When Did Jesus Rise Again

Baltimore Catechism: On What Day Did Jesus Christ Rise From the Dead?

On what day did Jesus Christ resurrect from death? Over the years, this seemingly basic topic has been the source of much heated discussion. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of those debates and send you in the direction of other information.

What Does the Baltimore Catechism Say?

When it comes to question and answer 89 of the Baltimore Catechism, which can be found in Lesson Seventh of the First Communion Edition and Lesson Eighth of the Confirmation Edition, it is best described as follows: What day did Christ resurrect from the dead, and what year was it? Answer: On Easter Sunday, the third day after His death, Christ rose from the dead in glory and immortality, as the Bible says. Isn’t it straightforward? Easter is the day when Jesus resurrected from the grave. For example, why do we refer to the day Christ rose from the grave as Easter and what does it mean when we say that it is “the third day after His death” imply?

Why Easter?

The name Easter derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for the Teutonic deity of spring, Eastre, which means “spring goddess.” Due to the fact that the Church celebrated Christ’s Resurrection in the early spring when Christianity first expanded to the Northern tribes of Europe, the term for the season was attached to the most important of celebrations as Christianity spread around the world. For example, in the Eastern Church, where Germanic tribes had only a limited effect, the day of Christ’s Resurrection is referred to as Pascha, after the Jewish festival of Passover.

When Is Easter?

Is Easter celebrated on a particular day, such as New Year’s Day or the Fourth of July? The fact that the Baltimore Catechism refers to Easter Sunday as the first hint provides the first piece of evidence. The dates of January 1 and July 4 (as well as Christmas Day, December 25) can fall on any day of the week, as we all know. Easter, on the other hand, usually happens on a Sunday, which informs us that it is a very important holiday. Due to the fact that Jesus resurrected from the grave on a Sunday, Easter is always celebrated on a Sunday.

This was a cause of tremendous debate in the early Church, and it continues to be so today.

Although the date of Christ’s resurrection was considered significant in Rome, the symbolism of the day was considered more significant than the actualdate.

Because of this, the Christian church in Rome (and, more broadly, the Church in Western Europe) celebrated Easter on Sunday after the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox (the first day of spring).

Since then, since the Council of Nicaea in 325, the entire Church has followed this formula, which explains why Easter always occurs on a Sunday and why the date varies year after year.

How Is Easter the Third Day After Jesus’ Death?

There is one anomaly, however: if Jesus died on a Friday and rose from the dead on a Sunday, how is it that Easter is celebrated on the third day following Jesus’ death? Saturday and Sunday are only two days apart, correct? Yes and no, to be honest. Today, we typically keep track of our days in this manner. However, this was not always the case (and continues to be the case in some societies). The Church’s liturgical calendar carries on the previous tradition in a new light. For example, we claim that Pentecost is 50 days after Easter, despite the fact that it is the seventh Sunday following Easter Sunday, and seven times seven equals just 49 days after Easter.

If we say that Christ “raised again on the third day,” we consider Good Friday (the day of His death) as the first day, Holy Saturday as the second day, and Easter Sunday (the day on which Jesus resurrected from the grave) as the third.

On What Day Did Jesus Rise?

The May/June 2016 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review is available online. Biblical Perspectives is a weekly column. Staff of the Biblical Archaeology Society On November 16, 20217, there were 107096 views. What day did Jesus resurrect from the dead? Is it better to wait three days or to wait until the third day? During his Biblical Views column, “It’s About Time—Easter Time,” which appeared in the May/June 2016 edition of Biblical Archaeology Review, Ben Witherington III explores this subject in further depth.

—Ed.

“It’s About Time—Easter Time”

Anachronism is a hazard that arises when reading ancient books like the Bible in the twenty-first century. By this I mean that we risk introducing damaging current notions and expectations into our readings. This challenge becomes much more serious when dealing with old manuscripts, which have significant historical significance and are thus difficult to interpret. What day did Jesus resurrect from the dead? Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome visited Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning to anoint his corpse (Mark 16:1–2), as shown in Henry Osawa Tanner’s painting “The Three Marys” (1910).

