Why Jesus?

POSITIVE EVIDENCE ABOUT THE HISTORICITY OF JESUS, HIS DEITY, AND

HIS RESURRECTION
Positive Case 101
• Existence of Jesus
• The Deity of Jesus
• Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
 Existence of Jesus
POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE HISTORICAL JESUS
A Mythological Jesus?
Is Jesus just a copy of other pagan gods?
“There is nothing the Jesus of the Gospels
either said or did . . . that cannot be
shown to have originated thousands of
years before, in Egyptian Mystery rites
and other sacred liturgies.”
– Tom Harpur
Where Did the Idea of Jesus Being a Myth Originate?
• Bruno Bauer (1809 – 1882) was a
German theologian, philosopher and
historian who looked at the sources of the
New Testament and controversially
concluded that early Christianity owed
more to Greek philosophy (Stoicism) than
to Judaism.
• In 1840, Bauer began a series of
controversial works arguing that Jesus
was a myth, a second century fusion of
Jewish, Greek, and Roman theology.
• Bauer’s work was picked up by Albert
Kalthoff (1850-1906) who followed
Bauer’s extreme skepticism and went so
far as to claim that Jesus of Nazareth
never existed and was not the founder of
Christianity.
Where Did the Idea of Jesus Being a Myth Originate?
• After Bauer and Katlhoff came others,
with the most notable being James Frazer
who wrote a work entitled The Golden
Bough where he argued that Jesus
mimicked the supposed widespread
worship of dying and rising fertility gods in
various places -Tammuz in Mesopotamia,
Adonis in Syria, Attis in Asia Minor, and
Osiris in Egypt.
• Internet movies such as Zeitgeist
reference people such as Gerald Massey
(a poet and adherent to spiritism and
theosophy) and Acharya S for their
‘expert’ claims on Jesus being
mythological.
One Example of Jesus Copycat Pagan God Claims

http://www.truthbeknown.com/christ.htm
The Truth About the Horus/Jesus Connection Claim
• Horus was born to Isis; no mention in history of her being called “Mary”.
• Mary is our anglicized form of real name ‘Miryam’ or Miriam.
• Isis was not a virgin; she was the widow of Osiris who conceived Horus with Osiris.
• Horus was born during month of Khoiak (Oct/Nov), not Dec 25th.
• The Dec 25th celebration of Christ’s birth did not occur until 4th century and is linked to
the Winter solstice celebration. The Bible never assigns birth date to Christ.
• No record of three kings visiting Horus at birth.
• “Kings” didn’t visit Christ at His birth – magi (king makers) did. The Bible never states
the number of magi that came.
• Horus was not a “savior” in any shape or form.
• No account records Horus being a child teacher at age 12.
• Horus was not “baptized”. The only account involving Horus and water is described in one
story of Horus being torn to pieces, with Iris requesting the crocodile god to fish him out of
the water he was placed into.
• Horus did not have a “ministry”.
• Horus did not have 12 disciples. According to the Horus accounts, Horus had four semi-
gods that were followers and some indications of 16 human followers and an unknown
number of blacksmiths that went into battle with him.
The Truth About the Horus/Jesus Connection Claim
• No account of Horus being betrayed by a friend or transfigured on any mountain.
• Horus did not die by crucifixion.
• The Zeitgeist movie pegs Horus account at 3,000 B.C., long before crucifixion was
practiced.
• Various accounts have Horus being dismembered by Set and his body parts being scattered
throughout the earth. Others combine Horus and Osiris together and have him being torn
apart and thrown into a river.
• Horus did not die a death for others as Jesus did.
• Horus was not buried for three days.
• Horus was not resurrected. The is no account of Horus coming out of the grave with the
body he went in with. Some accounts have Horus/Osiris being brought back to life by Isis
and going to be the lord of the underworld.
• The left eye of Horus was gouged out, which supposedly explained why the moon, which it
represented, was so weak compared to the sun. It was also said that during a new-moon,
Horus had become blinded and was titled Mekhenty-er-irty (mḫnty r ỉr.ty 'He who has no
eyes'), while when the moon became visible again, he was re-titled Khenty-irty (ḫnty r ỉr.ty
'He who has eyes').
“It goes without saying that alleged parallels
which are discovered by pursuing such
methodology evaporate when they are
confronted with the original texts. In a
word, one must beware of what have
been called, ‘parallels made plausible
by selective description.’”
– Bruce Metzger
Swedish scholar and professor T. N. D.
Mettinger originally set out to show that
there were anywhere from 3-5
dying/rising god stories that predated
Jesus and that influenced Christianity.
After looking at all the accounts
critically, he reversed his opinion
concluding: “There is, as far as I am
aware, no prima facie evidence that the
death and resurrection of Jesus is a
mythological construct, drawing on the
myths and rites of the dying and rising
gods of the surrounding world. . . .The
death and resurrection of Jesus retains
its unique character in the history of
religions”.
The Historical Jesus
What can a historical investigation tell us about him?
 “He [Jesus] certainly existed, as
virtually every competent scholar
of antiquity, Christian or non-
Christian, agrees.”
– Bart Ehrman
Agnostic scholar
Sources for Confirming the Historicity of Jesus

1. The independent testimonies /

documents that comprise the
New Testament.
2. Ancient documents outside the
New Testament.
Can We use the New Testament as Evidence for Jesus?

