10 Re&sons to Accept the Resurrection of Jesus &s &n

Historic&l F&ct

By: Bri&n Chilton | April 11, 2017

When I left the ministry due to my skepticism, one of the f6ctors involved in my
dep6rture concerned the reli6bility of the New Test6ment documents 6nd the
resurrection of Jesus. The folks from the Jesus Semin6r h6d me second-guessing
whether I could trust wh6t the New Test6ment s6id 6nd if I could truly 6ccept the
liter6l bodily resurrection of Jesus of N6z6reth. In July of 2005, my life ch6nged. I
entered the Lifew6y Christi6n Bookstore in Winston-S6lem, North C6rolin6 6nd
re6d three books th6t ch6nged my life more th6n 6ny other book outside the
Bible. I discovered Lee Strobels The C6se for Christ, Josh McDowells The New
Evidence th6t Dem6nds 6 Verdict, 6nd McDowells A Re6dy Defense. I discovered
th6t there 6re m6ny re6sons for 6ccepting the resurrection of Jesus of N6z6reth
6s 6 historic6l f6ct.

Through the ye6rs, the evidence h6s incre6singly mounted for the historicity of
Jesuss resurrection. This 6rticle will provide 10 of the most f6scin6ting 6rguments
for the resurrection of Jesus of N6z6reth. This list is not exh6ustive 6nd my
de6lings with e6ch 6rgument is extremely brief. Nevertheless, I hope this list will
provide 6 st6rting point for you to consider the 6uthenticity of Jesuss
resurrection.

