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If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, the foundation of the Christian faith would be destroyed.
1. Jesus didn’t really die on the cross.
2. Jesus’ body was stolen.
3. The disciples were hallucinating.
4. The account is legendary.
5. It really happened.
All historical accounts affirm he died. A spear was thrust in his side after crucifixion. Pilate verified he died. During the lifetime of eyewitnesses no one disputed his death.
What if the disciples faked the resurrection by stealing Jesus’ body? The location of the tomb was well-known, a large stone was rolled in front with a Roman seal, a Roman unit of 4 to 16 soldiers was guarding it, and the city was overflowing with Passover pilgrims who would have been potential witnesses. One form of execution if the guards failed their duty would have been to burn them alive in a fire started with their garments. Given these facts, it is very unlikely that the disciples could have stolen the body. Yet the tomb was found open and the body was gone. If anyone had found his body, Christianity would've been stopped dead.
What if the disciples might have been so emotionally distraught that they hallucinated the resurrection? According to psychologist Thomas Thorburn, “It is absolutely inconceivable that 500 persons of average soundness of mind should experience all kinds of sensuous impressions, and that all these experiences should rest entirely upon hallucination.”
Is it just a legend? Legends are not supported by historical records and archaeology. Legends do not develop while eyewitnesses are alive to refute them. The legend theory does not explain the fervent conviction of the previously scared and broken apostles, who had denied they knew Jesus, that Jesus was alive, nor their bold preaching of this to the point of torture and death. The Talmud by Jesus' enemies says he was a real person who crucified for sorcery and apostasy. Virtually all scholars but a few fringe ones agree on the historicity of Jesus.
