12 Facts and 12 Theories About the Resurrection of Jesus

Below is an excerpt from a blog posted at Aletheia Cube (http://aletheiacube.blogspot.com), which is hosted by a friend of mine, Tyler Thomas.

Two modern Christian apologists (defenders of the faith), William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas, set out to find neutral ground on which to defend the resurrection. Below I will give you 12 historical facts about the resurrection of Christ that were gathered in their research.  It’s noteworthy to say that these facts are accepted by atheistic scholars, pastors, New Testament scholars, any skeptical believer, and just plain skeptics.  Everyone with a working brain and knowledge of history on the subject will acknowledge these facts.  Following the facts, I will give you 12 theories that represent the best attempts by modern scholarship to refute these facts to counter the historicity of the resurrection. After considering the facts and reviewing the theories, decide for yourselves which theory best fits the accepted facts about Jesus and the resurrection.

12 Facts:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. Jesus was buried.
3. Jesus’ death caused disciples to despair and lost hope, for they believed his life was over.
4. Jesus’ tomb was found empty just a few days later.
5. Disciples had experiences they actually believed to be literal appearances of the risen Jesus.
6. Disciples were transformed from doubters, afraid to identify with Jesus, to bold proclaimers of His death and resurrection.
7. This message was central to the preaching of the early church.
8. It was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem, where Jesus recently died and was buried just a short time before.
9. As a result of the preaching, the church was born and it grew.
10. Sunday became the primary day of worship, this is powerful considering all of the early believers were Jewish.
11. James, formerly a skeptic, was converted to faith when he also saw what he believed to be the resurrected Jesus.
12. A few years later, Paul was also converted by what he believed to be an appearance of the resurrected Jesus.

12 Theories:

Examine each of these theories and determine which theories best fits the facts.

The Unknown Tomb Theory – Jesus’ body wasn’t put in a tomb, it was thrown into a common “pit-grave” that was an unknown location, so the disciples then created the resurrection. Explains facts 1, 2 and 3.

The Wrong Tomb Theory – The women that discovered the empty tomb simply went to the wrong place. Explains fact 4.

The Legend Theory – The resurrection was simply fabricated and then evolved over time to vindicate a religious leader that was dead. Explains facts 1 and 2.

The Twin Theory – Jesus died and was buried, but soon after his long lost identical twin brother emerged on the scene and was worshiped as the risen Christ. As absurd as this is, it actually answers all facts except for #11, but you need to put yourself back in that time and place.  Wouldn’t they then go back and check on the empty tomb to see if there was a twin body there?  Wouldn’t James know Jesus had a twin brother?  Think of the large scale scope of the conspiracy that would have to be in place.  Did no one think to ask Mary (still alive) if she delivered two babies in a manger?

The Hallucination Theory – That everyone hallucinated when they saw the resurrected Christ? Hits on facts 5, 11 and 12.  However you need to include what modern science says about hallucinations.  That people don’t generally hallucinate the same thing and that even if they somehow did, the fact that they weren’t all in the same place (like Paul for example) makes this one nearly impossible.

The Existential or Spiritual Resurrection Theory – That Jesus didn’t arise in physical form, but rather in our hearts only. Explains facts 1 and 2.

The Disciples Stole the Body Theory – The theory that says the disciples stole the body of Christ. Misses on all facts except for #4.

The Authorities Stole the Body Theory – This one states that the authorities stole the body of Christ. Misses on all facts except for #4.

The Swoon Theory – Jesus only fainted during his executing and then the cold air and spices in the tomb resuscitated him.  After he revives he then unwraps himself, sits up, moves the stone and then he either slips out past the guards or overpowers them. This misses on fact # 1, which is crucial.  It then offers no explanation for the remainder of his life on Earth.  Again, put yourself back in that time period.  Where did he go for medical treatment after his severe torture?  The scars from the beating and those left by the crown of thorns would have been tough to hide.   He couldn’t have traveled far, given their limited ability to move around, so why did no one else see him as he lived out the rest of his life?

The Passover Plot Theory – This one’s a jewel.  Jesus originally planned to fulfill Old Testament prophecy through a mock death and resurrection, along with co-conspirators Joseph of Arimathea and a mysterious young man.  The plan went horribly awry when the Roman soldier speared him in the side, actually killing him.  Later the mysterious young man walked the Earth pretending to be the risen Christ. This misses on fact 5, 6, 11 and any logic.  It’s hard to imagine that the disciples and even James were led to believe that this impostor was Jesus.  It’s also worth pointing out that if 5, 6 and 11 can’t be proven, then 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 wouldn’t have happened either. 

The Alien Theory – Jesus was an alien and used his alien powers to stage the crucifixion and resurrection. This one nails all 12 facts, so you have to consider it based on the acceptance of the data.  If Jesus was an extra-terrestrial then all 12 facts could be explained by this theory.

The Resurrection Theory – This is the theory that the Biblical accounts of the death and resurrection were true and that Jesus rose from the dead. This theory also explains all 12 facts.

Now You Decide:

Based on the accepted facts surrounding the resurrection of Christ it appears that there are several theories that hit the data points on the facts themselves, but have little logic to support them. The two that fit all 12 facts are the last two, so either Jesus was an alien or Jesus arose from the dead! It’s up to you to decide now.

Personally, I’ve always found the response of the disciples to be extremely compelling. What would it take for these men, as cowardly as some of them were, to then go out boldly to proclaim the gospel with the fear of death in their path? What changed? What did those that knew Jesus best see that emboldened them so much that they died for His very name? Nearly all of them were executed for proclaiming the gospel at the hands of the authorities, and some of them died by crucifixion. Why? What did they see? This has always been all of the evidence that I needed to historically explain the resurrection.

What about you? Do you believe in the resurrection? No one ever comes to Jesus because all the facts suddenly line up, but many people push God away because they feel like there is no substance to faith. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit of God will use the words from Aletheia Cube to start a process of conviction and salvation that will lead you to a personal encountered with the resurrected Jesus.

 

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