The foundation of Christianity is centered not just on the existence of Christ but also on the truth of one particular event: Christ’s resurrection. If Christ truly did die on the cross and rise from the dead three days later as each of the writers of the gospels in the New Testament emphasized, then it stands to reason that all of Christ’s teachings are worth listening to. If the resurrection never occurred, there are those that argue that you cannot, therefore, trust anything written in the New Testament.
Many people believe that the resurrection did not happen, and point to four of the five theories regarding it as proving them right. These arguments have been refuted, however, and the experts doing so have used the same four theories as proof that they are right. So what is the truth?
Theory 1: There were hundreds of eyewitnesses to the event – including Christ’s disciples who recorded what they saw in their gospels. But disbelievers claim that these were hallucinations based on emotions and wishful thinking. If this were true, the Jewish authorities could have gone to the tomb and brought out the body of Jesus for all to see. But they knew they could not because the tomb was empty.
Theory 2: The apostles made up a myth when writing their accounts of the resurrection that they did not intend to be taken literally. Any literary scholar knows that the Gospels are written in completely different styles than myths. Myths tend to be verbose and exaggerated accounts whereas the Gospels have a lot of psychological depth and are concisely written. Myths take generations to develop and be taken as fact. The Gospel accounts of the resurrection were written within years after the event occurred.
Theory 3: The disciples were deceivers. They stole Christ’s body, made up the resurrection story, and lied to people over and over again. This theory doesn’t hold up very well when you consider that no one ever confessed that the resurrection was a deliberate deception. Christ’s disciples were martyred because of their faith in Jesus and not one recanted in order to save his life. Many believers broke under torture and denied Christ to once again worship Caesar, but no one ever said that the resurrection was a conspiracy.
Theory 4: Christ was still alive when taken from the cross, and his unconscious body entombed. He later regained consciousness and left his tomb. This is nonsense, because every account mentions the wound in his side, and blood and water that came from it. Both are correct, because fluid would have accumulated due the effect on the lungs of the crucifixion and both clear fluid and blood would be released when the centurion’s lanced punctured his chest. In any case, he would likely have died from his injuries in his tomb, being unable to move the stone blocking it himself.
Theory 5: The final possibility is that the story of the resurrection is completely true – that Jesus did actually die on that cross, he rose from the dead three days later, and this became the basis of Christianity as we know it.
Many individuals and organizations have tried to disprove the resurrection and have failed. Some have even converted to Christianity after realizing the truth: that the resurrection really happened and that the Christian faith is based on history and spirituality, and not on myth.
Robert Mann is creator of the Christian job Web portal Ministry Jobs and Executive Editor of the Christian news Web portal http://www.FreeChristianPress.com.
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