Historical Proofs of the Resurrection of Jesus and the Implications of the Resurrection

The historical proofs of the resurrection are actually quite compelling and numerous. However, one must adopt a logical perspective if one is going to approach these proofs, because they require a rational mind and one that is objective rather than speculative or theoretical. The historical proofs include the fact that Christ did die, that he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the highest Jewish ruling body in the time of Jesus, and was therefore a public figure (Habermas, Licona, 68); and the fact that the demeanor and attitude of the disciples changed drastically following the resurrection: where they had broken up and fled before the resurrection, after they were united and instilled with a special sense of purpose and mission, which would not have been possible had the resurrection never really happened. This paper will discuss each of these historical proofs of the resurrection in order to show that the evidence is insurmountable in proving that the resurrection happened.

First of all, there is the evidence that Christ died. This evidence is given even by ancient historians such as Josephus, who noted plainly that Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified (Josephus). The record was clear: Christ lived and was condemned to death under Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried.

Second, the place of burial is significant because it was in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, who was a very important person in the Jewish religion: he was a member of the Sanhedrin and carried considerable importance among the Jewish public. That is one reason he followed Christ only distantly. However, he never disputed the fact that Christ was placed in his tomb. Had Christ not been buried there, Joseph surely would have disputed it and there would be a record of that disputebut there is none (Habermas, Licona). Instead, there is only the charge, given by the Jews, that the body of Christ was spirited away by His disciplesyet there is no evidence to back up the charge and instead there is the eye witness testimony of many that Christ was seen again.

Thirdly, the biggest miracle of all is the fact that the disposition of Christs disciples changed so drastically. Following His arrest and death, the disciples scattered. Peter himself denied he even knew Christ. Others were going back to their old lives. There is no reason in the world that any of them would have turned back and renewed their faith in Christ and preached Him to the world even unto their own persecution had He not truly risenit just makes no logical sense. He would have really had to have risen and appeared to them in order to change their disposition so drastically: nothing else could have possibly done itsurely no elaborate ruse (McGrew, McGrew). The fact is that the Christian faith was always predicated on truthnot fictionand were it not true, the faith would not have flourished; it is as simple as that (Mueller).

The consequences of this evidence naturally lead one to the issue of faith. Faith is the ultimate stumbling block for manynot evidence. As Scripture says, The fool has said in his heart, There is no God (Psalm 14:1). The evidence of Gods existence is there to be seen in the fact of creation, for nothing can come from nothingwhich means God must be there as the Supreme Being with no beginning and no end: the spark of...

…existed for 2000 years. The claims of the Church are so unbelievable that without the actual proof of the miraculous, no one would have embraced faith. Yet even the miraculous surpasses our understanding and people can believe through some innate sense of things, through some special gift of grace that makes the truth known to them in their heart the way it was made known to the penitent thief, who gave testimony to God there on the cross just before he died.

Nonetheless, it is helpful to assess the historical proofs. First, there is the fact that Jesus lived and died and this is recorded by ancient historians like Josephus. Second, there is the fact that Jesus was laid to rest in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea; there is no disputing thisand Joseph himself never protested the claim. Third, the fact that the disposition of the disciples changed so drastically following the crucifixion is only explainable by the Resurrection. The disciples were shaken and were leaving town. They were not going to stick around to be persecuted since their leader had just been executed. Yet something made them turn around. What was it? It was the Resurrection. Christ Himself returned; their leader returned from death to show them that they must maintain their faith and spread the faith because God came to save allyet that salvation comes by way of faith, for man has to submit to God: that is just the way God wants it. He does not want people in His Heaven who do not want to recognize God as their Creator, their Savior, and their end-all-be-all. The disciples went out and preached this message and worked miracles in Gods name and died for the message. That would not have happened had there been no Resurrection. St. Paul literally…