To provide an example, we are a people who are fascinated with time — and with accuracy when it comes to time — to the millisecond level.
When it came to the passage of time, they did not stress over accuracy.
Jesus promised that he would rise from the dead “after three days,” according to certain sources.
In fact, the time reference should be avoided entirely.

In Mark 8:31, on the other hand, Jesus declares, “The Son of Man will rise from the dead after three days.” In John 2:19, he refers to the same event as taking place “in three days,” and the Gospel authors tell us that Jesus used the term “on the third day” on a number of occasions (see, e.g., Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; Luke 24:46).

While it is feasible that both forecasts will be incorrect, is it really possible that both will be correct?
Furthermore, the term “after three days” in the New Testament might simply indicate “after a time” or “after a few days” without any obvious specificity other than to hint that multiple days, in this case portions of three days, would be engaged in the event.
“Come to me again after three days,” says the Bible’s Second Chronicles 10:5, 12.
According to my interpretation, the term “after three days” is a more generic or imprecise way of expressing, but “on the third day” is a little more particular (albeit it still doesn’t tell us when it is on the third day).

When it comes to time, these books were not written in a way that would suit our present high expectations.

Become a Member ofBiblical Archaeology SocietyNow and Get More Than Half Off the Regular Price of the All-AccessPass!

With an All-Access pass, you may access more than 9,000 articles from the Biblical Archaeology Society’s extensive collection, as well as much more. We must recognize that most of the time references in the New Testament are not precise, and we must give the ancient author the freedom to be general when he wants to be general and more specific when he wants to be more specific. This is one of the keys to understanding how the New Testament interprets time references. When you find both types of references to the time span between Jesus’ death and resurrection in the same book by the same author, and in some cases even within close proximity to each other, it is reasonable to conclude that these texts were not written in accordance with our modern exacting expectations when it comes to time references.

I believe it is past time for us to accord these ancient authors the respect they deserve and to read them with a knowledge of the standards they followed when writing ancient history or ancient biography, rather than imposing our later genre norms on them, as we have done in the past.
This article has been updated.
Ben Witherington III is the Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky and a member of the doctoral faculty of St.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky.

Notes:

Read Ben Witherington III, Reading and Learning the Bible, for assistance in understanding how to read the Bible in light of its original settings (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2014).

When did Jesus rise from the dead?

As recorded in the Gospels, Jesus was claimed to have risen from the grave “on the third day” or “three days later.” Although it appears to be a contradiction in words, the fact that there are numerous alternatives as to when Jesus resurrected from the dead may give the impression that there are multiple possibilities. Furthermore, the fact that Jesus died on a Friday makes these sentences even more perplexing, since a Sunday resurrection might be called into question as a result of the difference between the two days.

The difficulty with this type of current thinking is that it makes the assumption that the Gospel writers intended to constantly write with accuracy on this subject.

According to Witherington, there is an example from the Old Testament in which “‘after three days’ signifies exactly the same thing as ‘on the third day.'” As a result, even if these sentences in modern English appear to be in conflict with one another, “these writings were not created to fit our present rigorous requirements when it comes to time.” Furthermore, “days” in Jewish counting were not the 24-hour periods from midnight to midnight that we are accustomed to; rather, they were commonly defined as beginning at sunset on one day and ending at dusk on the next day.

Reverting back to the original question, when did Jesus Christ resurrect from the dead?
The following is Jimmy Akin’s reconstruction of the timing of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which is based on the Gospels and Jewish traditions.
As a result, Jesus was indeed “resurrected on the third day” (Matthew 20:19).
I am well aware that you are looking for Jesus the Crucified.
It’s hardly surprising that the Church has always adhered to this schedule, with the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night already commemorating Jesus’ triumphant return.
It is not essential when Jesus rose from the dead; what is significant is that he did rise from the grave and opened the gates of Heaven for us, along with the promise of a future resurrection at the conclusion of this world.