• “You can’t use the Bible to prove the Bible…that’s circular logic.”
• “You’re begging the question presupposing the Bible is true.”
Facts for the New Testament Being a Historical Source

• When historians examine the New

Testament for historical validity, they are
not looking at it as a Holy Book, but they
are treating it as a collection of ancient
documents like other works from
antiquity.
• In the first century, there was initially no
“New Testament” but rather a collection of
independent and referenced documents
that recounted the life of Jesus.
• References made to Jesus outside the
Bible generally confirm the historical
statements made in the New Testament
but they do not tell us anything new.
Facts for the New Testament Being a Historical Source

• The New Testament documents meet the

core tests used by historians for
validating works from the ancient world:
(1) bibliographical test; (2) internal
evidence test; (3) external evidence test.
• All the New Testament documents were
compiled via eyewitness testimony and
written during the lifetime of other
eyewitnesses who could confirm / deny
the historicity of the claims being made.
• The time between the life of Jesus and
the New Testament writings is too short
for legend to have distorted the primary
historical facts.
“From the very nature of the case, the
best historical sources were included
in the New Testament. People who
insist on evidence taken only from
writings outside the New Testament
don’t understand what they’re asking
us to do. They’re demanding that we
ignore the earliest, primary sources
about Jesus in favor of sources that
are later, secondary, and less reliable,
which is just crazy as historical
methodology.”
– William Lane Craig
Examining the General Historicity of Jesus

What do scholars accept as historically valid facts of Jesus’ life?

Examining the General Historicity of Jesus

“There are no substantial doubts about the

general course of Jesus’ life: when and
where he lived, approximately when and
where he died, and the sort of thing that
he did during his public activity. . . . I
shall first offer a list of statements about
Jesus that meet two standards: they are
almost beyond dispute; and they belong
to the framework of his life, and
especially of his public career…”
Examining the General Historicity of Jesus

“Jesus was born c. 4 BCE, near the time of the

death of Herod the Great; he spent his
childhood and early adult years in Nazareth,
a Galilean village; he was baptized by John
the Baptist; he called disciples; he taught in
the towns, villages and countryside of
Galilee (apparently not the cities); he
preached “the kingdom of God”; about the
year 30 he went to Jerusalem for Passover;
he created a disturbance in the Temple area;
he had a final meal with the disciples; he
was arrested and interrogated by Jewish
authorities, specifically the high priest; he
was executed on the orders of the Roman
prefect Pontius Pilate…”
Examining the General Historicity of Jesus

“We may add here a short list of equally

secure facts about the aftermath of
Jesus’ life: his disciples fled; they saw
him (in what sense is not certain) after
his death; as a consequence, they
believed that he would return to found
the kingdom; they formed a community
to await his return and sought to win
others to faith in him as God’s Messiah.”
- E. P. Sanders
Historian, Duke University
What Can We Know About Jesus’ Miracles?
“And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind,
mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the
crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking,
and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30–31).

“About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man. For he was one who wrought surprising
feats…” (Josephus, Antiquities 18.63, one historically accepted version).

"Jesus had come from a village in Judea, and was the son of a poor Jewess who . . . gave
birth to Jesus. . . .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.” (Celsus, from Contra Celsum 1.28).

“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 apostacy’” (Jewish Sanhedrin, 43a).
“What is interesting in this testimony
[extra-biblical writings], hardly
partisan of behalf of Christian
claims, is that the accounts of
Jesus’ healing and exorcistic
success are nowhere disputed,
only the reasons for that
success.”
– James Dunn
What do Extra-New Testament Sources Tell Us About Jesus?

• “Festus was now dead, and Albius was but upon the raid; so he assembled the
Sanhedrin of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was
called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, and when he had
formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered him to be
stoned” – Josephus, Antiquities 20.9.1.
• “At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus. And his conduct was
good and was known to be virtuous. Many people 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.” – Josephus, Antiquities 18.3.3, one
historically accepted rendering of Jesus’ life.
• On the eve of Passover Yeshua was hanged … since nothing was brought
forward in his favour he was hanged on the eve of the Passover!” – Sanhedrin
43a.
What do Extra-New Testament Sources Tell Us?