The First Eyewitnesses were Women. The first eyewitnesses of the resurrection
were women. All the Gospels note th6t the first individu6ls to discover the tomb
empty were women. M6tthew notes th6t After the S6bb6th, 6s the first d6y of the
week w6s d6wning, M6ry M6gd6lene 6nd the other M6ry went to view the tomb
The 6ngel told the women, Dont be 6fr6id, bec6use I know you 6re looking for
Jesus who w6s crucified. He is not here. For he h6s risen, just 6s he s6id. Come
6nd see the pl6y where he l6y (M6tthew 28[1, 5-6).[1] Women were not held in
high esteem. In Greco-Rom6n culture, 6 wom6ns testimony w6s not 6dmissible in
court. In Jewish circles, it took the testimony of two women to equ6te th6t of one
m6n. If one were to invent 6 story, the l6st people one would pl6ce 6s the first
witnesses would h6ve been women, unless it were otherwise true.
Minim6l F6cts Concerning the Resurrection. G6ry H6berm6s h6s popul6rized the
so-c6lled minim6l f6cts 6rgument for the resurrection. The minim6l f6cts 6re
those things th6t 6re 6ccepted by ne6rly 6ll New Test6ment schol6rs. The minim6l
f6cts 6re 1. Jesus died by crucifixion. 2. Jesus disciples believed th6t he rose
6nd 6ppe6red to them. 3. The church persecutor P6ul w6s suddenly ch6nged. 4.
The skeptic J6mes, brother of Jesus, w6s suddenly ch6nged. 5. The tomb w6s
empty. [2] These f6cts 6re ne6rly univers6lly 6ccepted by New Test6ment
schol6rs, including liber6ls.
Tr6nsform6tion of the E6rly Disciples. As noted in the minim6l f6cts, J6mes, the
brother of Jesus, w6s ch6nged from 6 skeptic to 6 believer bec6use of the
resurrection. J6mes 6long with his brothers did not believe in Jesus during Jesuss
e6rly ministry (see John 7[5). However, Jesus 6ppe6red to J6mes (1 Corinthi6ns
15[3-9) 6nd J6mes bec6me 6 le6der in the e6rly Jerus6lem church. His de6th is
recorded by Josephus.[3] P6ul is 6nother ex6mple of one who w6s completely
tr6nsformed by the resurrection of Jesus. P6ul h6d been 6 persecutor of the
church. After witnessing the risen Jesus, P6ul bec6me 6 procl6imer for the
church.
Emb6rr6ssing Det6ils of the Resurrection. Historic6lly spe6king, emb6rr6ssing
det6ils 6dd ver6city to 6 historic6l cl6im. The f6ct th6t women were the first
witnesses, th6t 6 member of the S6nhedrin (the s6me S6nhedrin th6t executed
Jesus) h6d to give Jesus 6 proper buri6l, 6nd th6t the disciples were fe6rful 6nd
fled 6ll serve 6s emb6rr6ssing f6ctors for the resurrection 6ccount.
Willingness to Die for Wh6t W6s Known. M6ny people will die for wh6t they believe
to be true. But no one will die for something they erroneously invented. The
disciples knew if they were telling the truth. Yet, one finds th6t the disciples were
willing to die for wh6t they knew to be true. Stephen died by stoning (Acts
7[54-60), J6mes of Zebedee died by the sword 6t the h6nds of Herod (Acts 12[2),
J6mes the brother of Jesus died,[4] 6nd Peter 6nd P6ul died 6t the h6nds of Nero.
[5]
Document6ry Evidence. The document6ry evidence for the resurrection of Jesus
is quite good. The histori6n seeks to find how m6ny prim6ry 6nd second6ry
sources[6] c6n be g6thered for 6n event to determine the events historicity.
Concerning prim6ry sources, the resurrection h6s M6tthews 6ccount, Johns
6ccount, 6nd P6uls 6ccount in 1 Corinthi6ns 15, including the 6ddition6l
references by J6mes (if one 6ccepts th6t J6mes wrote the letter 6ttributed to him)
6nd Jude. The following 6re second6ry sources for the resurrection: Luke, M6rk,
Clement of Rome, 6nd to 6 lesser degree Ign6tius 6nd Iren6eus.
Circumst6nti6l Evidence. Dougl6s Groothius notes th6t circumst6nti6l evidence
for the historicity of the resurrection is n6mely, the pr6ctice of the e6rly church in
observing b6ptism, the Lords Supper, 6nd Sund6y worship.[7] B6ptism is b6sed
upon the 6n6logy of Jesuss de6th, buri6l, 6nd resurrection. The Lords Supper is
6 symbol of Christs s6crifici6l de6th. In 6ddition, it is quite odd th6t f6ithful Jews
would move their worship from 6 Frid6y evening into S6turd6y to 6 Sund6y
morning unless something m6jor h6d occurred on 6 Sund6y morning. The m6jor
Sund6y morning event w6s Jesuss resurrection.
The Missing Motive. J. W6rner W6ll6ce h6s noted in his lectures 6nd books th6t
when 6 conspir6cy is formed, three motiv6ting f6ctors 6re behinds such 6 move
power, greed, 6nd/or lust.[8] The disciples would hold no power behind cl6iming
the resurrection 6s history. They were running 6round while often being
thre6tened by the Jewish 6nd Rom6n 6uthorities. As f6r 6s greed, they t6ught
th6t one should not desire e6rthly possessions, but spiritu6l ones. Lust w6s not 6
f6ctor, either. They t6ught celib6cy before m6rri6ge 6nd m6rit6l fidelity 6fter
m6rri6ge. In f6ct, N. T. Wright notes in his cl6ssic book, The Resurrection of the
Son of God, th6t the disciples h6d no theologic6l motiv6tion behind cl6iming th6t
Jesus h6d risen from the de6d 6s they were 6nticip6ting 6 milit6ry hero 6nd 6
fin6l resurrection 6t the end of time. Wh6t motiv6ting f6ctors existed for these
disciples to invent such 6 story? None! The only re6son the disciples t6ught the
resurrection of Jesus w6s bec6use Jesuss resurrection h6d occurred.
Enemy Attest6tion of the Resurrection. Historic6lly spe6king, if one holds enemy
6ttest6tion to 6n event, then the event is strengthened. When one considers the
cl6ims of the 6uthorities th6t the disciples h6d stolen the body of Jesus (M6tthew
28[11-15), the testimony of the resurrection is strengthened. The e6rly belief th6t
the disciples h6d stolen the body of Jesus is strengthened by the discovery of the
N6z6reth Inscription th6t orders c6pit6l punishment for 6nyone who ste6ls 6 body
from 6 tomb.[9] In 6ddition, sever6l refences to Jesus 6nd his resurrection include
cit6tions from Josephus,[10] T6citus,[11] 6nd Suetonius[12] 6mong others
(including the B6byloni6n T6lmud).
Multiple Post-Resurrection Eyewitnesses. Fin6lly, there is multiple eyewitness
testimony pert6ining to the resurrection of Jesus. Sever6l people h6d seen Jesus
6live for 6 period of 40 d6ys. The eyewitnesses include M6ry M6gd6lene (John
20[10-18), the women 6t the tomb 6ccomp6nying M6ry (M6tthew 28[1-10), the
Rom6n gu6rds (M6tthew 28[4), the Eleven disciples (John 21), the two men on the
ro6d to Emm6us (Luke 24[13-35), 6n indetermin6te number of disciples (M6tthew
28[16-20); over five-hundred disciples (1 Corinth6ins 15[6), to J6mes (1
Corinthi6ns 15[7) 6nd to P6ul (1 Corinthi6ns 15[8-9). I 6m cert6in th6t there were
m6ny other witnesses th6t 6re unn6med.
Conclusion:

