EVIDENCE FOR JESUS AND THE RESURRECTION

Luke demonstrated that he is a first rank historian when he wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.

Luke wrote an account of Jesus’ life and ministry (Gospel of Luke) and the establishment and growth of the early Christian church for the first 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and his ascension to heaven (Book of Acts). Luke wrote from the unique perspective of Gentile (non-Jew), a Greek physician, man of science and detail, and the first historian of the Christian church.  Although Luke was not an eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry, he was an eyewitness to many New Testament events. He traveled with Paul, and interacted with the apostle Peter, Timothy, and Silas (Acts 16-28). Luke was very concerned that the eyewitness accounts be preserved carefully and accurately so that the foundational beliefs of Christianity could be transmitted intact to the next generation (Luke 1:1-3; Acts 1:1-5)..

In Luke’s Gospel, he names 11 historically confirmed leaders in the first three chapters of Luke (12 if you include Jesus) that have been historically confirmed by non-Christian writers and/or archeology. These include Herod the Great (Luke 1:5), Cesar Augustus (Luke 2:1), and Quirinus (Luke 2:2). Then at the beginning of the third chapter of Luke, he names 8 more leaders including John the Baptist, “It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Taconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abiline, Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message came from God to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven” (Luke 3:1-3 NLT).

Luke put “historical crosshairs” on the target events of history.

This does not sound like Luke was making up a story. Instead, he put “historical crosshairs” on the target events he is describing, like John the Baptist’s ministry, by naming these prominent leaders and their dates.  John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin who baptized Jesus, is mentioned by Josephus (Antiquities 18:5.2). Geisler and Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 261-262.

A historically accurate detail relating to the crucifixion of Jesus is at Luke 22:44. This is where Luke records that Jesus was in agony and sweat drops of blood before his crucifixion. Jesus appeared to suffer from a rare stress-induced medical condition known today as hematohidrosis. This condition occurs when tiny blood vessels rupture due to extreme stress, thus allowing blood to mix with sweat. Since physicians like Luke most likely did not know this medical condition 2,000 years ago, he could not have written an account of it unless he interviewed someone who saw it. Geisler and Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 262; Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence of Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 194-195.

Classical scholar and historian Colin Hemer chronicled Luke’s accuracy in Acts verse by verse and identified 84 facts in the last 16 chapters of Acts that have been confirmed by historical and archeological research. Colin J. Hemer, The Book of Acts in the setting of Hellenistic History (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990)(cited and summarized by Geisler and Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 256-268). A sampling of 10 of these confirmed historical facts is as follows.

1. The natural crossing between correctly named ports (Acts 13:4-5) and the proper port (Pega) along the direct destination of a ship crossing from Cyprus (Acts 13:13).

2. The proper description of Philippi as a Roman colony (Acts 16:12).

3. The presence of a synagogue in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1) and the proper term (“politarchs”) used of the magistrates there (Acts 17:6).

4. The correct designation of Gallio as proconsul, resident in Corinth (Acts 18:12) and the bema (judgment seat), which overlooks Corinth’s forum (Acts 18:16).

5. The name Tyrannus as attested from Ephesus in first-century inscriptions (Acts 19:9).

6. The Jewish law regarding Gentile use of the temple area (Acts 21:28). Archeological discoveries and quotations from Josephus confirm that Gentiles could be executed from entering the temple area. One inscription reads, “Let no Gentile enter within the balustrade and enclosure surrounding the sanctuary. Whoever is caught will be responsible for his consequent death.”

7. Ananias being high priest at this time (Acts 23:2) and Felix being governor at this time (Acts 23:34).

8. The name Porcius Festus, which agrees precisely with the name given by Josephus (Acts 24:27).

9. The precise term (“Bolisantes”) for taking soundings, and the correct depth of the water near Malta (Acts 27:28).

10. The appropriate and correct means of custody of Paul with his own private lodging in Rome while being guarded by Roman soldiers Acts 28:16 and conditions of imprisonment with Paul for two years living in a rented house at his own expense while he proclaimed the Kingdom of God with boldness to all who visited him (Acts 28:30-31).

Another classical scholar and archeologist, William M. Ramsey, investigated the book of Acts with skepticism, but his discoveries changed his mind so that he concluded that the book of Acts is a marvelous truthful authority for the topography, antiquities, and society of Asia minor. Specifically, Ramsey stated, “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness,” and “Luke is a historian of the first rank … [H]e should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.” William M. Ramsey, St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen, (New York, NY: Putnam, 1896), 8, 90-91 (cited by Geisler and Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 260-262, 26-274). Therefore, Luke’s written historical accounts are trustworthy.

