The historicity of Christ, including his death by crucifixion, is a fact that about as well attested as any in the ancient world. The evidence for Christ's existence is much stronger than that for Socrates, Alexander the Great, and numerous figures of ancient times whose historicity no one doubts. Historians are unanimous that Christ was born, that he developed a following, that he antagonized the Jewish and Roman authorities, and that he was put to death. But what about the resurrection?
"If Christ had not been raised," Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:17, "our preaching is useless and so is your faith." The resurrection is the most important event in Christianity. (For this reason, Easter is actually a more important holiday for Christians than Christmas.) Other religions such as Judaism and Islam may feature miracles but miracles are not central to their theology. Christianity, by contrast, is based on the miracle of the resurrection.
Since the nineteenth century, some biblical scholars have refused to accept the biblical account of the Resurrection because it was produced by people obviously biased in Christ's favor. Interestingly Christ's followers, by their own admission, did not expect the resurrection. Arriving three days after his death, the women brought spices to his tomb to anoint and preserve his body. Only then did they observe that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty.
The fact of the empty tomb was admitted by the Roman guards and also by the Jewish magistrates, who told the Roman authorities that Christ's followers must have stolen the body. In Jewish polemic against Christianity, this has been the standard explanation for the empty tomb. Yet it is prima facie implausible, since how could a handful of female disciples have subdued Roman guards and moved the stone blocking access to the tomb?
The apostles were deeply skeptical about reports of a resurrection, and Christ had to appear to them several times before these doubts were dispelled. Paul writes that Christ "appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, although some have passed away." Paul here appeals to direct empirical evidence: the testimony of multiple witnesses who actually saw Jesus alive after his execution. Of this group, Paul says that many are still alive, which means they are in a position to refute him if what he is claiming is wrong. In the history of hallucinations, is there a single instance in which five hundred people all saw the same person--a figure known to them--and were all equally mistaken?
But is the testimony of the early Christians reliable? Well, let us see. The disciples became so convinced of what they had seen that their dirges of lamentation were replaced with cries of joy. Proclaiming Christ crucified and Christ risen, they launched the greatest wave of religious conversion in history. Historians tell us that the number of Christians increased from around 100 at the time of Christ's death to around 30 million by the early fourth century, when the Roman emperor himself converted to Christianity.
These conversions occurred in the teeth of fierce political opposition and the persecution of the greatest empire in the ancient world, the empire of Rome. The early Christians did not hesitate to identify themselves with a man who had been branded a traitor and a criminal. They endured imprisonment, torture, exile, and death rather than renounce their commitment to a resurrected Christ.
Imagine a disputed event in court where numerous eyewitnesses gave evidence of the same fact and stood by their testimony so firmly that they would be willing to endure life imprisonment or even the death penalty rather than say the contrary. Would any jury doubt that such people, who would have little to gain and everything to lose, were telling the truth?
"Yes," an atheist friend of mine conceded. "But aren't the radical Muslims also willing to die in order to get the virgins in heaven?" Perhaps so, but the two cases are not comparable. The radical Muslims are taking on faith that their actions will take them to an Elysian place where the virgins will be waiting. By contrast, the Christians who went to their deaths at the hands of the Romans did so because they refused to renounce an event in their own experience. Why would someone be willing to die for something that he knew to be a lie?
Even from a secular point of view, the evidence for Christ's resurrection is surprisingly strong. It might even be sufficient to convince an impartial jury in a court of law. The big question surrounding Good Friday and Easter is not: did all this happen? It did. The big question is whether we will let Christ into our hearts, so that he can raise us up on the day of judgment.
This Easter reflection is adapted from my book What's So Great About Christianity.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 56)
16. I much prefer the Yoruba mythology. All of their gods dress in colorful costumes, and dance to really cool music -- bata drums and vocals.
Joe Bob at 1:15PM on Mar 21st 2008
17. To summarize, Jesus is MAGIC!
http://www.jesusismagicthemovie.com/
Joe Bob at 1:27PM on Mar 21st 2008
18. Man dies. Man is resurrected. Man disappears. We talking about Judge Crater? Jimmy Hoffa? Elvis Presley?
How come none of that good stuff happens anymore? Anybody I ever knew who died stayed dead and they were Jewish, too.
I'be been looking for gold tablets inscribed in sanskrit. Only tablets I've seen are aspirins and they've got the word "BAYER" inscribed on them. Soon as I get that interpreted for me by the MalekhaMoron I'll start up my new religion, THE SHUL OF PRESENT DAY TSADEKHS. (Yeah, we've got a word for saint).
cynicalismo at 1:37PM on Mar 21st 2008
19. ATHEIST
Since the United States restored the death penalty in 1976, a total of 1,099 have been executed.
