Defending the Resurrection

A cross, some nails, a body laid to rest, and an empty tomb. The next three days celebrate the most important event in Christian history. These are the days we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are also the days that we find the Christian faith the most criticized. When the skeptics question you, what will you answer? Knowing the major objections to the resurrection is a good start. There are many alternative theories to the resurrection (or rather, theories to explain away the resurrection). I've chosen to highlight below the four most common.

The Hallucination Theory
This is usually the first theory skeptics will come out with in opposition to the resurrection. The claim is made that those who claim to have seen Christ following his crucifixion must have been hallucinating. While this theory may seem to hold its own at first glance, when we consider the number of witnesses who claim to have seen Christ in the flesh after his death, we can easily discredit it. To say that twelve men had the same hallucination at the same time (or even that they got together and agreed upon a story) is one thing, but we know that there were as many as 500 witnesses. To say that 500 people all had the same hallucination at the same time is a bit far-fetched. It was also something that had reached those higher up in government without being squelched, which lends to it some credibility in that if it was just some sort of crazy made-up story or hallucination (and one that those in power would not want circulating), it surely would have been put to a stop. In Acts 26, upon being called out as mad by Festus in front of King Agrippa, Paul replies "I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest." The entire theory not only disregards the witnesses involved, but also contradicts what we know of the mental state of those witnesses. James, the brother of Jesus, was certainly not prone to hallucinations based upon want he wanted to see. He was an outright unbeliever in Jesus as the Messiah until he saw with his own eyes that He had risen.


The Swoon Theory
The swoon theory holds that Jesus did not fully die, but only lost consciousness. His heartbeat was so faint that he was believed to be dead. He was later resuscitated and thus "resurrected". I believe the best way to answer this is by taking quotes from two separate men as found in the book More Than A Carpenter  by Josh McDowell.

"German theologian David Friedrich Strauss, himself no believer in the Resurrection, deals a deathblow to any thought that Jesus could have revived from a swoon:
'It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to his sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression that he was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life, an impression which lay at the bottom of their future ministry. Such a resuscitation could only have weakened the impression which He had made upon them in life and death, at the most could only have given it an elegiac voice, but could by no possibility have changed their sorrow into enthusiasm, have elevated their reverence into worship.'” 

Not to mention, it is highly unlikely...no...impossible that Jesus would have made it off of the cross with breath still in his lungs. Here, a typical Roman whipping, which Christ experience before the actual crucifixion, is explained:  

"Alexander Metherall, who holds a medical degree from the University of Miami and a doctorate from the University of Bristol in England, made a detailed examination of Christ’s whipping at the hands of the Romans. He explains the process: 

'The soldier would use a whip of braided leather thongs with metal balls woven into them. When the whip would strike the flesh, these balls would cause deep bruises or contusions, which would break open with further blows. And the whip had pieces of sharp bone as well, which would cut the flesh severely. 

The back would be so shredded that part of the spine was sometimes exposed by the deep, deep cuts. The whipping would have gone all the way from the shoulders down to the back, the buttocks, the back of the legs. It was just terrible.

One physician who has studied Roman beatings said, “As the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh.” A third-century historian by the name of Eusebius described flogging by saying, “The sufferer’s veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure.” 

We know that many people would die from this kind of beating even before they could be crucified. At the least, the victim would experience tremendous pain and go into hypovolemic shock.

Given the brutality of the whipping, as well as his subsequent crucifixion, it is historically certain that Jesus was dead. Even the members of the radical Jesus Seminar, which was popular in the 1990s, accepted the death of Jesus. This is why John Dominic Crossan said that the death of Jesus by crucifixion “is as sure as anything historical can ever be."”

The Wrong Tomb Theory

Here we find the claim that the tomb was not empty, the women who reported it empty simply went to wrong one. There are so many reasons that this theory cannot be considered valid. First, if the women did indeed go to the wrong tomb, the disciples that followed shortly after must have also gone to the wrong one. That seems highly unlikely, yet, still a possibility. However, when you consider that the Roman guards would have also been mistaken as to which tomb His body was in, that possibility falters. If it was just a case of the wrong tomb, the chief priests would have been able to quickly locate the actual tomb and put a stop to the rumors (instead they paid the guards to say the disciples had stolen the body). 

The Stolen / Moved / Relocated Body Theory

We know from Matthew 28 that shortly after the tomb was found empty, the Roman guards fled to the chief priests who paid them to say that the disciples stole the body. Even if you do not believe the Bible's account in Matthew 28, the odds are against the stolen body theory. Everything we know of the disciples show them to be cowardice and dejected after the death of Christ. They honestly seemed to believe that their Lord had died and was not coming back. For these men to suddenly get a surge of bravery to steal a body in the middle of the night seems a little doubtful. Not only would it be uncharacteristic at this point, but they would also have had to contend with the Roman guards at the tomb. With only one entrance, it is impossible that the disciples could have stolen the body without being caught until the morning discovery of its absence. 

The second part of this theory assumes that the body was either moved by authorities or relocated to a criminal's tomb. If either of these had happened the Roman guards would have known about it. They would have remained posted at the proper tomb. Furthermore, if the authorities had moved the body to hide it from the disciples or relocated it to a criminal's tomb, they could have easily dispelled any rumours of resurrection by simply producing the body of Jesus. The failure to do so would imply that they did not know the whereabouts of the body. 

There you have it, four theories for the resurrection and their defenses. Hopefully you've found this information helpful. The best way to defend our faith is to have knowledge of what type of opposition we may face. There are more theories (although many are ridiculous, such as "Jesus had a twin"), so it doesn't stop here. These are just four of the more popular ones. We do have historical proof of the life and death of Christ outside of the gospel accounts. If you are looking for more information about these and other theories, or further evidence of the truth of the Bible, the gospel accounts, or the existence of  God, contact me. I have plenty of books, documents, and knowledge that I'd be more than happy to share. :) 

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God bless, and have a wonderful Easter.