Evidence for the Resurrection: Part 2 of 3

Last week we examined evidence for the claim that Jesus actually died on the cross, as opposed to the critical claim that he merely fainted before waking up in the tomb.

This week we will examine the charge that Jesus didn’t actually rise from the dead, but that the disciples either mistakenly visited another empty tomb or that Jesus’ body was stolen. Some critics of the Resurrection also claim that the disciples were hallucinating when they purportedly saw the resurrected Jesus outside the tomb. The claim that the disciples visited the wrong tomb is manifestly false on the grounds that 1) the location of the tomb was publicly known and near the place of the Crucifixion; 2) the tomb had a known owner, Joseph of Arimathea, who also assisted with the burial and who could have been consulted if there was any doubt over the tomb’s location, 3) Matthew indicates that a Roman guard was placed at the tomb, which would have marked the spot, and 4) in order to disprove the preaching of the Apostles, the Jewish authorities would simply have had to produce Jesus’ dead body from the correct tomb - but they didn’t.

Some critics claim that Jesus’ body was stolen by the Apostles, who then lied about the Resurrection. This claim doesn’t fit the later evidence that all of the Apostles were persecuted, tortured, and (with the exception of St. John) eventually martyred for claiming that Jesus had been raised from the dead. People who perpetuate a lie might do so for the sake of worldly fame or fortune, but not for poverty, persecution, and gruesome death.

As to the hallucination hypothesis, this claim is disproved by the fact that it is seemingly impossible for multiple people, such as the group of 500 to whom Jesus appeared, to have identical hallucination experiences. And more fundamentally, again, the Jewish authorities could have merely produced Jesus’ body to disprove the Apostles’ claims - but they didn’t.