Having laid a foundation of evidence for the empty tomb, and an understanding of the resurrection polemic and creed, we are now ready to deal with the theories that have arisen against it. There are many and in some cases, highly overlapping. Here are the most prominent:
1. The disciples stole the body. From our examination of the polemic, you will recognize that this was the initial charge ...
When we come to the apologetic or defense against the argument that the resurrection is merely legend or myth, there are two key elements that must be well understood. The first is the “resurrection polemic” and the second is the “early resurrection creed”. We looked at the resurrection polemic last time. Now, we want to examine the early resurrection creed. Here it is:...
There are two key elements in the argument concerning the resurrection of Jesus. The first is the “resurrection polemic” and the second is the “early resurrection creed”. Both had been fully developed in the very early days of Christianity. And both must be understood by the Christian seeking to defend the resurrection of Christ and understood well enough to articulate t...
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. Mark 16:6
Apart from the actual appearances of Jesus, the empty tomb is probably the greatest physical evidence of the resurrection of Christ that we have. Lee Strobel, the legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, journeyed from atheist...
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Mythicists and skeptics attempt to debunk Jesus in a number of ways, from the veracity of the Scriptures to the most dubious conspiracy theo...
A recent survey in Britain showed that 22% of Brits don’t believe that there ever was a real Jesus… that it is all fake, some kind of a myth or made-up deception.
This is fascinating, for the vast majority of historians find the evidence compelling that there really was a Jesus of Nazareth. What is going on here? It is increasingly possible that you will find one of your neighbo...
[If I were to tell my children and grandchildren the resurrection story, harmonizing all of the accounts and adding some intervening puzzle pieces and some color it would go something like this. I would also do it with a map, pointing out the places and routes as we go along. You may want to see the preface... these are some of the asides I would say along the way.]
The Resurrection Story ac...
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Matthew 28:17
Over the last several days, we have looked at some of the charges levelled against the resurrection accounts due to supposed conflicts in numbers, timing, events and places. I believe a rational view of these things, however, leads us to see them as harmonious rather than contradictory.
This is especially true when ...
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3
We have now come to what I believe is the most difficult of the resurrection issues. This has to do with the supposed contradictions associated with when and where Jesus met with the disciples and w...
We have already dealt with a number of events that have come under the charge of critics: the guards, the women and the angels. There are several events that also involve a supposed contradiction in where they took place. We will leave those for tomorrow.
So, today, we will look at the remaining events that have been called into question. You will notice that this gets easier for us as we go...