More information may be found at: After his resurrection, how many times did Jesus appear to his followers? Where did Mary go after the Resurrection? Continue reading this article

When did Jesus die and rise?

Updated at 6:37 p.m. on April 12, 2017. The congregation of Faith Lutheran Church in Eldorado extends greetings. When did Jesus die and rise from the dead? Yes, I am aware that it is Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But which month, which date, and which year are we talking about? According to Dr. Steve Ware’s book “When Was Jesus Really Born?” the answer provided in this article is correct. In 2013, the Center for Public Health (CPH) announced that it will be holding a conference on “Climate Change and the Environment” (CPH).

Christian calendars are still based on the Jewish calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar, and the spring equinox, which is why Christians celebrate Easter every year.
The Christian church has always wished to commemorate the Lord’s resurrection on the day it occurred, and this has been a long-held goal.
(Numbers 28:16-17 explains that the Lord’s Passover is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan), and a feast is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the same month.
During the months of March and April, Nisan will be the month on our calendars (Gregorian).
However, we require the year of the Passover, during which Christ died and resurrected from the dead.
Pilate, the Roman ruler of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36, summoned Jesus to come before him.
However, we can learn more about the Romans from their history.

However, in AD 31, Tiberius, the Caesar of Rome, reversed this trend.

Pilate didn’t have to alienate the governing Jewish body over the presence of an itinerant rabbi if he wanted to preserve his post.

Pentecost is marked by St.

The date of Christ’s death, according to Dr.

As recorded in ancient Babylonian and Chinese astronomical chronicles, that day corresponds to 3 April AD 33 on the Julian calendar and 1 April AD 33 on the Gregorian calendar, respectively, which correspond to the Passover date of 14 Nisan in that year.

Ware’s study, Easter falls on the 5th of April in the year AD 33.

Without a doubt, this is not the case.

Jesus indeed died, and the tomb truly was found to be empty. The spirit instills faith in me, and history supports that conviction. Happy Easter, and best wishes for the season. Pastor Otten is a man of God.

The Resurrection Was Not on Easter Sunday!

Every year, billions of people throughout the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, most people are unaware that the Bible presents a totally different tale from the one they are used to hearing from the pulpit. When it comes to Jesus’ resurrection, what is the truth? Every year, thousands of thousands of professing Christians come for Easter morning services. Even those who are not regular churchgoers will attend services at the church of their choosing on Easter Sunday, regardless of their religious affiliation.

As unbelievable as that statement may appear, it is true—and you can demonstrate it!
In reality, it teaches something very different!
When exactly did Christ’s resurrection take place?
So, what’s the relationship between an Easter egg hunt and the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The Sign of Jesus’ Messiahship

The fact that Jesus of Nazareth was the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament was supported by a number of evidences for people who sought to learn the truth with sincerity. When the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus after John’s arrest and imprisonment by Herod, take note of what He told them: “Because you have come to me, I will tell you what I have done for you.” “And when John learned of Christ’s deeds while imprisoned, he dispatched two of his disciples to confront Him with the question, “Are You the Coming One, or should we look for another?” When they asked what Jesus had said, he replied, “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen: the blind see and the crippled walk; lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are resurrected and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Also, happy is the one who does not feel offended by Me.'” (Matthew 11:2–6; Mark 10:2–6).

According to John’s narrative, Jesus performed a series of miraculous wonders, beginning with the wedding feast at Cana, when He transformed water into wine (John 2:11).
These signs were observed by Jesus’ disciples, confirming their belief that He was, in fact, the Messiah who had been foretold.
John penned the following: “There was a guy named Nicodemus who belonged to the Pharisees and was the ruler of the Jews.
During the first Passover season of Jesus’ ministry, in the year 28 AD, this occurred.
None of this was satisfactory to them.
Jesus assured them on each of these instances that they would only get one sign like this in their lifetime.