• “Nero substituted as culprits and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class
of men loathed for their vices whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, from whom
they got their name, had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate
when Tiberius was emperor.” – Tacitus, Annals, Book 15.
• “They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they
sang an anthem to Christ as God, and bound themselves by a solemn oath not to commit
any wicked deed…” – Pliny the Younger, Letters, Series 10.
• The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who
introduced their novel rites and was crucified on that account…these misguided creatures
… deny the gods of Greece and worship the crucified sage and live after his laws” –
Lucian, The Works of Lucian of Samosata.
• “Now if the Christians worshipped only one God they might have reason on their side …
But as a matter of fact they worship a man who appeared only recently. And their worship
of this Jesus is the more outrageous because they refuse to listen to any talk about God,
the father of all, unless it includes some reference to Jesus….And when they call him Son
of God, they are not really paying homage to God, rather, they are attempting to exalt
Jesus to the heights.” – Celsus, Contra Celsum.
“What did it avail the Samians to burn Pythagoras, since their country was entirely
buried under stand in one moment? Or what did avail the Jews to kill their wise
king, since their kingdom was taken away from them from that time on….Socrates
is not dead, thanks to Plato, nor Pythagoras, because of Hera’s statute. Nor is the
wise king, because of the new law which he has given.”
- Mara bar Serapion
Stoic Writer, A.D. 75
 “All this [external historical evidence]
certainly does render highly implausible any
far-fetched theories that even Jesus’ very
existence was a Christian invention. The fact
that Jesus existed, that he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate (for whatever reason)
and that he had a band of followers who
continued to support his cause, seems to be
part of the bedrock of historical tradition. If
nothing else, the non-Christian evidence can
provide us with certainty on that score.”
– Christopher Tuckett
Secular Oxford historian
Deity of the Messiah
POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
Is Jesus God?
What does the Bible say about Jesus’ Divinity?
“Among these Jews there suddenly turns up a man
who goes about talking as if He was God. He
claims to forgive sins. He says He has always
existed. He says He is coming to judge the world
at the end of time. Now let us get this clear.
Among Pantheists, like the Indians, anyone
might say that he was a part of God, or one with
God: there would be nothing very odd about it.
But this man, since He was a Jew, could not
mean, that kind of God. God, in their language,
meant the Being outside the world Who had
made it and was infinitely different from anything
else. And when you have grasped that, you will
see that what this man said was, quite simply,
the most shocking thing that has ever been
uttered by human lips.”
– C. S. Lewis
Does the New Testament Claim Jesus is God?

Let’s examine…

1. Jesus’ words.
2. Jesus’ miracles.
3. Jesus’ actions.
4. The testimony of the New
Testament writers.
Did Jesus Claim to be God?

“Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of
whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say
that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the
Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said
to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to
throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” - John 8:54–59
Did Jesus Claim to be God?
God in the Old Testament
I AM (Exodus 3:14-15; Isaiah 48:12)
The Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
The Light (Psalm 27:1)
Ruler of all (Isaiah 9:6)
Judge of all nations (Joel 3:12)
The Bridegroom (Isaiah 62:5; Hosea 2:16)
God’s Word never pass away (Isaiah 40:8)
First and the Last (Isaiah 48:12)
Jesus Comparison to Himself
I AM (John 8:58; John 8:18, 24)
The Shepherd (John 10:11)
The Light (John 8:12)
Ruler of all (Matthew 28:18)
Judge of all (John 5:12)
The Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1)
Jesus’ words never pass away (Mk. 13:31)
First and the Last (Revelation 1:17-18)
Did Jesus Claim to be God?

In 20 of Jesus’ 52 parables, He identifies Himself as God. Some examples:

God in the Old Testament Jesus Comparison to Himself

The Sower (Jeremiah 31:27; Ezra 34:9) The Sower (Matthew 13:3-9)
The Shepherd (Gen 49:24; Psalm 23:1) The Shepherd (John 10:11)
The Rock (Psalm 18:2) The Rock (Matthew 7:24)
The Bridegroom (Isaiah 54:5, Hosea 2:16) The Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1)
Did Jesus Claim to be God?

• “Therefore I said to you that you will die in

your sins; for unless you believe that I am
He, you will die in your sins.” - John 8:24
• “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the
Father” - John 14:9
• “I and the Father are one” - John 10:30
• “Father glorify Me in Your presence with the
glory I had with You before the world
began” - John 17:5 (cf. “I am the Lord that
is My name! I will not give My glory to
another” - Isaiah 42:8)
• “My Father is always at His work to this
very day, and I too, am working.”
- John 5:17
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really
foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m
ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher,
but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the
one thing we must not say. A man who was
merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus
said would not be a great moral teacher. He
would either be a lunatic — on the level with the
man who says he is a poached egg — or else he
would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your
choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of
God, or else a madman or something worse. You
can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him
and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet
and call him Lord and God, but let us not come
with any patronizing nonsense about his being a
great human teacher. He has not left that open to
us. He did not intend to.”
– C. S. Lewis
Jesus’ Miracles

Jesus demonstrated sovereignty over:

• Birth defects (John 9:1)
• Disease (Matt. 8:2, Luke 7:1, Mark 3:1, Matt. 8:28, etc.)
• Nature (Mark 4:35, Matt. 14:25, etc.)
• Poverty/Lack/Need (John 2:1, Mark 6:30, etc.)
• Satan/demons (Luke 8:26, 13:11, etc.)
• Space/time (John 1:48)
• Death (John 11:43, Mark 5:22, Luke 7:11)
Did Jesus Act Like He was God?

• Jesus accepted worship nine times in the gospels.

• Jesus forgave sins (Mark 2).
• Jesus said to pray in His name (John 16:23-24).
• Jesus never said “Thus says the Lord”, but rather “I say”.
• Jesus said He was Lord of the Sabbath (which God created; Mark 2:28).
• Jesus said to baptize in His name (Matthew 28).
The Testimony of the New Testament Writers

Witness Verse Statement

John John 1:1-3,14 God became flesh
Thomas John 20:28 “My Lord and my God!”
Paul Romans 9:5 Jesus is God over all
Paul Philippians 2:5-8 Jesus set aside His right as God
Paul Colossians 1:16-19, 2:9-10 Created all things including angels;
all fullness of Deity dwells
Paul 1 Timothy 6:15, Deut 10:17 Jesus is King of kings, Lord of Lords
Peter 2 Peter 1:1 Jesus is our God and Savior
Writer of Hebrews Hebrews 1:8, 13:8 Has everlasting throne and is
immutable
The Testimony of John

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him,
and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being…And the
Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the
only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” - John 1:1-3,14.