Why would 1,099 people commit crimes if they knew they were going to be executed?
It's a mystery, isn't it? Oh, wait. It's not a mystery at all.
The Correct Answer is, Jesus was never resurrected. After watching Jesus die, or hearing the story, people had DREAMS about Jesus.
When you write down a dream, it APPEARS to be a resurrection appearance.
William Hays at 1:53PM on Mar 21st 2008
20. Q: Did the Greek Gods battle each other?
A: Yes, it did. A historical fact. Not just belief.
JefFlyingV at 1:38PM on Mar 21st 2008
21. 13. Q: Did the Resurrection actually happen?
A: Yes, it did. A historical fact. Not just belief.
----------------------------------------------------
And your evidence of that is......?
Captain Negative at 1:41PM on Mar 21st 2008
22. Q: Did God rest on the seventh day (Saturday)?
A: Yes, he did. A historical fact. Not just belief.
JefFlyingV at 1:47PM on Mar 21st 2008
23. If you are a christian, the belief of the event is more important than factual evidence of the event. Opinion is more relevant than fact.
JefFlyingV at 1:52PM on Mar 21st 2008
24. You're applying logic to an analysis of whether or not someone magically came back from the dead?? Don't be a dumbfuck.
By the way, there's basically zip for historicity of Jesus. The earliest references to him date from decades after he supposedly died, and the only "details" are reused references from Old Testament intended to make everything about "Jesus" look like the fulfillment of prophecy. Historians aren't unanimous on anything about this topic; they just don't give a shit because the field is so polluted by religious nuts who attack anyone who points out what I just said that they spend their time on matters of more importance.
I think if a bunch of people magically came back to life, the Romans, who kept records quite effectively, might have taken some notice.
Every time you flip a light switch, start your car or go to the doctor, you're affirming your belief in a world where dead people don't magically come back to life. Hypocrite.
J at 8:38AM on Mar 22nd 2008
25. It's Good Friday, and in the spirit of acceptance and tolerance, I'm not going to make fun of the topic.
I'd just like to say that DD is his usual self claiming that virtually all historians accept the reality of Jesus, blah, blah, and some "atheist friend" of his conceded that some mass hypnosis must have been unusual.
The truth is, all of the gospels are written long after Jesus' death, and embellished freely.
Some scholars believe that the whole "son of god" stuff was added later to attract and appease the universally superstitious gentry.
The "church" became a powerful force in parts of the civilized world, and the rest is history.
For those who believe the stories that are in your New Testament, have a happy and joyous Easter.
Linda at 1:56PM on Mar 21st 2008
26. ATHEIST
Reply to: Imagine a disputed event in court where numerous eyewitnesses gave evidence of the same fact and stood by their testimony so firmly that they would be willing to endure life imprisonment or even the death penalty rather than say the contrary. Would any jury doubt that such people, who would have little to gain and everything to lose, were telling the truth?
___________
Until... the prosecutor explains how an End of the World cult works.
The gullible victims were told that they were living in the Last Days, that everyone who accepted Christ were going to be given an eternity of bliss, and everyone who denied Christ would be tortured.
Most of the accounts in the New Testament weren't written until all the people with actual knowledge of Jesus had been dead for decades.
William Hays at 1:56PM on Mar 21st 2008
27. Oh, and one more thing to nitpick. Jews bury their dead almost always within 24 hours. But they don't go back in 3 days to annoint and prepare a body.
Once it's buried, it's buried.
Linda at 2:00PM on Mar 21st 2008
28. Those who claimed see the risen Christ and His ascension would not put their lives on the line if they actually knew it was not true. Those who analyze the vast amount of prophetical fulfillment wrought by Christ, and acknowledge the fact that He violated Hebrew culture and earthly expectations of what their messiah should do by NOT SEEKING to conquer the Roman Empire, will find it difficult to convince even themselves that these JEWISH converts would have just "made up" the story about Jesus when even those who persecuted Christians not only verified Jesus' existence but even confirmed what those early Christians believed about Him and the sufferings they faced for those beliefs.
http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com
FORMER ATHEIST at 10:57AM on Mar 22nd 2008
29. I find it very easy to believe that people made up stories. Look at the stories being made up about Barack Obama.
Linda at 2:20PM on Mar 21st 2008
30. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
When Dinesh can quote from medical journals that resurrection is medically possible--I'll give it some credence. Until then: resurrection is just a stupid, superstitious myth.
And then we have his implied-threat ending. Is that all you xers have: the implied threat of hell? Give it a rest, Dinesh: we're not children. We don't scare easily. Your mythical boogeyman doesn't scare us. So keep your idiotic, empty, childish threats to yourself.
Knight_of_BAAWA at 2:21PM on Mar 21st 2008