Historical Evidence of the Resurrection

One of the most compelling stories of all time is the Resurrection of Jesus. But how do we know it really happened? Are we merely supposed to take everyones word for it? Or is there historical evidence that Jesus Christ truly did die and rise up from the dead three days later? The fact of the matter is, yes, historical evidence of Christs resurrection does exist; however, that does not mean one wont need faith to believe in it.

Before discussing the Resurrection, it is necessary first to show that Jesus Christ did first of all die. Aside from the evidence from Scripture, Josephus provides one of the earliest recorded historical accounts of Jesus death. Josephus was a Roman-Jewish historian, so he cannot be said to have any Christian bias in reporting on this matter. Josephus recounts that Pilate, upon hearing [Jesus] accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified. There is also the historical record of Lucian, a Greek writer, who discusses the matter of Jesuss death in the commentaries that he penned. Tacitus describes the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus in his history, as does the Syrian philosopher Mara Ben-Serapion, who was nearly a contemporary of Jesus. The death of Jesus is even reported in the Jewish Talmud, which states that on the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged (Habermas, Licona 30). So there can be no real debate over whether Jesus actually diedthe historical record is fairly clear on this matter.

But what is the proof that Jesus rose from the dead? After all, even though...

They argue that the disciples of Jesus stole His body and claimed that their leader had risen to trick others into believing that He really was God. In fact, the Jews feared exactly that, as reported in Scripture: it is why they asked Pilate for soldiers to guard the tomb where Christ was laidthey feared the Christians might start trouble if they could just steal the corpse (Matthew 27:65-66). The question then becomes: if Scripture is to be believed, and the tomb was guarded, how on earth did the Christians manage to steal the body of Jesus from under the noses of the guard?

Setting aside that question, one can again turn to Scripture as a historical record to see how the disciples changed from frightened followers of Christ, now dead, to courageous defenders and preachers of the faith. What happened to cause this dramatic transformation in them if not the Resurrection? In fact, one must ask which is the greater miraclethe Resurrection of Christ, or the dramatic transformation in the character of the disciples? It must be recalled that after His death, the disciples had given up all hope: Peter had publicly denied having any knowledge of Christ. Others were leaving town altogether. Those who remained were holed up in…