“dwell” = σκηνή
“Yahweh’s tabernacle”

"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle.” - Exodus 40:34
The Testimony of Paul

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a
person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he
confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER
BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all,
abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL
ON THE NAME OF THE LORD (YAHWEH) WILL BE SAVED.”
– Romans 10:9-13.

Same Greek word – Kyrios – is used.

The Testimony of Paul

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made
in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this
reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is
above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those
who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- Philippians 2:5-10

“By Myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not
be revoked: Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear.”
- Isaiah 45:23
The Testimony of Paul

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the

kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is
before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the
body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so
that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the
Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him”
- Colossians 1:13-19
The Writer of Hebrews

"And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His

glory and the exact representation of
His nature, and upholds all things by
the word of His power. . . .Of the Son
He says, “Your throne, O God, is
forever and ever”
- Hebrews 1:3,8
Early External Testimony Referencing Jesus as God
“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they
sang an anthem to Christ as God…”
– Pliny the Younger, Letters, series 10

“Now if the Christians worshipped only one God they might have reason on their side
… But as a matter of fact they worship a man who appeared only recently. And their
worship of this Jesus is the more outrageous because they refuse to listen to any talk
about God, the father of all, unless it includes some reference to Jesus … And when
they call him Son of God, they are not really paying homage to God, rather, they are
attempting to exalt Jesus to the heights.”
– Celsus

“I conjure you by the God of the Hebrews, Jesus … who appears in fire, who is in the
midst of land, snow, and fog…” (lines 3007-3041)
– Exorcism formula from the Greek Magical Papyrus
Early External Testimony Referencing Jesus as God

The earliest church building (currently) found is in Megiddo and dated to the early
third century. The prayer hall contains various mosaics and inscriptions with the
one above reading: “Akeptous (a woman), the God-loving, offered this table for
(the) God Jesus Christ, as a remembrance”.
Does the New Testament Claim Jesus is God?

1. Jesus’ words clearly demonstrate

He believed He was God.
2. Jesus’ miracles showed His
sovereignty over all creation.
3. Jesus’ actions of forgiving sins,
accepting worship, etc., show He
believed He was God.
4. The testimony of the New
Testament writers point to Jesus
being God.
 Objections to the Deity of Christ
1. Jn. 14:28: “The Father is greater than I”
2. Mt. 19:17 “No one is good but One, that is, God.”
3. Mt. 24:36: “But of that day and hour no one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My
Father only.”
4. Jn. 17:3: Jesus prayed to the Father, saying,
“this is eternal life, that they know you the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have
sent.”
5. Jn. 10:34: Jesus said, “You are gods” [in a
derivative sense], not in an absolute sense.
 Response to Objections
1. The Father is greater as God than Jesus is as man. Also,
the Father is greater in office but not in nature.
2. Jesus did not deny He was God, He simply ask the man if
he realized what he was saying.
3. Jesus did not know the time of His Second Coming as
man, but He did know it as God.
4. He said the Father is the only true God, but he did not say
that only the Father is God (cf. Gen. 7:23; Jn. 8:9).
5. Jesus was God in the absolute sense (Jn. 1:1,2; 8:58; Jn.
20:28; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8).
 Father

Who¹
Divine
Father
Nature

Son Holy
Human Spirit What¹
Nature

(Divine Nature)

Who² Who³
(Son) (Holy Spirit)

What²
Human Nature
Objections to the Deity of Christ
4. Why wasn’t Jesus more overt in his claim
to be God?
 To accomplish his mission of sacrificial
atonement.
 To be an example and glorify the Father.
 To allow people to draw their own conclusions
(as he did with parables).
8. Jesus’ claim to be God was miraculously confirmed by:

a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about

Himself;
b. His sinless and miraculous life;
c. His prediction and accomplishment of His
resurrection
Human Race
Woman, Gen 3:15

