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Claim ID: HIS-IS34

Claim: Hundreds of Eyewitnesses Attest to Jesus' Resurrection

Summary: Jesus' resurrection was observed by 500+ people based on trustworthy accounts. Resurrection claims were made publicly by Peter, Paul and others within 0-7 years after the actual resurrection. Given that these claims are coincident with the resurrection event, these claims are free of legendary embellishments and distortions. Hallucination and delusion theories cannot discredit the reality of Jesus' resurrection. To assume that 500+ eyewitnesses hallucinated and had the same observation regarding Jesus' resurrected state is absurd. The evidence strongly suggestions that Jesus was raised from the dead with a physical and immortal body.

Description: The resurrection of Jesus is perhaps the most disputed claim of the Christian church. As Paul concludes in 1 Corinthians 15:17, if Jesus has not been raised from the dead, the Christian faith is futile and without hope. The core doctrines of the Christian faith rest entirely on the truth of the resurrection.

The key objections raised against the resurrection are (1) the trustworthiness of the resurrection accounts and (2) the reliability of those who eye witnessed the resurrection.

Trustworthiness of the Resurrection Accounts

Many have attributed the resurrection accounts to the work of legend or outright lies perpetrated by the disciples. Since the Gospels of Matthew (ca. 55-80 AD), Mark (ca. 50-70 AD), Luke (ca. 59-90 AD) and John (ca. 90 AD) were written and circulated in the latter half of the first century, several years would have elapsed between the crucifixion and the availability of these gospels. Could not legend have crept into the church to account for the missing body and resurrection of Jesus? How are the resurrection claims attested during the intervening years between 30-60 AD?

According to historians who study myths and legends, the practice of oral traditions [REF-JMU01] is well safeguarded with formal literary structures that aid in memorization [REF-KEB01] [REF-CAR01].

This can be readily observed in the Pauline creed found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7. This passage is narrative and progressive in nature, containing repeated phrases. Because of its length, it can be committed to memory in a matter of minutes.

³Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
⁴He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
⁵He was seen by Cephas (Peter) and then by the Twelve.
⁶After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
⁷Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.

Given the care and respect the Jews had for the transmission of the Old Testament scriptures, we can only assume that the same care and respect was given to the transmission for most important teaching of the Christian faith - the resurrection of Jesus.

A. N. Sherwin-White, a Greek and Roman historian [REF-ASW01], states that Greek and Roman history around the time of Jesus is biased one or two generation, or even centuries from the time of the event. Despite this bias, historians can reconstruction the actual historical events.

In the case of the New Testament which was written in the latter half of the first century, the 20-40 years that elapsed between the resurrection and the earliest writings is insufficient time for legend to form, and for additions, deletions and embellishments.

Reliability of Eyewitnesses

The reliability of the eyewitnesses relies on their ability to ascertain what they saw and experienced. One objection that gain popularity during the twentieth century was the hallucination theory. This theory claims that the eyewitnesses either experienced hallucinations or delusions of Jesus. These visions were based on the eyewitnesses' need to reconnect with Jesus due to extreme confusion and depression.

The following explanations discredit the Theory of Hallucinations:

• Hallucinations/delusions are an individual experience. Groups of people do not experience the same hallucination/delusion. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the same hallucination/delusion could be experienced by the eleven disciples let alone 500+ people.
• The appearance accounts enumerated in [HIS-EV36] do not lend themselves to hallucinations/delusions. In many cases, interactions with Jesus involved the use of all five human senses and were not solely an experience of the mind.
• Hallucinations/delusions do not account for the dramatic conversion of Paul, James and others.

To suggest that 500+ people who experienced Jesus resurrected body were delusional or psychotic is absurd. For all 500+ people to have the same exact delusions or visual/audible hallucinations is improbable.

The common experience shared by each eyewitness is proof that Jesus resurrection occurred.

Summary

Here are the claims drawn from the evidence cited in [HIS-EV36], [HIS-EV68] and [HIS-EV69]:

• Jesus publicly appeared to a great number of people. He appeared to different people, at different times, in different locations. There are thirteen (13) separate resurrection accounts recorded in the New Testament that occurred over the course of 40 days involving 500+ people.
• There was little time to elapse between Jesus' resurrection and the claims made by Peter and Paul. There was insufficient time for legend or myth to form.
• Jesus was fully human. He experienced hunger, thirst, emotions, etc.
• Many of the eyewitnesses were alive when Paul and Peter made claims of a physical, bodily resurrection. There were no eyewitnesses that refuted any of these claims.
• The eyewitness accounts present a consistent characterization of Jesus' resurrected state, namely that Jesus had a physical body free of any maladies incurred during the crucifixion.
• The careful practice of oral and written traditions ensured the accurate transmission of resurrection facts from one generation (and locale) to the next. The resurrection facts communicated by the apostolic fathers are true to the original facts delivered by the apostles. They were communicated without additions and embellishments.

Therefore, we conclude that Jesus was raised from the dead with an immortal, physical body.

Resources:

• Poet & Peasant AND Through Peasant Eyes (REF-KEB01)

• Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament (REF-ASW01)

• The Theory of Myths, in Its Application to the Gospel History Examined and Confuted (REF-JMU01)

• What kinds of literary techniques are used in the Bible? (REF-CAR01)