Evidence for the Resurrection by Josh McDowell

[Guest guest]

Evidence for the Resurrection

 

" The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of the background

against which the resurrection took place. The body of Jesus, in

accordance with Jewish burial custom, was wrapped in a linen cloth.

About 100 pounds of aromatic spices, mixed together to form a gummy

substance, were applied to the wrappings of cloth about the body.

After the body was placed in a solid rock tomb, an extremely large

stone was rolled against the entrance of the tomb. Large stones

weighing approximately two tons were normally rolled (by means of

levers) against a tomb entrance.

 

A Roman guard of strictly disciplined fighting men was stationed to

guard the tomb. This guard affixed on the tomb the Roman seal, which

was meant to " prevent any attempt at vandalizing the sepulcher.

Anyone trying to move the stone from the tomb's entrance would have

broken the seal and thus incurred the wrath of Roman law.

 

But three days later the tomb was empty. The followers of Jesus said

He had risen from the dead. They reported that He appeared to them

during a period of 40 days, showing Himself to them by

many " infallible proofs. " Paul the apostle recounted that Jesus

appeared to more than 500 of His followers at one time, the majority

of whom were still alive and who could confirm what Paul wrote. So

many security precautions were taken with the trial, crucifixion,

burial, entombment, sealing, and guarding of Christ's tomb that it

becomes very difficult for critics to defend their position that

Christ did not rise from the dead. Consider these facts:

 

FACT #1: BROKEN ROMAN SEAL

 

As we have said, the first obvious fact was the breaking of the seal

that stood for the power and authority of the Roman Empire. The

consequences of breaking the seal were extremely severe. The FBI and

CIA of the Roman Empire were called into action to find the man or

men who were responsible. If they were apprehended, it meant

automatic execution by crucifixion upside down. People feared the

breaking of the seal. Jesus' disciples displayed signs of cowardice

when they hid themselves. Peter, one of these disciples, went out

and denied Christ three times.

 

FACT #2: EMPTY TOMB

 

As we have already discussed, another obvious fact after the

resurrection was the empty tomb. The disciples of Christ did not go

off to Athens or Rome to preach that Christ was raised from the

dead. Rather, they went right back to the city of Jerusalem, where,

if what they were teaching was false, the falsity would be evident.

The empty tomb was " too notorious to be denied. " Paul Althaus states

that the resurrection " could have not been maintained in Jerusalem

for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb

had not been established as a fact for all concerned. "

 

Both Jewish and Roman sources and traditions admit an empty tomb.

Those resources range from Josephus to a compilation of fifth-

century Jewish writings called the " Toledoth Jeshu. " Dr. Paul Maier

calls this " positive evidence from a hostile source, which is the

strongest kind of historical evidence. In essence, this means that

if a source admits a fact decidedly not in its favor, then that fact

is genuine. "

 

Gamaliel, who was a member of the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin,

put forth the suggestion that the rise of the Christian movement was

God's doing; he could not have done that if the tomb were still

occupied, or if the Sanhedrin knew the whereabouts of Christ's body.

 

Paul Maier observes that " . . . if all the evidence is weighed

carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable, according to the

canons of historical research, to conclude that the sepulcher of

Joseph of Arimathea, in which Jesus was buried, was actually empty

on the morning of the first Easter. And no shred of evidence has yet

been discovered in literary sources, epigraphy, or archaeology that

would disprove this statement. "

 

 

FACT #3: LARGE STONE MOVED

 

On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who

approached the tomb was the unusual position of the one and a half

to two ton stone that had been lodged in front of the doorway. All

the Gospel writers mention it.

 

 

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There exists no document from the ancient world, witnessed by so

excellent a set of textual and historical testimonies . . .

Skepticism regarding the historical credentials of Christianity is

based upon an irrational bias.

 

Clark Pinnock

Mcmaster University

 

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Those who observed the stone after the resurrection describe its

position as having been rolled up a slope away not just from the

entrance of the tomb, but from the entire massive sepulcher. It was

in such a position that it looked as if it had been picked up and

carried away. Now, I ask you, if the disciples had wanted to come

in, tiptoe around the sleeping guards, and then roll the stone over

and steal Jesus' body, how could they have done that without the

guards' awareness?