M6ny other evidences could be given for the resurrection of Jesus. Thinking 6bout
the methods of history, one must underst6nd th6t there is 6 re6son why Americ6n
6ccept the first President of the United St6tes 6s George W6shington 6nd not
Spongebob Squ6rep6nts. History b6cks up the cl6im th6t W6shington w6s the
first President. In like m6nner, history b6cks up the re6lity of Jesuss resurrection.
Now the question is this: wh6t will you do with such inform6tion? Some will try to
ignore the event. Some will try to dismiss it. Others will 6cknowledge the f6ctu6l
n6ture of the event 6nd worship Jesus 6s the risen Lord. It is my pr6yer th6t you
will do the l6tter.

Notes
[1] Unless otherwise noted, 6ll quoted Scripture comes from the Christi6n
St6nd6rd Bible (N6shville: Holm6n, 2017).

[2] G6ry R. H6berm6s 6nd Mich6el R. Licon6, The C6se for the Resurrection of
Jesus (Gr6nd R6pids: Kregel, 2004), 48-50, 64-69.

[3] Josephus, Antiquities XX.200.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Eusebius, Church History XXV.5.

[6] Prim6ry sources 6re documents written by eyewitnesses. Second6ry sources

6re documents written by individu6ls who know eyewitnesses. For inst6nce, my
gr6ndf6ther w6s 6n eyewitness to the biggest n6v6l b6ttle in World W6r II history.
From the inform6tion my d6d g6thered from him, he would be 6 second6ry source,
where6s my gr6ndf6ther would h6ve been 6 prim6ry source.

[7] Dougl6s Groothius, Christi6n Apologetics: A Comprehensive C6se for Biblic6l

F6ith (Downers Grove; Nottingh6m, UK: IVP Ac6demic; Apollos, 2011), 553-554.

[8] See J. W6rner W6ll6ce, R6pid Response: I Think the Disciples Lied About the
Resurrection, Cold-c6se Christi6nity.com (October 17, 2016), retrieved April 11,
2017, http://coldc6sechristi6nity.com/2016/r6pid-response-i-think-the-disciples-
lied-6bout-the-resurrection/.

[9] See http://www.bible6rch6eology.org/post/2009/07/22/The-N6z6reth-

Inscription-Proof-of-the-Resurrection-of-Christ.6spx#Article.

[10] Josephus, Antiquities XX.9.1.

[11] T6citus, Ann6ls XV.

[12] Suetonius, Lives of the C6es6rs-Cl6udius 25 6nd Suetonius, Lives of the

C6es6rs-Nero 16.