Posted on 03/31/2013 2:45:14 PM PDT by grumpa
Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Here are four things that modern scholars, including skeptical scholars, almost universally agree on. (This is a very brief summary of the original):
1. Jesus died and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
2. A group of women found the tomb empty on Easter morning.
3. Over 500 people really and truly believed that they saw Jesus alive.
4. The Christian faith exploded to all the known world in a very short period of time thereafter.
The best explanation for these events is that Jesus really did rise from the dead. But here are 3 alternative explanations, and why each has been discredited.
a. The disciples stole Jesus' body. This theory has been universally rejected by critical scholars and survives only in the popular press. This theory is rejected for several reasons, not the least of which is that the disciples were all killed for their faith. People will allow themselves to be martyred for what they believe to be true, but will not die for a lie.
b. Jesus did not really die on the cross. This theory has been entirely abandoned by critical thinkers for medical facts about crucifixion.
c. The disciples hallucinated. This theory too has been rejected by scholars as psychologically impossible. Hallucinations are usually associated with mental illness or drugs. And while one person can hallucinate, a large group of people do not hallucinate together.
For the entire article from our website that offers the classical evidentiary apologetic on the resurrection, go to:
http://www.faithfacts.org/search-for-truth/contemporary-scholarship
Also see my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Faithfacts.org
Give us a "Like."
It’s a foundation of Christianity. See I Corinthians 15:3,4.
Halleluiah!!!
By His stripes we are healed
Sin has lost it’s power
Death has lost it’s sting
From the grave You have risen victoriously!
Jesus DID rise from the dead. And it impacts EVERYTHING. PERIOD. thanks for the post
And Jesus was no Joel Osteen.
Yes, he really did rise from the dead!
Where’s Humblegunner?
We have all come across people who profess to be Atheists and here is a little challenge to make to people who think the Bible and God aren’t relevant.
During a question and answer session at a recent speaking engagement, a University student asked, “Why do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?”
Now this is a very interesting question; and probably one of the most important questions any Christian could ask themselves. What is so special, so unique about the Bible that Christians believe it is literally the inspired word of God? In answering this student’s question, I encouraged him to consider the following facts about the Bible:
First, the Bible is not just one single book. This is a more common misconception than many people realize, especially with people who do not come from a Judeo-Christian background. Rather than being a single book, the Bible is actually a collection of 66 books, which is called the canon scriptures. These 66 books contain a variety of genres: history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, literature, letters, and apocalyptic just to name a few.
Second, these 66 books were written by 40 different authors. These authors came from a variety of backgrounds: shepherds, fishermen, doctors, kings, prophets, and others. And most of these authors never knew one another personally.
Third, these 66 books were written over a period of 1500 years. Yet again, this is another reminder that many of these authors never knew or collaborated with one another in writing these books. Fourth, the 66 books of the Bible were written in 3 different languages. In the Bible we have books that were written in the ancient languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; a reflection of the historical and cultural circumstances in which each of these books were written. And finally, these 66 books were written on 3 different continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe . Once again, this is a testament to the varied historical and cultural circumstances of God’s people.
Think about the above realities: 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents. What’s more, this collection of books shares a common storyline- the creation, fall, and redemption of God’s people; a common theme- God’s universal love for all of humanity; and a common message-salvation is available to all who repent of their sins and commit to following God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength. In addition to sharing these commonalities, these 66 books contain no historical errors or contradictions. God’s word truly is an amazing collection of writings!
After I had shared the above facts with this student, I offered him the following challenge: I said to him, “If you do not believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, if you do not believe that the Bible is of a supernatural origin, than I challenge you to a test.” I said to the student, “I challenge you to go to any library in the world, you can choose any library you like, and find 66 books which match the characteristics of the 66 books in the Bible. You must choose 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, written on 3 different continents. However, they must share a common storyline, a common theme, and a common message, with no historical errors or contradictions.” I went on to say, “If you can produce such a collection of books, I will admit that the Bible is not the inspired word of God.” The student’s reply was almost instantaneous, he emphatically stated, “But that’s impossible!”
“But that’s impossible!” It truly is impossible, for any collection of human writings. However, the Bible passes this test. The Bible contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over 1500 years, in 3 different languages, on 3 different continents, with no historical errors or contradictions. The entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, bears the mark of Divine inspiration.
The next time you encounter someone who asks you why you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, try sharing this challenge with them. Better yet, don’t wait until you’re asked, just go ahead and share this challenge with a friend today..
You don’t even have to mention the Bible up front, just ask them if they think it would be realistic to assemble such a collection of books. After they say, “But that’s impossible!” you’ve got a ready-made opportunity for sharing the truth of God’s word with somebody.
The way you live your life influences others ~ Be Blessed ~ Be a Blessing
Respectfully,
Gerald
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” — John 6:47 King James Bible, Cambridge Edition
He is risen indeed!
He's a very creepy man for someone who professes to be a practicing Catholic.
He really is beginning to give me the willies when I listen to him. No staunch moral underpinnings any more, if, indeed he ever had them....just moral equivalencies and deteriorated theology.
Ditto on his political ideology.
Leni
Yes it really happened.
Yes Jesus beat death to bring us knowledge that the Father loves us.
Yes Jesus is still alive, right this very moment.
It really happened.
It may be the foundation of Christianity and it may also have been true.
The trouble is that there is NO documentation of those facts until many decades after the event and under two circumstances -
1. By Paul who never was known to have met anyone by the the name of Jesus or Jesua.
2. By the disciples who had not written ANYTHING for well over two full decades and then only at the urging of Paul.
3. The writings of the disciples was “probably” inscribed (by a single scribe) whos writings were strangely similar in most parts (or many party at least) which indicates a singular writer who elaborated of vague verbal recitation by the disciples.
Other “Roman” documentation mentions nothing about Jesus and/or his disciples by name but does mention that there were many “Self Proclaimed” Messiahs. John the Baptist was mentioned many times but considered harmless so they left him alone as he was apparently doing no harm and was actually helping keep the population calm and non violent.
Sin has lost it’s power -- Sin is much worse now then it has been in the past. Just look around sometime.....
Death has lost it’s sting -- Have you seen anyone die? DEATH STILL STINGS....!
Without the Resurrection, Jesus was just another Joel Osteen.
And Joel Osteen is no Jesus.
That's better
Seriously, son pick up a Bible and read it, the answers are there.
Same point, different level of smarminess.
Thanks, Gerald. We say essentially the same thing at another article on our site: http://www.faithfacts.org/search-for-truth/questions-of-christians.
Stop listening to the a-hole.
Most of us already have.
Does the Damascus Road ring a bell?
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