explanations for the resurrection

Of the three main Jewish sects of the 1st century AD, the Sadducees held that both soul and body perished at death, the Essenes that the soul was immortal but the flesh was not, and the Pharisees that the soul was immortal and that the body would be resurrected to house it. Next, there is the evidence that Jesus' disciples had real experiences with one whom they believed was the risen Christ. But the apostle Paul goes on to say "He was raised to life because of our justification." the cross. they had seen and met the resurrected Jesus. They believe that most, but not all, of the components of the http://www.newadvent.org/, Home page>Christianity>Christian history, etc>Beliefs>Resurrection>here, Copyright © 2003 to The disciples would have had no motive, either. The hallucination theory is untenable because it cannot explain the physical nature of the appearances. Craig tells us that "they are self-confessedly without any explanation to offer. Either the resurrection is the best explanation for the known historical data or it is not. 1st century Judaism had no conception of a single individual rising from the dead in the middle of history. Brain death occurs, and various degenerative processes soon begin; Seventh, critical scholars agree that the resurrection message was the foundation of the preaching of the early church. The best explanation is that The apostle Paul says "He was delivered up because of our sins." Consequently, “the meaning of the resurrection is a theological matter, but the fact of the resurrection is a historical matter.” Thus either the bodily resurrection of Jesus actually occurred in history or it did not. Because of the strong evidence for the empty tomb, most recent scholars do not deny it. happened during the springtime of either 30 or 33 CE. First, we have seen that the testimony of the resurrection goes back to the original experiences. Joseph was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrein, a sort of Jewish supreme court. The Refutation 1. As Gary Habermas has said, "Combining three improbable theories will not produce a probable explanation. he was resurrected (either under his own power or as a result of God's soldiers in charge of the death squad would have themselves been Also, if the burial account was legendary, one would expect to find conflicting traditions--which we don't have. 4) The disciples began to claim that they had experienced the risen Jesus. explanations have been offered to account for the stories in the Gospels. The forgiveness that Jesus died and rose to provide is given to those who trust in Him for salvation and a happy future. Seventh, the tomb was discovered empty by women. No matter if you believe in God or not, no matter if you're a philosophical naturalist or a Christian, the account and effects of Jesus' resurrection are truly miraculous. So we see that if the resurrection did not happen, there is no plausible way to account for the origin of the Christian faith. This legend has all of the Jewish leaders, Roman guards, and many people from the countryside gathered to watch the resurrection. These are three independently established facts that we have established. In ancient times many people believed that divine beings sometimes used visions as a method of communication. The resurrection proves that what Jesus said about Himself is true--He is fully God and fully man. The best explanation seems to be that Paul's death and Jerusalem's destruction are omitted because the book of Acts had been completed before they happened. As the Jewish Scholar Pinchahs Lapide has said, this creed "may be considered the statement of eyewitnesses." Third, the empty tomb account in the gospel of Mark is based upon a source that originated within seven years of the event it narrates. If people have other reasons for believing that Jesus rose, perhaps th… The disciples were reluctant to believe in the resurrection, were doubtful and would have been hard to convince... 2. The hyperlink is not necessarily still active today. This was Christ’s proof to Thomas that it was really... 3. This is also another good argument against the theory that the disciples were hallucinating. This places the evidence for the empty tomb too early to be legendary, and makes it much more likely that it is accurate. So it is not the case that the resurrection belief evolved over time. It is generally agreed by critical scholars that Paul receive this creed from Peter and James between 3-5 years after the crucifixion. It is generally agreed that the explanation with the best explanatory scope should be accepted. (eel free to provide your answer in a detailed outline format) There are four prominent rationalistic explanations for the resurrection of Jesus, and they are the swoon theory, the wrong tomb theory, the theft theory, and the visionary/legendary development theory. Essay originally written: 2003-APR-13 The Toledoth Jesu, a compilation of early Jewish writings, is another source acknowledging this. This is very apparent when we compare it with the gospel of Peter, a forgery from about 125. Psychologists will tell you that hallucinations cannot contain anything new--that is, they cannot contain any idea that isn't already somehow in your mind. Thus, it could not have been the product of the later church. Fifth, we have seen the evidence that the empty tomb story in Mark was very early--within seven years of the events. So, the resurrection appearances alone demonstrate the resurrection. Third, most of the similarities are often apparent and not real--a result of sloppy terminology on the part of those who explain them. theory. There was a resurrection of the Jerusalem saints (Matthew 27:52-53) which should be included in our consideration of the first resurrection. Then, He appeared to the apostles and they … My goal today is to outline and defend a naturalistic explanation for certain historical facts related to the death and subsequent appearances of Jesus of Nazareth. We’re on a mission to change that. So the legend theory is not very plausible. person, with some hired help. dying. Are they all from God? Could it have been Christian influences? This theory is that Jesus did not actually die, but rather He swooned or fainted … Further, as we saw, if the disciples made it up, then they were frauds and liars--alternatives we have shown to be false. A common belief is that he died on a Friday afternoon and was resurrected sometime before sunrise on the following … hazards involved. This cannot be done with hallucinations. In