ON GUARDBy William Lane Craig

CHAPTER 9 – DID JESUS RISE FROM THE DEAD?

THREE EVIDENCES

• Empty tomb

• Jesus' appearances alive after His death

• The origin of the disciples belief in His resurrection and

the Christian church’s beginning in the 1st century

EMPTY TOMB

• Jesus was crucified according to:

• Bible x 5

• Tacitus (56-120AD)

• Lucian of Samosata (115-200 A.D.)

• Josephus

• Jesus was buried

• Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb

Why should we believe the tomb was empty?

• Early written accounts

• Multiple early accounts

• Early creed

• Simplicity of Mark’s resurrection account (esp. when compared to the Gospel of Peter)

• First discovered by women

• We know the name of the tomb’s owner

• Joseph of Arimathea was a member of Sanhedrin (enemy, one of 70)

• It was in Jerusalem

• Showing the body would have ended the discussion

• No one would be convinced if the body was still in the tomb

• Jewish explanation

• Muslim explanation

JESUS' APPEARANCES ALIVE AFTER HIS

DEATH• 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 lists:

• Peter

• The Twelve

• More than 500 at one time

• James

• All the apostles

• Paul

• Others:

• The women

• Two men on road to Emmaus

• To the disciples who were fishing

• Ascension in Acts

Why should we believe the resurrection

appearances?

• Several appearances

• Different settings for the appearances

• Physical nature of the appearance

• Early and multiple written accounts

• Appeared to skeptics and followers

• James

• Saul/Paul

• Contrary to Jewish and Greek beliefs

• Jews - Resurrection only at the end of the world and for all

• Greeks – death of the body was “good riddance”

The FACT of the Origin of the Christian Faith

• It started in the mid 1st century

• What caused this movement to begin?

• Why were they willing to die for it?

"Jews had no conception of a Messiah who,

instead of triumphing over Israel's enemies, would

be shamefully executed by them as a criminal. “

Alternative Explanations

• Conspiracy theory

• Apparent death or swoon theory

• Displaced body theory

• Hallucination theory