Christianity And The Resurrection - Sifting Through The Evidence

The existence of an individual is not enough to give rise to a major world religion, but his resurrection from death surely is. In fact, it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that is the cornerstone of the Christian religion, not just his existence as a historical figure, and if this event was shown not to have occurred, then the entire New Testament could be equally false. However, if Christ was crucified and indeed rose from the dead after three days as is written, then his teachings should be equally valid and worth following.

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: This is based on eyewitness accounts of the events. Hundreds were said to be present at the crucifixion, and the disciples recorded the events, both of Christ's death and of his resurrection and revelation to them and Mary Magdalene, in the Gospels. Others, however, have called these hallucinations that arose from a desire for Jesus to be alive. However, if this was the case, surely the authorities could have produced Christ's body from the cave and proved the lie. This did not happen because they knew that there was no body in the tomb.

Theory 2: The Gospels were allegorical, and not intended to be read factually. They were written as a myth because the events were a myth. The evidence denying this is based upon the style of writing used in the Gospels. They are written in a factual manner - as eyewitness accounts rather than as allegories and myths that tend to use a different style of prose. The Gospels were written within a few years of the events, whereas myths take years to develop before people believe them to be true.

Theory 3: The disciples could see that with Jesus dead they had nothing left, so they stole the body and made up the story of the resurrection. However, in spite of being martyred, and many of them and their followers being tortured, not one confessed to doing this even though some Christians broke and accepted Caesar as a god. No disciple ever claimed the resurrection to be a conspiracy to save his life.

Theory 4: Christ did not die but was taken down unconscious and entombed while he was alive, later recovering consciousness and being found by his followers and disciples. This cannot be because of the body of historical evidence of both blood and water flowing from his wound. The water is physiologically correct due to the accumulation of fluid that would have occurred in his lungs during the crucifixion. He would have bled to death while in his tomb, and would have had no strength to move the stone blocking it.

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.