5: The Resurrection Happened

Honorable Burial

1. multiple, early, independent sources say he was buried in a known marked tomb (1 Cor. 15.4, Mark 15.46, John 19.42)
2. Joseph of Arimathea is unlikely to be a Christian invention since he is not one of the disciples, but a member of the Sanhedrin, the very body that condemned Jesus
3. no competing burial story exists (even enemies never claimed a common grave or that Joseph’s grave was inaccurate)

Empty Tomb

1. several independent sources attest to empty tomb (Mark 16.6, Luke 24.5/Acts 13.29-31, John 20.2)
2. a movement founded on Jesus’ resurrection could not get far if his body was still in a known tomb…otherwise early opponents could just bring Jesus’ corpse out disproving resurrection
3. that women first discovered the empty tomb is unlikely a Christian invention since Josephus tells us women weren’t even allowed to serve as legal witnesses in a court of law
4. the Gospels lack marks of legendary development and theologizing in the resurrection narratives (cp. to Gospel of Peter)
5. the earliest Jewish polemic, “His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep” (Matthew 28.13) presupposes an empty tomb

Appearances

1. the early creed of 1 Cor. 15.3-7 contains a list of eyewitnesses
2. the Gospel appearance narratives contain earmarks of eyewitness testimony and their divergences exclude the possibility of collusion
3. that the disciples failed to anticipate or believe in Jesus’ resurrection even after they found out about the empty tomb is unlikely to be a Christian invention
4. James & Paul both did not believe in Jesus as Messiah, but became leaders in the church after they claimed they saw him

Resurrection Belief

1. belief that God raised Jesus from the dead is unlikely to be a Christian invention because it diverged from expectations
2. the disciples so strongly believed in Jesus’ resurrection that they were willing to die for it even though they knew if it was true or not
3. without a resurrection belief it’s impossible to explain how a Jewish sect could launch a faith in a crucified messiah
4. the disciples lack motives to lie about the resurrection (they didn’t get money, women, power, protection, or fame w/in their lifetimes)