The Historical Confirmation of Christianity

I have been examining arguments for truth for the validity of the Christian faith. We have considered subjects like absolute truth, the existence of God, and the authenticity of the Bible. Of course, it was pointed out that these considerations were simply basic statements of arguments and are only meant to whet your appetite for additional study on the subjects. However, while each of these points are compel- ling, there is one fact remaining that surpasses them all. It is the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Many different scholars have presented historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus from various view- points. Atheists and agnostic scholars have tried to discredit Jesus’ resurrection. However, the best explanation of the evidence points to the resurrection as a fact.
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Again, I refer to the prominent Christian philosopher, Dr. William Lane Craig, for the delineation of four historical which are adequate explanations for the resurrection of Jesus: Jesus’ burial, the discovery of the empty tomb, Jesus’ postmortem appearances, and the origin of the disciples’ belief in His resurrection.

Dr. Craig cites that Jesus’ burial was an established fact on the basis of the attestation of various, early, independent sources. The gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as extra-biblical sources, verify the fact of Jesus’ existence, death, and burial. Also, Joseph of Arimathea, the man who allowed Jesus to be buried in his tomb, is a further source of verification. It is highly unlikely that Joseph, who was a member of the Sanhedrin that condemned Jesus, would have allowed Jesus to be buried in his tomb if He really was not dead. This attests to the fact that Jesus did die and was buried.

Secondly, there is the fact that on the Sunday after Jesus’ death, the empty tomb was discovered by a group of women followers. That might not seem a very important point to us, but it was in the first century. If the resurrection of Christ was a hoax, then absolutely no one would have used women in the hoax to discover the tomb. Women were not permitted to be witnesses in a Jewish court of law, nor were their testimony viewed as valid by the culture in general. If the resurrection was a theory hatched the disciples and/or early Christians, they would have used men to make the discovery.

For several months now in The VISION we have been examining arguments for truth for the validity of the Christian faith. We have considered subjects like absolute truth, the existence of God, and the authenticity of the Bible. Of course, it was pointed out that these considerations were simply basic statements of arguments and are only meant to whet your appetite for additional study on the subjects. However, while each of these points are compel- ling, there is one fact remaining that surpasses them all. It is the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Many different scholars have presented historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus from various view- points. Atheists and agnostic scholars have tried to dis- credit Jesus’ resurrection. However, the best explanation of the evidence points to the resurrection as a fact.