essence, if a source admits a fact that is decidedly not in its favor, the fact is genuine." Some have argued that Jesus did not in fact die … ". The tomb in which Jesus was buried was discovered empty by a group of women on the Sunday following the crucifixion. For Paul, the resurrection is the turning point in human history – if it is true, it vindicates the teaching of Christ and is the fulfilment of all his teaching. Resurrection. Because the testimony of women in 1st century Jewish culture was considered worthless. followers could have experienced a mass hallucination, and believed that The NT doesn't just tell us that Christ rose from the dead and leave us wondering why He did this. And if we are honest with ourselves, we will have to admit that we do not measure up to his standard. The "This implies that Caiaphas, who we know was high priest at that time, was still high priest when the story began circulating." Willingness to Die for What Was Known. fooled by an unconscious victim. Why is this important? By a simple test: which religion gives the best evidence for its truth? The basic idea of this theory is that the earliest belief in the resurrection was based on illusory visions of a ghostlike apparition of Jesus. happened as the result of a lie. But those theories are laughed at today by all serious scholars. It is worth pointing out that in establishing the historicity of the resurrection, we do not need to assume that the New Testament is inspired by God or even trustworthy. All other religions say that he was a good man only-and not God. The first resurrection takes place in various stages. We are sinful, and therefore deserve to be condemned at His judgment. aware of his recovery. half later. One might say, "I don't believe that He claimed to be God, because I don't believe the Bible." This would have been decisive evidence to refute the early Christians who were preaching the resurrection--for if the tomb had not been empty, it would have been evident to all and the disciples would have been exposed as frauds at worst, or insane at best. No other event in all recorded history has reached so far across national, ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, political, and geographic borders. They cannot all be true any more than 2+2 can equal both 4 and 5 at the same time. It explains the empty tomb, the resurrection appearances, and the existence of the Christian church. His conversion was in fact too early for any myth to have developed by then. There were at least 50 such cites in Jesus' day. You don’t need to carry your burdens alone anymore. The No one would be foolish enough to believe a man had raised from the dead when his body lay dead in the tomb for all to see. It will actually increase the degree of improbability. supporters. Because of their preaching on the resurrection, they were beaten, killed, and persecuted. That is not long enough for legends. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves the gospel to be true (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Ninth, there is very good evidence that the gospels and Acts were written very early. Third, many people are confused by the many different religions in the world. In this piece I argue that the Hallucinations, Biases, and Socialisation Model (henceforth HBS model, which I outline here) provides a superior explanation for the resurrection appearances of Jesus of Nazareth than does the competing Christian explanation (i.e. I believe that the resurrection is the most important truth in the world. The resurrection of Christ proves something very personal and significant to each of us--we will have to give an account of ourselves to a holy God. We are attempting to agree on the definition of what is and what is not "plausible" regarding this alleged event. Remember that the Jewish leaders were opposed to Christianity. For example, Christianity is the only religion that believes Jesus Christ is both God and man. But other components are believed to be myth, fiction, and He said that it was inspired by God and that it cannot error. Why is this important? Fifth, Jesus' tomb was never venerated as a shrine. be discouraged and disillusioned by Jesus' arrest and death. "Resurrection of Jesus Christ," Catholic But if Jesus did not rise, the disciples knew it. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2550010077357874"; While I do believe these things, we are going to focus here on three truths that even critical scholars admit. This is striking because it was the 1st century custom to set up a shrine at the site of a holy man's bones. First, the resurrection was preached in the same city where Jesus had been buried shortly before. Written by: B.A. Since the early disciples were Jews, they had no conception of the messiah rising from the dead in the middle of history. Jesus did not die; he only became unconscious on It is the climax of the Biblical narrative and foundational to all Biblical theology. The removal of the body could have been Do we dare accuse him of lying when he said he saw the risen Christ? He was removed and taken away by his Therefore, if the burial account is accurate the empty tomb is likely to be accurate as well. They would have been dying for a lie that they knew was a lie. Before examining, briefly, the implications of the resurrection, I wish to take a quick look at perhaps the most popular theory today against the resurrection--that it was a legend that developed over time. From the earliest days of the Christian movement, eyewitnesses were making this claim. And because we have sinned, we are deserving of God's judgment. Most theologians believe that this happened during the springtime of either 30 or 33 CE. His death." Jesus is the only religious leader who has risen from the dead. His resurrection proves that He is a Savior who is not only willing, but also able, to deliver us from the wrath of God that is coming on the day of judgment. On this view, the disciples knew that Jesus had not really risen, but they made up this story about the resurrection. Who would you believe? Why? This means that Acts was written before 64, when Paul died. But, in conclusion, don't we have to ask ourselves what implications this has? Essay last updated: 2008-SEP-30 The resurrection is a miracle in one of three ways – it is either 1. have been a sufficient interval to "leave no doubt as to the reality of 1. Sixth, we have seen that the empty tomb narrative lacks the classic traits of legendary development. 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