When He was confronted by the religious leaders, who demanded that He demonstrate another sign in addition to the miraculous healings He had performed in the temple, He responded by saying, “I will show you another sign.” “‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,’ Jesus responded to their question.

Because, just as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the giant fish, the Son of Man will spend three days and three nights in the center of the earth.” (Matthew 12:38–40; Mark 10:38–40).
The sole indication Jesus gave to the doubting religious leaders of His day was that He would be in the tomb for precisely three days and three nights, as He had promised them.
Absolutely!
“He is not present because, as He stated, He has risen from the dead.
Jesus had vowed that He would remain in the tomb for precisely three days and three nights, and He resurrected exactly three days and three nights after He said He would.
It is not possible to count it yourself; it will just not work!
Others believe that it is a colloquial expression.
It is important to note that Jesus was referring to Hebrew terminology rather than Greek.
“The L ord had prepared a massive fish to engulf Jonah at this point.
As Queen Esther instructed her cousin Mordecai, “Go, collect all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for three days, neither eating nor drinking, day or night” was the exact term used (Esther 4:16).
This is exactly what Jesus was referring to, and the Pharisees were well aware of it.

They were well aware that Jesus was not referring to a simple day and a half, but rather three whole days, as he had stated.

When Was the Crucifixion?

The Bible, however, says that Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday, and that the tomb was empty on Sunday morning. “But,” many would argue, “doesn’t the Bible indicate that Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday, and that the tomb was empty on Sunday morning?” However, although it is true that the tomb was already empty on Sunday morning, the Bible makes no mention of Jesus being crucified on Friday. In Mark 15:42–45, it is said that He was crucified on the “prepared day.” However, it is important to understand which preparation day this was.

Leviticus 23:4, 7, 24, 27–32).
The next day, Abib 15, is a Holy Day that occurs once a year, marking the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Thursday was the first Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which marks the beginning of the yearly Sabbath.
He stayed in the tomb Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night—three days and three nights, just as He had promised.
When the ladies arrived at His bedside at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning to embalm His body, He had already passed away.
Jesus Christ came to earth in the role of “the Lamb of God” to pay the price for sin (John 1:29).
A close examination of the gospel stories reveals that Jesus and His followers ate the Passover supper after sunset at the beginning of Abib 14 (Mark 14:16–18, Luke 22:13–15, cf.

It was later in the evening after dinner that they traveled to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:26), when soldiers under the command of Judas Iscariot apprehended and arrested Jesus (verses 43–46).

It was 9 a.m.

25).

When Jesus died at around 3 p.m.

33–37), there was utter darkness over the whole region from midday until the time of his death.

43).

44–45).

Luke 23:53–54).

Numerous readers fail to notice John’s description that this “Sabbath was a special day” (John 19:31).

As a reminder, Abib 15 (the day following Passover) was the first of seven yearly Holy Days mandated to ancient Israel (Leviticus 23:5–7).

The numerous gospel narratives make it clear that there were actually two Sabbaths that week: an annual Holy Day on Thursday and the ordinary weekly Sabbath on Saturday, according to the gospel reports.

During both the weekly and yearly Sabbaths, shops in Jerusalem would have been closed, as would be expected.

Their first opportunity to purchase and prepare spices would have come on Friday, after the Holy Day that marked the beginning of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

Please keep in mind that Luke notes that it was after the women prepared the spices and aromatic oils, which would have taken several hours, that “they slept on the Sabbath in keeping with the law” (Luke 23:56).

Understanding this issue is essential to comprehending the length of Jesus’ stay in the tomb after his death.

Was it to commemorate the first Easter morning service that was held there?

