An Essay on the Resurrection

The historical credibility of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is able to be logically proved by modern historians who did not witness Jesus rise from the dead three days after his death using inference, solid evidence, and true facts provided by historical accounts, archeological proof, and the eyewitness testimonies of a multitude of people.

The disciples believed the fact that Jesus’ tomb is empty, as did a multitude of the public who could prove he was alive; lies are devastating even when they are small, but lying to a large percentage of the population would have resulted in catastrophic results; therefore, a logical inference would be to conclude that Jesus truly rose from the dead and appeared to a majority of the community. If the disciples had been lying or tricking the public about Jesus’ resurrection then “No one else would have believed them, even if they had claimed that he was risen, since it would have been stupid (in fact, impossible) for anyone to believe that a man had been raised from the dead while his body was still in the grave” (Craig 64).

Public and eyewitness testimonies confirm the disciples’ claims of Jesus’ miraculous resurrection not only came from believers, but also the people who opposed, despised, and plotted against Jesus, showing the worth and value of historical accounts from a multitude of people. In contrast, some modern theologians do not believe the evidence and doubt Jesus’ holy authenticity as God; however, a majority of scholars agree the tomb was empty. Scholars and theologians Craig, Packer, and Creeft state “Some modern theologians have objected to this conclusion because it infers from the facts that Jesus rose from the dead, and we are not bound to accept this inference” (Craig, Packer, and Kreeft 63).

Jesus’ resurrection is most likely denied by skeptics and some scholars because they do not want a holy God, to have to live by morals, or to be held accountable for their actions, words, and sins. A careful examination of the historical facts gives Christians confidence in their conclusion that Jesus rose from the dead, and the evidence for this conclusion is the same type of evidence used in a court of law. In support of this, biblical scholars Craig, Packer, and Kreeft explain that “Unfortunately for [skeptics], the burial account is widely recognized as one of the most historically reliable narratives concerning Jesus’ passion and death. Their arguments therefore have somewhat of an air of desperation about them” (Craig 65).

When all the information points to a conclusion, is it not logical and reasonable to infer that the conclusion must be true? Although some modern theologians argue that the tomb was never empty, Christians have solid evidence and educated inferences to prove the fact of the empty tomb, therefore leading humanity to a compassionate God who erased our sins through Jesus amidst the loud, noisy shouts of the crowd then an even more deafening silence.

We all just need to believe that He rose from the dead and conquered the grave and know that we have salvation through him, making Jesus like a shepherd helping his sheep to safety and rescuing all those lost and astray as the Messiah long foretold from New Testament times.  Modern historians who were not there to witness the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection are able to logically prove the empty tomb using true facts, inference, and the eyewitness accounts of a multitude of people, all of which are examples of evidence which would hold up in a court of law; therefore Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is historically credible.