Luke was precisely accurate in his nautical terms and measurements. Free Bible Images.

Since the historical details of the Gospel of Luke and Acts have been confirmed by archeology and or non-Christian writings, we can have confidence in the reliability in Luke’s eyewitness account of Jesus’ life and ministry. Moreover, since Luke’s Gospel is a trustworthy historical account, then the Gospels of Mark and Matthew are also trustworthy because they provide the same basic historical account.

The disciples fall asleep on Jesus twice as he prays before he is captured (Mark 14:32-41). Free Bible Images.

Historical criteria principle of embarrassment and hearsay legal evidence admission against interest exception to the hearsay rule both confirm the Bible’s truthful account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Another principle that historians use to determine whether a historical author is credible and truthful is  ”the principle of embarrassment.” This principle assumes that any details that are embarrassing to the author are probably true..

In a legal trial, hearsay statements are generally not allowed into evidence. Hearsay is an out of court statement offered to prove the truth of the statement. For example, if a witness testifies, “Bill told me it was raining that day,” that statement is not allowed into evidence. Instead, the witness would need to testify, “I saw it raining that day.” However, similar to the historical principal of embarrassment, there is an exception to the hearsay rule that if the opposing party in a lawsuit makes a statement against that party’s interest, that statement is allowed into evidence because when people make statements against their interest, they most likely are true. For example, in an auto accident case, if the opposing driver party to a lawsuit states, “The accident was my fault,” that statement would be allowed into evidence because the opposing driver would not admit fault to the accident unless the driver was actually at fault. The following are some embarrassing admissions against interest details and statements in the New Testament that are most likely truthful details and statements.

1. The disciples are dim-witted. On numerous occasions they fail to understand what Jesus is saying (Mark 9:32; Luke 18:34; John 12:16).

2. The disciples are uncaring. They fall asleep on Jesus twice while he is praying before he is captured (Mark 14:32-41). They make no effort to give Jesus a proper burial. Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, which is the very court that sentenced Jesus to die (Mark 15:42-47).

3. The disciples are rebuked. Jesus calls Peter, “Satan” (Mark 8:33). Paul rebukes Peter for being wrong about the theological issue of whether Gentiles should get circumcised (Galatians 2:11).

4. The disciples are cowards. Peter denies Jesus three times.  All the disciples except John hide when Jesus goes to the cross. The brave women stand by Jesus and are the first to discover Jesus’ empty tomb (Matthew 26:33-35, 56, 27:55-56, 28:1-10). Women were considered less credible than men.

5. The disciples are doubters. Despite being taught several times that Jesus would rise from the dead (John 2:18, 3:14-18; Matthew 12:39-41, 17:9, 22-23), the disciples are doubtful when they hear of his resurrection.  Some are doubtful even after they see the risen Jesus (Matthew 28:17).

6. Jesus is considered “out of his mind” by his own family who come to seize him to take him home (Mark 3:21, 31).

7. Jesus is deserted by many of his followers (John 6:66).

8. Jesus is not believed by His own brothers (John 7:5).

9. Jesus is thought to be a deceiver (John 7:12).

10. Jesus offends Jewish believers to the point that they want to stone Him to death (John 8:30-31, 59).

11. Jesus is called a “madman” (John 10:20), a “drunkard” (Matthew 11:19), and “demon-possessed” (Mark 3:22; John 7:20, 8:48).

12. Jesus has his feet wiped with hair of a prostitute (Luke 7:36-39).

13. Jesus is crucified despite the fact that “anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (Deuteronomy 21:23 NIV).

Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 275-279; Frank Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist: Lesson 9 PowerPoint Presentation, slides 203-205, 2012. The best explanation for these embarrassing details is the gospel writers honestly reported the events even if they were embarrassing to Jesus, his followers, and the gospel writers.

Early testimony supports historical claims.

The closer in time between the event and the testimony about it, the more reliable the witness, because there is less time for exaggeration of the account or for legend to develop. The earliest Christian creed is 1 Corinthians 15:3-9.