They arrived at the scene as soon as the possibility to embalm a deceased person presented itself (Luke 24:1).

What was it about this particular indication that convinced the religious leaders that Jesus was the Messiah?

Remember that Matthew recounted that on the day following the crucifixion—early in the morning of the “high day” Sabbath—the Jewish leadership dispatched a delegation to Pilate to ask for permission to station an armed guard to protect Jesus’ tomb from thieves and thieves’ agents.

These guards were there during the subsequent events, and they were the ones who notified the religious leaders of what had truly transpired on the battlefield (28:11).

These officials learnt that Jesus had fulfilled the sign of the prophet Jonah directly from the mouths of the same guards that they themselves had stationed. It was just as He had promised!

Where Did Easter Come From?

Easter is never mentioned in the New Testament, which was written by the Holy Spirit. The term “Easter” is used in Acts 12:4 in the King James translation, while practically every other translation uses the word “Passover,” which is the true reading of the Greek wordpascha. Any Bible commentary or Greek interlinear will do to confirm this for you, and you can find one in practically any bookstore. It is possible that the early first-century Church did not mark Easter Sunday at all. Christians have continued to observe the Passover in the same manner that the original Apostles did when in the presence of Jesus.

Christ’s sacrifice was symbolized by these symbols, which were a little piece of broken unleavened bread and a sip of wine.
So, where did the tradition of celebrating Easter come from?
Please take note of the following startling comment made by a researcher affiliated with the Pontifical Gregorian University Press in Rome: “Scholars are nearly unanimous in their belief that Rome is, in fact, the origin of the holiday of Easter Sunday.
201, he writes: Eusebius, an early Catholic historian, gives insight into the origins of Easter in his Ecclesiastical History (Ecclesiastical History).
Eusebius penned the following: “But Polycrates was in charge of the bishops of Asia, who were firm in their adherence to the tradition that had been passed down to them from their forefathers.
Phillip, one of the twelve apostles, was a man of faith.
Polycarp of Smyrna (Polycarp of Smyrna).

In the next paragraph, Eusebius quotes an account written by Irenaeus, a second-century bishop of Lyons, who claims that the practice of celebrating Easter as a substitute for Passover dates back to the time of Sixtus, bishop of Rome (c.

To put it another way, Easter Sunday was not recognized by the professing Christian community until over 20 years after the death of the Apostle John, the last living eyewitness to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, was killed.

If it truly honored the events of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, it would have been observed from the beginning, wouldn’t it?

Even just hearing it should cause us to sit up and pay note.

Easter is derived from Ishtar or Astarte, names that relate to the ancient Babylonian goddess who was revered as the mother of the sun god and who was worshipped as a fertility goddess.

A large number of Fathers abstracted and reinterpreted pagan symbols and beliefs about the Sun, and they used these symbols and ideas to preach the Christian message in an apologetic manner ” (Bacchiocchi, p.

Much of the symbolism connected with Easter, including the use of bunnies and eggs, may be traced back to ancient customs that started in Babylon and were passed down to us over the centuries by way of Rome.

As a result of this partnership between church and state, most of the trappings associated with contemporary Christian culture have been imposed on the Christian community at large.

Many serious professing Christians would argue that they attend Easter morning services to commemorate Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead, rather than to worship the sun deity, and that this is not their intention.

No!

that you do not enquire about their gods, asking things like ‘How did these countries worship their gods?’ or similar questions.

32).

That it does so actually obscures the very moment in time that Jesus claimed was the defining indication of His Messiahship—the time He spent in the tomb for three days and three nights.

It is past time for those who claim to be God’s people to emerge from spiritual Babylon and worship the Creator in the manner prescribed by God—in spirit and in truth!

When Was Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected? : Did He Really Die on Good Friday and Come Back to Life on Easter Sunday?