Ethnic Group
Abraham, Gen 12:1

Tribe
Judah, Gen 49:10

Dynasty
David, 2 Sam 7:12

How
Virgin, Isa 7:14

Where
Bethlehem, Mic 5:2

When
33 A.D., Dan 9:24
 Death and Resurrection
POSITIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
EVIDENCE FOR THE CRUCIFIXION
•Predictions:
 OT Predictions that Messiah would die: Ps.22:16; Isa.53:5-10;
Dan.9:26; Zech.12:10
 NT Predictions fulfilled: Matt.4:14; 5:17-18; 8:17; Jn.4:25-26;
5:39
 Jesus predicts his death: Matt.12:40; 17:22-23; Mk.8:31;
Jn.2:19-21; 10:10-11
[B] Proof he actually DIED:
 No sleep, beaten, whipped and collapsing proved his life was draining
 Hung on the cross from 9a.m. till sunset (Mk.15:25, 33)
 Blood draining for 6 hours, pulling & pushing against the nails would be life
draining
 Spear pierced his right lung, pericardium & heart, thus the water & blood
(Jn.19:34)
 Jesus said he was dying in saying, “Father into thy hands I commit my spirit”
(Lk.23:46)
 Roman soldiers pronounced him dead, & thus didn’t need to break his legs
(Lk.23:47-49)
 Centurion checked for Pilate that he was dead before giving him to Joseph
(Mk.15:44-45)
 Wrapped w/ 100 lbs. of clothes & spice for 3 days would have killed him
(Mt.27:60; Jn.19)
[C] Hostile Extra-Biblical witnesses:
•Thallus (Samaritan hist. 52 AD) debates cause of darkness, & terrible
earthquake, at Christ’s crucifixion
•Phlegon (Rome writer 1stC.) Chronicles, spoke of Christ’s death & resurrection,
mentioned eclipse & nails
•Mara Bar-Serapion’s Letter (73 AD) “What advantage did the Jews gain from
executing their wise king?”
•Josephus (AD 37 to 90), wrote ”..Christ…when Pilate had condemned him to
the Cross”
•Lucian Greek Satirist (2nd c.) ‘the man who was crucified in Palestine…the
crucified sophist’.
•Tacitus (Rome hist.-110 AD) “Christus…executed…Emperor Tiberias…
procurator Pontius Pilatus.
MUSLIM POSITION OF CRUCIFIXION
Primary verses to be considered:
 Baidawi (1286 AD) changed 19:15, & 33 to the future, to 2nd coming
(40 yrs.) because of the need to reconcile it with 4:157-159, thus
internal contradiction.
 Jesus will be taken up is promised in 3:55, 5:120
 A possibility to suffer, or die... in 5:19
 The primary passage, however is: 4:157-159
• The Jews believe that they had killed Jesus.
• God reveals that they definitely did not. Jesus was not killed nor crucified.
• There was someone (not named) who looked like Jesus who died in his place.
• God instead took up Jesus, like an ascension
Moral Problem:
 The innocent cannot pay the price of the guilty, its unjust (S.6:164; 53:38)
 Crucifixion is rooted in original sin which is unjust, as Adam’s sin was his alone.
• Answer: What of the man on the cross, paying Jesus’ guilt, by dying for him?
• -What about humanity paying for Adam’s guilt, as none of us are in the
Garden of Eden?
• -Muslims who die for the cause of Islam are rewarded Paradise (S.3:157-58:
22:58-59; 47:4-6)
• -We are all in sin, otherwise why a universal call for repentance, the message
of all prophets?
• -Christians: Jesus paid the penalty of death for us (Mk.10:45; Rom.4:25;
1Pet.2:22; 3:18)
• -“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2Cor.5:21)
• -“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom.5:8)
Sovereignty Problem:
 Those against Allah always loose, so if Christ died, then unrighteous ultimately
triumph.
 Allah wouldn’t allow his prophets to suffer such ignominious deaths
 It suggests Allah is not powerful enough to protect his prophets
• Answer: Allah is omnipotent, so can he not allow his Servant to die? Sura 5:17
“Who then can do aught against Allah, if he had willed to destroy the Messiah son
of Mary, & his mother & everyone on earth?…And Allah is able to do all things”
• - S. 3:183 allows Prophets to be killed
• -Christians: God approved of the Messiah’s ignominious death (Isa.53:2-5)
• -Christ could VOLUNTARILY lay down his life & take it up, “I lay down my life-only to take
it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18)
• -Christ’s death & resurrection destroyed death: “Death has been swallowed up in victory…
Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” (1Cor.15:54-55)
Easy Forgiveness:
 In his mercy & compassion, God can forgive without demanding such
a terrible death.
• Answer: God’s justice demands punishment for guilt, so forgiving
without payment is unjust.
• -Blood sacrifice: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, & I have
given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the
blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Lev.17:11)
• -“Without the shedding of blood there is not forgiveness” (Heb.9:22)
• -A loving god must find payment for our sin-and he did-“the just for
the unjust” (1Pet.3:18)
Substitution:
 Al-Tabari (923 AD): A human form but not a person was substituted.
 Thalabi (11th c.):”The shape of Jesus was put on Judas who had pointed him
out, and they crucified him instead, supposing that he was Jesus”
 Al Baidawi: God took Jesus to heaven, The likeness was put on someone else
who died (S.4:157)
 Al-Zamakhshari: Imagined Jesus was crucified, but it was Judas, another
Jew, or Simon of Cyrene
• Answer: Not historically credible:
• -Contradicts eyewitness testimony (Mat.27; Mk.14; Lk.23; Jn.19)
• -Contradicts extra-biblical testimony (Thallus, Phlegon, Josephus, Lucian, Tacitus)
• -Too late: Earliest substitutionary legends begin in 150 AD, and are Gnostic.
• -The disciples went on preaching his death & resurrection, and died for their beliefs.
• -Why substitute? Qur’an says Jesus would die and rise from the dead (S.3:55; 19:33)
• -Jesus previously raised people from the dead (S.3:49)
•[3] Possible Secular Sources
•Docetism: Jesus didn’t die (sura 4:156-158), believed that Jesus never had a real physical body,
only an apparent or illusory body. Therefore, the crucifixion was apparent, not real.
 Cerinthus: Jesus, the man was crucified, not Jesus the heavenly being.
•Gnostic writings.
•-The Apocryphal Gospel of Peter: “Jesus was taken up” 2nd C.
•-The Apocryphal Gospel of John: Jesus appeared to John in a cave, saying sufferings didn’t
happen to him
•Basilides (2nd c. Gnostic) Frenacus quotes his teaching: “At the Crucifixion Jesus changed form
with Simon of Cyrene who had carried the cross. The Jews mistaking Simon for Jesus nailed him to
the cross. Jesus stood by deriding the error before ascending to heaven”
•Mani of Persia (276 AD) taught that the son of Nain, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, was
put to death in his place. Other traditions say it was the devil.