“I passed on to you what is most important and what had also been passed on to me-that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five hundred of his followers at one time, most of them are still alive, though some have died by now. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, I saw him too, long after the others, as though I had been born at the wrong time. For I am the least of all the apostles, and I am not worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted the church of God.” NLT

Conservative and liberal scholars agree that the apostle Paul wrote this creed in 1 Corinthians as part of his first letter to the church in Corinth between A.D. 55 and 56. This was within 25 years of the resurrection of Jesus in about 30 or 33 A.D. Paul wrote down the testimony he received from others. He most likely received it from Peter and James in Jerusalem after his conversion (Galatians 1:18), which occurred about five years after the resurrection. This creed dates right back to about 18 months to 8 years after the resurrection, but some scholars say even earlier.  Gary Habermas, The Historical Jesus, (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1996), 152-157; Habermas and Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, 51-53, 221. Numerous other New Testament documents were written in the 50s A.D. or earlier. These include Galatians (A.D. 48), 1 Thessalonians (A.D. 50-54), and Romans (A.D. 57-58). The gospels also were written on or before A.D. 65: Mark (approximately A.D. 55-65), Matthew (approximately 60-65), Luke (about A.D. 60), John (A.D. 65, but some scholars say approximately A.D. 75-90). Geisler and Turek, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, 242-243. For an in-depth scholarly discussion of the history of the early Christian belief in the resurrection, see N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God: Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 3, (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003). According to the historical criteria principles, the New Testament eyewitness sources and documents are of very early origin.

A cold-case detective applied his homicide investigation skills and principles to the New Testament witnesses of Jesus to provide clear and convincing evidence of Jesus’ divinity and resurrection.

Detective J. Warner Wallace, a cold-case homicide investigator and former atheist, used his detective skills to determine whether Christianity is true. In his book, Cold-Case Christianity, he explained how he used 10 principles from his detective work to examine the reliability of the New Testament Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2013).

First, Wallace started his investigation with his eyes and mind open to reasonable possibilities, including but not limited to, the supernatural..

Second, Wallace used the abductive reasoning (also known as “inference to the most reasonable explanation”) in order to objectively draw a conclusion based on the evidence of the uncontested historical facts about Jesus to conclude that the best explanation of the evidence was that Jesus was resurrected..

Third, Wallace considered both direct evidence of eye witness testimony and the cumulative nature of circumstantial evidence of God’s existence, the resurrection of Jesus, and the Christian worldview. In other words, he considered how all the pieces of evidence support each other, not each piece of evidence in isolation.

Fourth, Wallace determined that the gospel witnesses were trustworthy because they were present with Jesus, accurate and honest, their testimony was verified by additional evidence, and they had no motive to lie. Each gospel witness provided his or her account from his or her perspective. Sometimes, the details are different with apparent contradictions, but the core accounts are the same, as you would expect in true eyewitness testimony. Also, the gospels were written early enough in history to be taken seriously as eyewitness accounts. Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity, chapters 1 to 5, 11.

Fifth, Wallace used “forensic statement analysis” to critically analyze the gospel witnesses’ accounts of events, including word choice to determine whether the witnesses were truthful or deceptive. For example, he focused on the Gospel of Mark, and confirmed it is the eyewitness account of the apostle Peter that was written by his interpreter Mark. Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity, chapter 5; Lee Strobel, The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), chapter 11, 189-210. The gospel writers documented witnesses that corroborated and supplemented each other. In addition, the gospel writers referenced names and cultural practices correctly for the first century Palestinian Jews and used the correct language style. Non-Christian historians and archeology corroborated many of the people, government, and places mentioned in the gospels.

Sixth, Wallace excluded the textual artifacts for the New Testament passages that may have been late additions to the biblical text (Mark 16:9-20; Luke 22:19-20, 43-44; John 5:4; John 7:53-8:11; 1 John 5:7, Acts 15:34). Actually, it is a good thing that we have so many Bible manuscripts because we can tell which passages were late additions. Also, when the scribes added these passages, they generally were trying to make something clear, to emphasize a point, or to add some detail known to the scribe but omitted by the apostle. Even if we exclude these passages, they don’t affect Christine doctrine because the content doctrines of the passages are expressed in other passages of the Bible.

Seventh, Wallace concluded that the gospel witnesses did not engage in a conspiracy to concoct a false resurrection story because there were too many witnesses to logistically coordinate a conspiracy and they were persecuted for their belief in the resurrection without recanting their belief.

Eighth, Wallace confirmed the the New Testament “chain of custody” was intact so that all of the Bible text documents written by Christians in the first and second centuries made it into Bible canon of Scripture. The copyists and scribes were meticulous. The students of John, Paul, and Peter recorded the events and teachings of the gospels to pass on to future generations.

Ninth, after collecting all the evidence, Wallace made an honest rational evaluation and concluded that Christianity is true beyond a reasonable doubt even though he had less-than-perfect knowledge and was missing information.

Tenth, when confronted with attacks on the truth claims of Christianity, Wallace was encouraged to learn how to respond to those attacks, consider all the cumulative evidence in support of Christianity, and increase his faith in the process. Eventually, Wallace became convinced that Christianity is true beyond a reasonable doubt. Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity, chapters 6-14