As recorded in Matthew 12:38, a group of scribes and Pharisees approached Jesus and requested for a sign to show He was the Messiah. However, Jesus informed them that the only sign He would provide would be similar to that of the prophet Jonah: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the big fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:38). (Matthew 12:40). The question is, how can we accommodate “three days and three nights” between a Friday afternoon crucifixion and a Sunday morning resurrection?

A number of people feel that Christ’s “three days and three nights” remark does not necessitate a precise period of 72 hours, believing that a portion of one day can be counted as a whole day.
In this theory, however, only two nights are taken into consideration: Friday night and Saturday night Something is clearly wrong with the traditional perspective of when Christ was buried, and it is not difficult to see why.
In the event that Jesus remained in the tomb just from late Friday afternoon until early Sunday morning, the sign He delivered indicating that He was the predicted Messiah would not have been fulfilled, as previously stated.
When we do this, we unearth the true tale of how Jesus’ words were perfectly fulfilled, a story that was previously unknown.

Two Sabbaths mentioned

Take note of the events described in Luke 23. Luke 23:46-53 tells the story of Jesus’ death and burial, which took place in haste because of the approaching Sabbath, which began at sundown that evening. The Bible says in Luke 23:54, “That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing nigh.” Many have thought that the weekly Sabbath is being referenced here, and that Jesus was killed on a Friday as a result of this assumption. However, according to John 19:31, the impending Sabbath “was a high day”—not the weekly Sabbath (which runs from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset), but the first day of Unleavened Bread, which is one of God’s yearly high, or Sabbath, days (as opposed to the weekly Sabbath) (Exodus 12:16-17;Leviticus 23:6-7).

Sign of the Messiah

“While it was still dark,” according to John 20:1, after the ladies had had their normal weekly Sabbath rest, they went to Jesus’ tomb on the first day of the week, Sunday, and discovered that He had already been raised (Matthew 28:1-6;Mark 16:2-6;Luke 24:1-3). It becomes evident when we look at the specifics in all four Gospel texts that the picture is painted in black and white. Jesus was killed and entombed late on Wednesday afternoon, shortly before the Jewish Sabbath began at sunset the same evening.

The Lord Jesus Christ was buried in the tomb from the evening of Wednesday until the evening of Saturday, when He rose from the dead.
It couldn’t have happened on Sunday morning since when Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb that morning before daylight, “when it was still dark,” she saw the stone had been moved away and the tomb had been left vacant.
Exactly three days and three nights after He was laid in the tomb, Jesus resurrected from the dead.
We recommend that you read our pamphlet, Jesus Christ: The Real Story, for further information.

The Case for Christ: What’s the evidence for the resurrection?

Strobel, a writer for the Chicago Tribune and a Yale Law School graduate, wrote “The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus” in 1998, which was released in English and Spanish. Strobel had previously been an atheist, but after his wife’s conversion to evangelical Christianity, he felt obligated to challenge some of the central Christian claims about Jesus. While the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection was the most important of these assertions, additional claims included the belief in Jesus as the actual Son of God and the veracity of the New Testament literature, among others.

It went on to become one of the most widely read and widely distributed works of Christian apologetic (that is, a defense of the rationality and correctness of Christianity) in history.

The film makes an attempt to present a persuasive argument for the historical accuracy of Jesus’ resurrection.

Are all of Strobel’s arguments relevant?

According to the film’s producers, the evidence supporting the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection is the film’s core subject. Several of its arguments, on the other hand, are not immediately applicable to this situation. According to Strobel, the fact that there are over 5,000 Greek copies of the New Testament in existence, which is significantly more than any other ancient literature, is a significant point in his argument. He does this in order to show that we may be reasonably certain that the original forms of the New Testament books have been faithfully conveyed.

There are fewer than ten papyrus texts from the second century that have survived, and many of them are extremely fragmented.

If these second-century copies are true, all we have left are first-century documents claiming that Jesus was risen from the grave, which isn’t very encouraging.

What do the New Testament writings prove?