•Daud Rahbar, on why he became a Christian: “The Qur’anic doctrine of god’s justice demands
that such a God be himself involved in suffering and be seen as involved in suffering. Only then can
he be a just judge of suffering humanity. For a God that is preserved from suffering will be an
arbitrary and capricious judge” (Nazir-Ali:28)
Qur’anic view of Jesus = similar to Sectarian literature from 7 th-8th
cent:
•Nestorian: Jesus = God-chosen human (sura 3:42-48, 51, 59; 4:171;
5:116-117;19:30, 34-35)
•Monarchianism: God has no children (sura 4:171; 19:34)
•Docetism: Jesus didn’t die (sura 4:156-158), Jesus never had a real
physical body, only an apparent or illusory body. Therefore, the
crucifixion was apparent, not real.
•Monophysites & Maryolatry: Mary in the Trinity (sura 5:116).
How to Destroy / Falsify Christianity in One Step

Produce the body of Jesus of Nazareth

“For if the dead are not raised, not
even Christ has been raised;
and if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is worthless
… If we have hoped in Christ
in this life only, we are of all
men most to be pitied.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:16-17,19
The Criticality of the Resurrection

• Christianity stands or falls on the

resurrection of Jesus.
• If Jesus was not raised from the dead,
then Jesus is a liar.
• Further, either all His disciples and the
Apostle Paul are liars or else they
were deceived.
• The one way to end Christianity once
and for all is to produce the body of
the Nazarene Carpenter.
Basic Facts of the Resurrection
What facts do historians agree upon?
How to Approach the Question of the Resurrection?

• From historical study, deliver factually-

based claims that the vast majority of
historical scholars agree upon.
• Support claims with good historical
evidence and reason.
• Use (1) relevant sources; (2)
responsible methods; (3) restrained
results to help validate claims.
Key Facts of Jesus’ Resurrection

1. Jesus was murdered and buried.

2. Three days afterward, his body went missing.
3. There were appearances of Jesus over the course of many days to
various people, including his disciples and unbelievers.
4. Christ’s appearances transformed his followers and some previous
skeptics, with his resurrection becoming the central focus of their
teaching.
Key Facts of Jesus’ Resurrection

• These four facts about Jesus’ resurrection are agreed to by the vast
majority of historians, Christian and non-Christian.
• What evidence exists to support them?
Did Jesus Die and Was He Buried?

“One of the most certain facts of

history is that Jesus was crucified
on orders of the Roman prefect of
Judea, Pontius Pilate.”
– Bart Ehrman
Did Jesus Die and Was He Buried?
• Jesus’ death and burial is recorded in all
the gospel accounts.
• Jesus’ death under Pilate is referred to in
several extra-Biblical writings.
• The burial by Joseph of Arimathea in his
own tomb is nearly universally held;
Joseph was a Sanhedrin member:
unlikely that this account would be made
up by the gospel writers.
• The tomb would be known to all living in
Jerusalem.
• Jesus’ burial was witnessed by close
friends.
• His tomb was guarded by soldiers.
• Jews never denied that Jesus was dead
and buried.
Did Jesus Die and Was He Buried?

“That he [Jesus] was crucified is as

sure as anything historical ever
can be.”
– John Dominic Crossan
Did Jesus’ Body Go Missing After His Death?

• Jesus’ body has never been found up to this

day.
• Empty tomb first viewed / reported by a
group of Jesus’ women followers: Mary
Magdalene, Mary mother of James, etc.
• Peter and John later reported the tomb was
empty.
• Jewish leaders devised lie to cover up the
resurrection. They never refuted the claim
that the body was gone.
• Non-Christian historians record Christian’s
claims of Jesus being alive and the body
being gone.
Did Jesus’ Body Go Missing After His Death?

“All the strictly historical evidence we

have is in favor of [the empty
tomb], and those scholars who
reject it ought to recognize that
they do so on some other ground
that that of scientific history."
– William Wand
Oxford Church Historian
Did Jesus’ Body Go Missing After His Death?

• Jesus was publicly executed in Jerusalem, his appearances took place there,
and his resurrection was proclaimed there.
• If the body had still been in the tomb, it would have been very easy to stop
Christianity’s message in its tracks by simply going to a well-known tomb and
producing the body.
Did the Disciples and Paul Experience Appearances of Jesus?

