The Layout:
Let me start by saying that this will be a long post, it has to be. It's a ton of information that's ineffective if separated. So before you start this be sure you have some time. It's not only ineffective for me to deliver it in sections, it's ineffective for you to digest it in sections.
There was a time when apologetics was a simple endeavor. People generally accepted that the Bible was an historical document of sorts, they just didn't all submit to scripture nor did they all accept that it was the word of God. Josh McDowell wrote a great book for this time period and it really wasn't all that long ago. In his book Evidence That Demands a Verdict, published in 1972, McDowell used the Bible as a starting point for his historical defense of the resurrection. When doing so he forced the skeptics to disprove evidence like the movement of the stone from the tomb, or the fact that the Roman guards couldn't have lied for fear of death.
Fast Forward 41 years and you have skeptics that don't generally believe that anything in the Bible is either historical nor inspired by God. It's just an urban legend to most skeptics at this point. So as skeptics have become more advanced (although a good argument could be made that this is more of a digression from intellect than actual advancement) so have apologetics. William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas set out to find neutral ground on which to defend the resurrection. Below I will give you 12 historical facts about the resurrection of Christ that were gathered in their research. It's noteworthy to say that these facts are accepted by atheistic scholars, pastors, New Testament scholars and any skeptical believer or just plan skeptic. Everyone with a working brain and knowledge of history on the subject will acknowledge these facts. Following the facts, I will give you 12 theories that represent the best attempts by modern scholarship to refute these facts to counter the historicity of the resurrection. Then you decide which theory best fits the accepted facts about Jesus and the resurrection.
The Facts:
1. Jesus died by crucifixion
2. Jesus was buried
3. Jesus' death caused disciples to despair and lost hope, for they believed his life was over
4. Jesus' tomb was found empty just a few days later
5. Disciples had experiences they actually believed to be literal appearances of the risen Jesus
6. Disciples were transformed from doubters, afraid to identify with Jesus, to bold proclaimers of His death and resurrection
7. This message was central to the preaching of the early church
8. It was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem, where Jesus recently died and was buried just a short time before (see my previous post for more)
9. As a result of the preaching, the church was born and it grew
10. Sunday became the primary day of worship, this is powerful considering all of the early believers were Jewish
11. James, formerly a skeptic, was converted to faith when he also saw what he believed to be the resurrected Jesus
12. A few years later, Paul was also converted by what he believed to be an appearance of the resurrected Jesus.
The Theories:
The numerical value that I assigned to the facts will need to be referenced so I can show you which facts that each theory explains, so you might need to look to those again. I think it's important to put yourself in that time period when examining these theories. While some explain various facts as points of data, they make no common sense.
The Unknown Tomb Theory - Jesus' body wasn't put in a tomb, it was thrown into a common "pit-grave" that was an unknown location, so the disciples then created the resurrection.
Explains facts 1, 2 and 3.
The Wrong Tomb Theory - The women that discovered the empty tomb simply went to the wrong place.
Explains fact 4.
The Legend Theory - The resurrection was simply fabricated and then evolved over time to vindicate a religious leader that was dead.
Explains facts 1 and 2.
The Twin Theory - Jesus died and was buried, but soon after his long lost identical twin brother emerged on the scene and was worshiped as the risen Christ.
As absurd as this is, it actually answers all facts except for #11, but you need to put yourself back in that time and place. Wouldn't they then go back and check on the empty tomb to see if there was a twin body there? Wouldn't James know Jesus had a twin brother? Think of the large scale scope of the conspiracy that would have to be in place. Did no one think to ask Mary (still alive) if she delivered two babies in a manger?
The Hallucination Theory - That everyone hallucinated when they saw the resurrected Christ?
Hits on facts 5, 11 and 12. However you need to include what modern science says about hallucinations. That people don't generally hallucinate the same thing and that even if they somehow did, the fact that they weren't all in the same place (like Paul for example) makes this one nearly impossible.
The Existential or Spiritual Resurrection Theory - That Jesus didn't arise in physical form, but rather in our hearts only.
Explains facts 1 and 2.
The Disciples Stole the Body Theory - The theory that says the disciples stole the body of Christ.
Misses on all facts except for #4.
The Authorities Stole the Body Theory - This one states that the authorities stole the body of Christ.
Misses on all facts except for #4.
The Swoon Theory - Jesus only fainted during his executing and then the cold air and spices in the tomb resuscitated him. After he revives he then unwraps himself, sits up, moves the stone and then he either slips out past the guards or overpowers them.
This misses on fact # 1, which is crucial. It then offers no explanation for the remainder of his life on Earth. Again, put yourself back in that time period. Where did he go for medical treatment after his severe torture? The scars from the beating and those left by the crown of thorns would have been tough to hide. He couldn't have traveled far, given their limited ability to move around, so why did no one else see him as he lived out the rest of his life?
The Passover Plot Theory - This one's a jewel. Jesus originally planned to fulfill Old Testament prophecy through a mock death and resurrection, along with co-conspirators Joseph of Arimathea and a mysterious young man. The plan went horribly awry when the Roman soldier speared him in the side, actually killing him. Later the mysterious young man walked the Earth pretending to be the risen Christ.
This misses on fact 5, 6, 11 and any logic. It's hard to imagine that the disciples and even James were led to believe that this impostor was Jesus. It's also worth pointing out that if 5, 6 and 11 can't be proven, then 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 wouldn't have happened either.
The Alien Theory - This is to say that Jesus was an alien.
This one nails all 12 facts, so you have to consider it based on the acceptance of the data. If Jesus was an extra-terrestrial then all 12 facts could be explained by this theory.
The Resurrection Theory - This is the theory that the Biblical accounts of the death and resurrection were true and that Jesus rose from the dead.
This theory also explains all 12 facts.
Now You Decide:
Based on the accepted facts surrounding the resurrection of Christ it appears that there are several theories that hit the data points on the facts themselves, but have little logic to support them. The two that fit all 12 facts are the last two, so either Jesus was an alien or Jesus arose from the dead, it's up to you to decide now. I've always personally found the response of the disciples to be extremely compelling. What would it take for these men, as cowardly as some of them were, to then go out boldly to proclaim the gospel with the fear of death in their path? What changed? What did those that knew Jesus best see that emboldened them so much that they died for His very name? Nearly all of them were executed for proclaiming the gospel at the hands of the authorities, some of them died by crucifixion. Why? What did they see? This has always been all of the evidence that I needed to historically explain the resurrection, but hopefully some of the other facts that theories will help you out if you run into a non-believer that needs more proof.
Going Forward:
This post was really intended to be the last in the series. It was sort of the climax of my studying on the subject. However, I might be welcoming a new child into my family soon and I wanted to get this out before Easter. I wasn't sure how much time I'd have to study and write in the weeks to come, so I will continue with the historical resurrection series going forward. I really hope that this information can be worked into a conversation with non-believers around the upcoming holiday. I love Christmas, but for me, the celebration of the resurrection is the apex of worship in our home. Celebrate our risen Savior as He deserves to be celebrated, and do so with confidence. You are not celebrating that you believe He defeated death, you are celebrating the fact that He did. When Christ rose God did not merely create a system of salvation that you are allowed to participate in, if you so choose. God saved you personally. There is nothing more humbling to the believer than to come to terms with the fact that they were personally chosen for salvation.
My next post will probably focus on the improbability of the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy completed in Jesus' work on the cross, but if I'm honest, that's a hard sell to the non-believer. Nevertheless, it's important to relay just how impossible it is, numerically speaking, that anyone could have fulfilled all of these prophecies. Easter is a time to celebrate that the impossible was made possible, or rather, factual.