One of the most important arguments in the film is drawn from the New Testament book known as First Corinthians, which was written by the Apostle Paul to a group of Christians in Corinth in order to resolve conflicts that had developed in their society. Paul is believed to have written this letter in the year 52, around 20 years after the death of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul provides a list of the persons who have seen the resurrected Jesus in their lives. The New Testament is a book of scripture that was written in the first century AD.

Many academics think that Paul is referring from a far older Christian faith, which may have formed only a few years after Jesus’ death and was adopted by the church.

Indeed, many New Testament scholars would agree that some of Jesus’ disciples believed they had seen him alive only a few weeks or months after his death, and that this belief was supported by other witnesses.

It is not uncommon for people to experience visions of their deceased relatives: Thirteen percent of those polled in a research of over 20,000 people claimed to have seen the dead.

To put it another way, sightings of the rising Jesus are not nearly as uncommon as Strobel would have us believe they are.

A miracle or not?

But what about the 500 persons who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection at the same time? First and foremost, biblical scholars are baffled as to what incident Paul is alluding to in this passage. The “day of Pentecost” (Acts 2:1) is said to be a reference to the Holy Spirit bestowing miraculous abilities on members of the Christian community in Jerusalem, allowing them to communicate in languages that were previously unknown to them. However, according to one major researcher, this incident was added to the list of resurrection appearances by Paul, and the origins of the event remain unclear.

Second, even if Paul is reporting truthfully, his claims are no more credible than those of vast numbers of individuals who claim to have witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary or a UFO.
The fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty on Easter morning, according to Strobel, is the greatest explanation for this event.
There is substantial evidence to suggest that the Romans did not generally remove victims from crosses after they had died in battle.
But even if we believe that the tomb was indeed empty that morning, what evidence do we have that it was a miracle rather than the corpse of Christ being moved for unknown reasons?

Who are the experts?

Aside from all of the obvious flaws in Strobel’s presentation, I feel that Strobel has made no genuine effort to include a diverse range of academic viewpoints in his presentation. As part of the film, Strobel travels around the country, interviewing professors and other professionals about the historical significance of Jesus’ resurrection. In his book, Strobel describes the experts he interviewed as “renowned scholars and authority who have impeccable academic credentials.” The movie does not explain how Strobel selected the experts he interviewed.

“We affirm that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, though written by men, was supernaturally inspired by God so that all of its words are written true revelation of God; it is therefore inerrant in the originals and authoritative in all matters,” states the faculty application for Liberty University, for example.

Many of the other experts he interviews for his book have connections that are comparable to his own.

(I believe there are around 10,000 professional biblical scholars in the world at this time.) His arguments for the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection were compelling, according to an email response I received in response to my query regarding whether most professional biblical academics would find his arguments persuasive.

Furthermore, Dr.

At the end of the day, though, each individual must come to his or her own conclusion on the Christ case. The way someone interprets the evidence is influenced by a variety of factors, including, for example, whether or not the person has an anti-supernatural prejudice.”

No compelling evidence

The Easter Cross is a symbol of hope and resurrection. Artist Sharon’s Art4TheGlryOfGod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. According to Strobel, if he had polled experts at public institutions, private colleges and universities (many of which have religious affiliations), or denominational seminaries, the results of his poll would have been very different. Many Christian apologists, like Lee Strobel, assert that the primary reason secular scholars do not acknowledge the historicity of the resurrection is because they have a “anti-supernatural prejudice,” which is consistent with what Strobel says in the statement above.

Although some Christians believe in miracles, I believe that apologists such as Gary Habermas are equally as anti-supernaturalist when it comes to miraculous claims involving later Catholic saints or miracles from non-Christian religious traditions that occur after the beginning of Christian history.

While such astonishing claims abound in the world today, I believe that “The Case for Christ” has failed to give persuasive proof that Jesus’ resurrection was historically accurate.