Appeared to Where When References

1 Mary Magdalene Jerusalem Sunday Mark 6:9-11; John 20:11-18
2 Other Women Jerusalem Sunday Matt 28:9-10
3 Peter Jerusalem Sunday Luke 24:32; 1 Cor. 15:5
4 Emmaus disciples Emmaus Sunday Luke 24:13-35; Mark 16:12
5 10 disciples Jerusalem Sunday Mark 16:14; Luke 24:26-42; John 20:19-
25
6 11 disciples Jerusalem A week later John 20:26-31; 1 Cor. 15:5
7 7 disciples Galilee ? John 21:1-25
8 500 brethren Galilee ? 1 Cor. 15:6
9 James ? ? 1 Cor. 15:7
10 11 disciples Galilee ? Matt 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18
11 11 disciples Jerusalem 40 days later Acts 1:3-12
12 Paul Road Emmaus ? Acts 9
Did the Disciples and Paul Experience Appearances of Jesus?

"It is historically certain that Peter and the

other disciples had experiences after
Jesus' death in which Jesus appeared to
them as the risen Christ."
– Gerd Lüdemann
Atheist Historian
Did the Disciples and Paul Experience Appearances of Jesus?

“Why, then, did some of the disciples claim to

see Jesus alive after his crucifixion? I
don’t doubt at all that some of the
disciples claimed this. . . .Paul, writing
about twenty-five years later, indicates
that this is what they claimed, and I don’t
think he is making it up. And he knew at
least a couple of them, whom he met
just three years after the event.”
– Bart Ehrman
What Happened to Jesus’ Followers After His Death?

• The New Testament records the

embarrassing details of how Jesus’
disciples abandoned Him and fled
during His arrest.
• The writer of Acts records how these
same disciples stood before the exact
same leaders who murdered Jesus
(Annas and Caiaphas) after His death
and proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection from
the dead.
• Various accounts record that the
disciples and Paul were martyred for
their proclamation that Jesus was alive.
What Happened to Jesus’ Followers After His Death?

“On any showing the crucifixion should

have put an end to the Jesus
movement once and for all in an
honor and shame culture like early
Judaism.”
– Ben Witherington III
What Happened to Jesus’ Followers After His Death?

“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.”
– Tertullian
~A. D. 200
What Happened to Some Skeptics After Jesus’ Death?

• "For not even His brothers were believing in

Him.” (John 7:5).
• In the first century, it was embarrassing for a
Rabbi to have his family not be followers.
• "then He appeared to James“ (1 Corinthians
15:7).
• “Festus was now dead, and Albius was but upon
the raid; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of the
judges, and brought before them the brother of
Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was
James, and some others, and when he had
formed an accusation against them as breakers
of the law, he delivered him to be stoned” -
Josephus Antiquities 20.9.1.
What Happened to Some Skeptics After Jesus’ Death?

“What do we need to say concerning Paul, who

preached the Gospel of Christ from
Jerusalem to Illyricum, and afterwards
suffered martyrdom in Rome under Nero? These
facts are related by Origen in the third volume of his
Commentary on Genesis. . . . You have thus by
such an admonition bound together the planting of
Peter and of Paul at Rome and Corinth. For both of
them planted and likewise taught us in our Corinth.
And they taught together in like manner in Italy, and
suffered martyrdom at the same time. I have quoted
these things in order that the truth of the history
might be still more confirmed.”
- Eusebius
Church History, Book 2, 25.8; Book 3, 1. AD 324.
Review - Key Facts of Jesus’ Resurrection

1. Jesus was murdered and buried.

2. Three days afterward, his body went missing.
3. There were appearances of Jesus over the course of many days to
various people, including his disciples and unbelievers.
4. Christ’s appearances transformed his followers and some previous
skeptics, with his resurrection becoming the central focus of their
teaching.
Foundation for the Undisputed Facts

1. Multiple independent, early sources support the facts.

2. Attestation by enemies of Christianity support the facts.
3. Embarrassing admissions support the facts.
4. Eyewitness testimony support the facts.
5. Early testimony support the facts.
Explaining the Facts of the Resurrection
Appealing to the Best Explanation
What Best Explains the Facts of Jesus’ Resurrection?

• Examine resurrection hypotheses with the philosophical “appeal to the

best explanation” approach.
• Also called the “cumulative case” or “abductive argumentation” method.
Universally Accepted Historiographical Criteria

• Ask what explanation is best at:

• Explanatory power.
• Explanatory scope.
• Not being ad-hoc.
• Plausibility.
• Not contradicting accepted beliefs.
• Far exceeding its rival theories in meeting those conditions.
Most Common Resurrection Hypotheses

• Legend
• Hallucination
• Stolen body
• Wrong tomb
• Swoon theory
• Spiritual only
• Mistaken identity
• Act of God
Legend Hypothesis
• The early dating of the gospels ensures they were
written during lifetime of the eyewitnesses who
could refute legend.
• Nearly all scholars agree that the gospels we
have today are what were written in the first
century.
• Historians demonstrate that it takes at least two
generations to pass from an event before legend
can enter and corrupt an account.
• Event can be historically traced back to the
disciples.
• Legend hypothesis cannot explain the historically
validated transformation of James or Paul.
• The disciples went to their deaths for a truth, not a
myth.
• The empty tomb is validated by non-Christian
sources.
Hallucination Hypothesis
• Currently the number one explanation given by
skeptics.
• Does not explain the empty tomb; body still
missing.
• Hallucinations are generally experienced by
peopled wanting to see something. The gospel
accounts all confirm the disciples did not expect
Jesus to be resurrected.
• Jewish belief only looked forward to the end of
time for a resurrection and not to the Messiah
being resurrected.
• Skeptics would in no way be psychologically
expecting to see Jesus return from the grave.
• Argument of cognitive dissonance fails to explain
the empty tomb and appearances to skeptics.
Hallucination Hypothesis – Jesus Appeared…

• Not just once, but multiple times.