 

 

FACT #4: ROMAN GUARD GOES AWOL

 

The Roman guards fled. They left their place of responsibility. How

can their attrition he explained, when Roman military discipline was

so exceptional? Justin, in Digest #49, mentions all the offenses

that required the death penalty. The fear of their superiors' wrath

and the possibility of death meant that they paid close attention to

the minutest details of their jobs. One way a guard was put to death

was by being stripped of his clothes and then burned alive in a fire

started with his garments. If it was not apparent which soldier had

failed in his duty, then lots were drawn to see which one wand be

punished with death for the guard unit's failure. Certainly the

entire unit would not have fallen asleep with that kind of threat

over their heads. Dr. George Currie, a student of Roman military

discipline, wrote that fear of punishment " produced flawless

attention to duty, especially in the night watches. "

 

 

FACT #5: GRAVECLOTHES TELL A TALE

 

In a literal sense, against all statements to the contrary, the tomb

was not totally empty--because of an amazing phenomenon. John, a

disciple of Jesus, looked over to the place where the body of Jesus

had lain, and there were the grave clothes, in the form of the body,

slightly caved in and empty--like the empty chrysalis of a

caterpillar's cocoon. That's enough to make a believer out of

anybody. John never did get over it. The first thing that stuck in

the minds of the disciples was not the empty tomb, but rather the

empty grave clothes--undisturbed in form and position.

 

 

FACT #6: JESUS' APPEARANCES CONFIRMED

 

Christ appeared alive on several occasions after the cataclysmic

events of that first Easter . When studying an event in history, it

is important to know whether enough people who were participants or

eyewitnesses to the event were alive when the facts about the event

were published. To know this is obviously helpful in ascertaining

the accuracy of the published report. If the number of eyewitnesses

is substantial, the event can he regarded as fairly well

established. For instance, if we all witness a murder, and a later

police report turns out to he a fabrication of lies, we as

eyewitnesses can refute it.

 

 

OVER 500 WITNESSES

 

Several very important factors arc often overlooked when considering

Christ's post-resurrection appearances to individuals. The first is

the large number of witnesses of Christ after that resurrection

morning. One of the earliest records of Christ's appearing after the

resurrection is by Paul. The apostle appealed to his audience's

knowledge of the fact that Christ had been seen by more than 500

people at one time. Paul reminded them that the majority of those

people were still alive and could be questioned. Dr. Edwin M.

Yamauchi, associate professor of history at Miami University in

Oxford, Ohio, emphasizes: " What gives a special authority to the

list (of witnesses) as historical evidence is the reference to most

of the five hundred brethren being still alive. St. Paul says in

effect, 'If you do not believe me, you can ask them.' Such a

statement in an admittedly genuine letter written within thirty

years of the event is almost as strong evidence as one could hope to

get for something that happened nearly two thousand years ago. "

Let's take the more than 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive after His

death and burial, and place them in a courtroom. Do you realize that

if each of those 500 people were to testify for only six minutes,

including cross-examination, you would have an amazing 50 hours of

firsthand testimony? Add to this the testimony of many other

eyewitnesses and you would well have the largest and most lopsided

trial in history.

 

 

HOSTILE WITNESSES

 

Another factor crucial to interpreting Christ's appearances is that

He also appeared to those who were hostile or unconvinced.

 

Over and over again, I have read or heard people comment that Jesus

was seen alive after His death and burial only by His friends and

followers. Using that argument, they attempt to water down the

overwhelming impact of the multiple eyewitness accounts. But that

line of reasoning is so pathetic it hardly deserves comment. No

author or informed individual would regard Saul of Tarsus as being a

follower of Christ. The facts show the exact opposite. Saul despised

Christ and persecuted Christ's followers. It was a life-shattering

experience when Christ appeared to him. Although he was at the time

not a disciple, he later became the apostle Paul, one of the

greatest witnesses for the truth of the resurrection.

 

 

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If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their

authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt.

 

 

F. F. Bruce

Manchester University

 

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The argument that Christ's appearances were only to followers is an

argument for the most part from silence, and arguments from silence

can be dangerous. It is equally possible that all to whom Jesus

appeared became followers. No one acquainted with the facts can

accurately say that Jesus appeared to just " an insignificant few. "

 

Christians believe that Jesus was bodily resurrected in time and

space by the supernatural power of God. The difficulties of belief

may be great, but the problems inherent in unbelief present even

greater difficulties.

 

The theories advanced to explain the resurrection by " natural

causes " are weak; they actually help to build confidence in the

truth of the resurrection. "

 

 

http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html