Evidence · Case 10 · Islam
The resurrection explanation
One exhibit from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
The straightforward explanation is that Jesus rose bodily, which accounts for the crucifixion, the sincere claims of appearances, the willingness of followers to suffer, and the sudden rise of the movement in Jerusalem. Paul stakes the entire faith on it, writing that if Christ was not raised, the faith is worthless.
Sources
Objections & responses
- Citing facts most scholars accept to a Craig-Ehrman debate is citing one side’s account of what the other side accepts. Ehrman doesn’t accept the empty tomb and questions the burial.
Correct, and Ehrman’s own positions are the ones to weigh. He accepts the crucifixion, the disciples’ sincere belief that they saw Jesus alive, and Paul’s conversion; he doubts the burial by Joseph of Arimathea and therefore the empty tomb. The empty tomb is the most debated of the facts, and the Resurrection of Christ case gives the reply to Ehrman’s burial argument (Roman practice varied, Philo and Josephus record bodies released, and a crucified man named Yehohanan was found buried in a family tomb). The core facts that carry the argument are the ones Ehrman grants.