• Not just to one person, but to different
persons.
• Not just to individuals, but to groups of
individuals.
• Not just at one location, but at multiple
locations.
• Not just in one circumstance, but in multiple
circumstances.
• Not just to believers, but also to unbelievers,
skeptics, and even enemies.
Stolen Body Hypothesis

• Cannot explain the transformed lives of the

disciples.
• Cannot explain the transformation of the
skeptics James and Paul; their conversion
was based on appearance.
• No one dies for what they know to be false.
• Empty tomb, on its own, would not convince
many (if any).
• New Testament records precautions enemies
took to prevent this possibility.
• First eyewitnesses thought body was taken;
appearances later convinced them otherwise.
Wrong Tomb Hypothesis

• Too easy for the religious opponents of

Christ to refute – just go to the right
tomb and produce the body.
• Does not account for the appearances
to the disciples.
• Does not account for the conversion of
James and Paul.
• Joseph’s burial site likely known to all
those involved in Christ’s death.
Swoon/Apparent Death Hypothesis
• Jesus was scourged to the point where He
was completely disfigured (Is. 52:14).
• Death recorded in all four gospels.
• Death viewed by close eyewitnesses.
• Roman soldiers did not allow their victims to
live.
• Spear wound described in John 19:34-35
tells of the rupturing of the pericardium.
• Jesus would have to revive in the tomb,
push back the stone, overpower the Roman
guards, and then appear to his followers and
skeptics.
• Worship described by disciples would have
been unlikely if Jesus was crippling about
and in a greatly wounded state.
• Was seen in glorious form by Paul.
Spiritual Only Hypothesis

• The Gospel accounts record that the

disciples disbelieved – even on Easter
morning. It was the physical
appearances of Christ that transformed
them.
• Thomas doubted the resurrection and
only believed once he touched Christ
• Christ took food and ate it in their
presence (Luke 24:42-43).
• James was converted via a physical
encounter with Jesus.
Mistaken Identity/Twin Hypothesis

• No mention in any historical document of

Jesus’ twin; only very thin assertion is in
one of the Gnostic gospels (Thomas).
• Would have had to mutilate himself to
carry the crucifixion scars.
• Would be suicide; the ‘twin’ would have
to know what Rome did to his brother
and that the same fate would await him.
• Bottom line: absolutely no evidence for
this theory whatsoever.
Act of God/Resurrection Hypothesis

• Jesus predicted His death and

resurrection multiple times in the
presence of believers and skeptics.
• Cores facts of resurrection present in all
gospel accounts, written during the
lifetime of the eyewitnesses.
• Offers best explanation for the empty
tomb, the appearance stories, the
transformation of the disciples and
skeptics, and the growth of Christianity
in the first century.
Act of God/Resurrection Hypothesis

“The proposal that Jesus was bodily

raised from the dead possesses
unrivalled power to explain the
historical data at the heart of early
Christianity.”
– N. T. Wright
Resurrection Hypothesis – Why Rejected?

?
• The primary reason this option is rejected by critics is because, following
their anti-supernatural bias, they rule God out in an a priori manner.
• It is not a review of the evidence, but rather a commitment to naturalism that
causes skeptics of the resurrection to exclude the resurrection hypothesis.
The Resurrection – A Miracle in One of Three Ways

1. Psychological: The disciples and others imagined a risen Christ, changed

from unbelieving cowards into courageous evangelists, and went to their
deaths for being deceived or for something they knew to be untrue.

2. Biological: Jesus survived the beatings, scourging, cross, and spear thrust
into the heart, fooled his executioners, recuperated in the tomb, rolled
away the stone, and had his ‘resurrection’ falsely proclaimed.

3. Theological: Christ’s resurrection was a true, historically valid, and divine

miracle where Jesus died and came back to life three days later, which is
in keeping with the theme of miracles in the gospels.
“I have been used for many years to study
the histories of other times, and to
examine and weigh the evidence of
those who have written about them, and
I know of no one fact in the history of
mankind which is proved by better and
fuller evidence of every sort, to the
understanding of a fair inquirer, than the
great sign which God hath given us that
Christ died and rose again from the
dead.”
– Thomas Arnold
Professor of History Oxford
Author of the three-volume History of Rome
Conclusion
Conclusion
• We showed evidence that the biblical view of Jesus is historical,
proving that Jesus really existed
• We showed that Jesus really claimed to be God, being equal with the
Father in the nature of God, proving that He is not just a mere man or
just a moral teacher
• We showed that Jesus was really crucified and rose from the dead
according to the Bible and historical records that even skeptics
recognized that His disciples really saw Him alive, and that their lives
were being transformed
These are written that you may believe that Jesus
is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name. (John
20:31, NIV)
Sources
• I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH TO BE AN ATHEIST
• STEALING FROM GOD: WHY ATHEISTS NEED GOD TO MAKE THEIR
CASE
• ANSWERING ISLAM: THE CRESCENT IN THE LIGHT OF THE CROSS
• NO GOD BUT ONE
• SEARCHING ALLAH, FINDING JESUS
• CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS