They tell us that after he died on a cross and was buried, Jesus suddenly appeared to them alive on the third day. But could Jesusâ resurrection simply be a 2000 year old legend? Jesus was putting his words to the ultimate test of truth. The followers of Jesus did claim that Jesus came back to life. Jesus suffered on the cross for approximately six hours. If Jesus didnât rise from the dead, then the foundation for the Christian Faith would forever be destroyed. If Jesus didnât rise from the dead, then the foundation for the Christian Faith would forever be destroyed. One historian of ancient Rome and Greece, A. N. Sherwin-White, argued that the resurrection news spread too soon and too quickly for it to have been a legend. But then three days later he would come back to life. If they had not claimed that, we would not have Christianity. He also wrote the three-volume legal masterpiece A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, which has been called the âgreatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.â The U.S. judicial system today still relies on rules of evidence established by Greenleaf. Something happened that changed everything for these men and women. He told one of his followers, “I am the resurrection and the life. He learned that Jesusâ death was considered factual for nearly 1800 years. Over time, the legend would have grown and been embellished as it was passed on. Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.It is the world's largest religion, with about 2.4 billion followers. He acknowledged, âWhoever comes to this problem has sooner or later to confront a fact that cannot be explained away … This fact is that … a profound conviction came to the little group of people â a change that attests to the fact that Jesus had risen from the grave.â, Professor J. N. D. Anderson and author of âEvidence for the Resurrectionâ concurs, âThink of the psychological absurdity of picturing a little band of defeated cowards cowering in an upper room one day and a few days later transformed into a company that no persecution could silence â and then attempting to attribute this dramatic change to nothing more convincing than a miserable fabrication … That simply wouldnât make sense.â. Bible scholar Wilbur Smith explains, âWhen he said He would rise again from the dead, the third day after He was crucified, He said something that only a fool would dare say if He expected the devotion of any disciples â unless He was sure He was going to rise.â. Jesus was putting his words to the ultimate test of truth. Everything Jesus taught and claimed depended on his resurrection from the dead. Morison wondered if Jesus could have survived the cross. Jesusâ disciples did not go to some obscure place where no one had heard of Jesus to begin preaching about the resurrection, but instead began preaching in Jerusalem, the very city where Jesus had died and been buried. He writes, âSomething perfectly new in the history of the Universe had happened. The second group of soldiers was given the task of guarding the tomb of Jesus because of the request ⦠They say he showed them his hands and feet and told them to touch him. Then in a mock trial under the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, he was condemned, scourged, kicked, spat upon, brutally whipped, and finally crucified on a wooden cross. Why did it win?â. So, with no body of evidence, and with a known tomb clearly empty, Morison accepted that Jesusâ body had somehow disappeared from the tomb. How come Jesus never said âI was dead and now I am alive?â 28. Thus, they would have no reason to even think of such a scheme. Since Josephâs tomb was at a well-known location and easily identifiable, any thoughts of Jesus being âlost in the graveyardâ would need to be dismissed. But if his resurrection really happened, then Jesus is the only one who can answer lifeâs most important questions: If Jesus really did rise from the dead, then he alone must know what is on the other side. It was this significant fact that persuaded Morison the resurrection must have really happened. Is Jesus Relevant Today? Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? Is Jesus the Only Way to God? The Jesus bloodline refers to the proposition that a lineal sequence of descendants of the historical Jesus has persisted to the present time. The door which had always been locked had for the very first time been forced open.â. Morison wondered why conspirators would make women central to the plot. COMPENDIUM OF THE SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH . If Jesus didnât rise from the dead, then the foundation for the Christian Faith would forever be destroyed. In the first century, women had virtually no rights, personhood, or status. He documents his case for Jesusâ resurrection in his book, Testimony of the Evangelists. Soon word spread everywhere that Jesus had risen from the dead. By all rights, if there were no resurrection, Christianity should have died out at the cross when the disciples fled for their lives. So they did claim it. And when they did, the body of Jesus was missing. They were completely satisfied that Jesus was truly dead. Then, at 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus cried out, âIt is finishedâ and died. Dr. Simon Greenleaf decided to put Jesusâ resurrection on trial by examining the evidence. He researched both Jewish and Roman contemporary history and discovered the following facts supporting Jesusâ death: â¢Â During the lifetime of the eyewitnesses no one disputes his death, â¢Â Secular and contemporary historians, Lucian, Josephus, and Tacitus cite his death as factual, Morison became convinced that Jesus was truly dead, a fact almost universally accepted as true by trusted scholars and historians. If they had taken the body, would they have sacrificed so much for a lie? More Questions? Jesus Predicts His Own Death and Resurrection. Darling writes, âThere exists such overwhelming evidenceâ¦factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.â, So what does Jesusâ resurrection mean to you and me? Moreover, they did claim that they knew he rose precisely because some of them saw him alive again afterward. Several facts stood out. He realized there were five possible explanations: â¢Â Jesus didnât really die on the cross. Even skeptical scholars admit that Christian hymns and creeds were recited in early churches within two to three years of Jesusâ crucifixion. Did Jesus Claim to be God? Some unconvinced skeptics attribute the resurrection story to a legend that began with one or more persons lying or thinking they saw the resurrected Jesus. Suddenly the sky went dark and an earthquake shook the land. Whatever one believes about the validity of Jesusâ resurrection, clearly âsomething happenedâ after his death that has made a lasting impact on our world. According to eyewitnesses, a man named Jesus Christ demonstrated his power over death. Roman guards then sealed the tomb with a large stone and were under strict orders to watch the tomb 24 hours a day. In Caesarea, Peter told a crowd why he and the other disciples were so convinced Jesus was alive. When we have said everything that can be said… we stand confronted with the greatest mystery of all. Something happened … But exactly what?â. Morison wanted to know what actually happened that changed Jesusâ followers and started a movement that has made such a profound impact on our world. Then he was seen by other followers, including 500 people on a single occasion. Finally, Morison was bewildered by the fact that âa tiny insignificant movement was able to prevail over the cunning grip of the Jewish establishment, as well as the might of Rome. Like us back on social media! The Gnostic Gospels: Are they the real history of Jesus? But then three days later he would come back to life. Once his death was certified, Jesusâ body was taken down from the cross, tightly wrapped in linen and buried in Joseph of Arimatheaâs tomb. Morison began examining the facts patiently and impartially to see where they would lead him. He reasoned that something extraordinary must have happened, because the followers of Jesus ceased mourning, ceased hiding, and began fearlessly proclaiming that they had seen Jesus alive. Yet the stone was rolled away, making it possible for eyewitnesses to enter the tomb. By their very nature, only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They tell us that after he died on a cross and was buried, Jesus suddenly appeared to them alive on the third day. Jesus never showed himself to the Jews (who challenged him) after he was saved from the accursed death of cross. All but one of Jesusâ disciples were slain as martyrs. He argues, âit would have been impossible for the disciples to persist with their conviction that Jesus had risen if they hadnât actually seen the risen Christ.â Applying his own rules of evidence to the facts, he accepted the resurrection as the best explanation for the events that took place immediately following Jesusâ crucifixion. This was a trained guard unit comprised of four to 16 soldiers. Morison realized that these early sightings of a risen Jesus by so many of his followers would have been virtually impossible to fake. Regarding the actual crucifixion, the JAMA authors addressed the question of whether nails were driven into Jesusâ hands or into His wrists. Or is it based upon verifiable historical evidence? 1. The disciples claim they saw Jesus on more than ten separate occasions. Tom Anderson, former president of the California Trial Lawyers Association, summarizes the strength of this argument: âWith an event so well publicized, donât you think that itâs reasonable that one historian, one eye witness, one antagonist would record for all time that he had seen Christâs body? Pilate wanted to verify that Jesus was dead before allowing his crucified body to be buried. Did the Apostles Believe Jesus is God? Psychologist Gary Collins, former president of the American Association of Christian Counselors, explains that, âHallucinations are individual occurrences. That might be plausible if the tomb was in an obscure area where no one would see them. C.  The legend theory doesnât adequately explain either the empty tomb or the fervent conviction of the apostles that Jesus was alive. In the book he finally wrote, Who Moved the Stone, Morison documents the evidence that led him to a belief in the resurrection. They certainly arenât something which can be seen by a group of people.â, Hallucination is not even a remote possibility, according to psychologist Thomas J. Thorburn. 26. Greenleaf observed several dramatic changes that took place shortly after Jesus died, the most baffling being the behavior of the disciples. âShortly after Jesus was executed, his followers were suddenly galvanized from a baffled and cowering group into people whose message about a living Jesus and a coming kingdom, preached at the risk of their lives, eventually changed an empire. So a Roman guard thrust a spear into Jesusâ side. Having eliminated the main arguments against Jesusâ resurrection due to their inconsistency with the facts, Morison began asking himself, âdid it really happen?â Instead of looking for evidence against Jesusâ resurrection, he wondered how strong the case was for its actual occurrence. The Gnostic Gospels: Are they the real history of Jesus. The mixture of blood and water that flowed out, according to eyewitnesses, was a clear indication that Jesus was dead.
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