than what we have covered available on the Cold Case Christianity website

J.W. Wallace’s Summary of Non-Christian Accounts of Jesus ➢ ➢ ➢

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Jesus was born and lived in Palestine Was claimed to be born to a virgin and an earthly father who was a carpenter Was a teacher who taught that followers can become brothers & sisters through repentance & belief Had unusual magical powers and performed miraculous things, healed people Was a wise man and claimed to be God and Messiah Accurately predicted the future Was persecuted by Jewish leadership for what He said Was betrayed by Judah Iskarioto

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Was beaten with rods, forced to wear a crown of thorns and drink vinegar Was crucified on the eve of Passover & it occurred under Pontius Pilate’s watch The sky was darkened & an earthquake occurred during the crucifixion He was buried in a tomb which was later found to be empty He appeared to His disciples after He died and showed them His wounds His followers told other Jews about His resurrection & ascension into heaven Disciples live by a high moral code, one of them was Matthai Followers worshiped Jesus, were martyred without changing their claims

Did Jesus Exist? Perhaps the world’s most prominent scholarly critic of Christianity, Bart Ehrman, readily admits that the evidence is conclusive that Jesus Christ existed and that we can be sure of it

Did Jesus Exist? One Final Encouragement “Today it is widely agreed that the gospels are valuable historical sources for the life of Jesus and that the proper context for understanding the gospels is not mythology, but Palestinian Judaism. It is widely agreed that the historical Jesus stood and spoke in the place of God Himself, proclaimed the advent of the Kingdom of God, and carried out a ministry of miracle-working and exorcisms as signs of that Kingdom. I find it tremendously gratifying to see that the movement of New Testament scholarship as a whole is in the direction of confirming the traditional understanding of Jesus as portrayed in the gospels.” --William Lane Craig, Christian philosopher and apologist Read more: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/presuppositions-and-pretensions-of-the-jesus-seminar#ixzz4HikEJpjG

Recommended Apologetics Resources CARM (carm.org) - General apologetics answers for a wide range of topics Stand to Reason (phone app, podcast, str.org) - apologetics articles, radio show, training in how to have apologetics/evangelism conversations Apologetics.com (podcast and website) - covers many topics, includes an online forum for people to participate and ask or answer questions; their radio show podcast is highly recommended! Be Thinking (bethinking.org) - articles and audio messages that address a large number of apologetics issues, resources are offered at introductory, intermediate, or advanced levels Cold Case Christianity (coldcasechristianity.com) - a well-known cold case detective applies his skills to apologetics Reasons to Believe (phone app, reasons.org) - science apologetics; articles , audio, and videos Reasonable Faith (phone app, podcast, reasonablefaith.org) - apologetics for a variety of topics, has a bit more of an academic approach Cross Examined (phone app, podcast, crossexamined.org) - radio show, videos, articles, addressing many apologetics issues The Poached Egg (thepoachedegg.net) - great blog section that addresses many different apologetics topics and questions, updated regularly