Dr. Ben Simpson

The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul emphasizes its importance: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:13–14). Later in the same passage, he writes, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17).  It’s important to note that Jesus’s resurrection differs from resuscitation. While figures like Lazarus or Jairus’s daughter were brought back to life only to die again, the New Testament teaches that Jesus ascended to heaven and still lives (Acts 1:9). In Romans 6, Paul explains that Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension mean that death no longer has a hold over him. Significantly, Paul asserts that this is also true for those who identify with Christ (Romans 6:1–11). Jesus’s resurrection forms the basis for our future hope. Despite its central importance to Christianity, critics have raised questions about the authenticity of the resurrection. Some have argued that the disciples either invented the story or that the reported appearances were merely emotional responses to Jesus’s death. However, the evidence points to a physical resurrection. The Gospel writers do not explicitly narrate Jesus’s resurrection, but they provide details about the empty tomb and Jesus’s appearances to his disciples after his death.  The Gospel Accounts The Gospels offer a general framework of the discovery of the empty tomb, but the specifics vary. Matthew alone notes the presence of guards at the tomb (Matthew 28:4, 11–15). The Gospels differ in their lists of women who visit the tomb: Matthew names Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” (Matthew 28:1); Mark includes Mary Magdalene, Mato try, the mother of Jesus, and Salome (Mark 16:1); Luke mentions Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and others (Luke 24:10); while John only mentions Mary Magdalene (John 20:1). Additionally, there is a difference in how many angels appear at the tomb: one (Matthew and Mark) or two (Luke). Matthew explicitly refers to “an angel of the Lord,” whereas Mark and Luke describe men in white garments, a common depiction of angelic beings. These apparent discrepancies can be easily reconciled. The Gospel writers emphasize different details in their accounts. The omission of the guards in Mark, Luke, and John does not mean that they were not there. It is a detail that Matthew introduces before the resurrection (Matthew 27:62–64), requiring him to resolve it. The various lists of women are not contradictory and can be harmonized, likely representing different subsets of a larger group. Matthew makes the appearance of an angel more explicit than Mark and Luke. A detailed comparison of all four accounts will reveal even more differences, but these are the types of variations one would expect from multiple eyewitness perspectives. Far from undermining the story, these differences point to the authenticity of the record of the empty tomb. Resurrection Appearances After his resurrection, Jesus appears to several of his disciples. Paul reports that he appeared to Peter, the Twelve, and then more than five hundred disciples—many of whom are still alive at the time of his writing (1 Corinthians 15:5–7). The Gospels indicate that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:10–18) and the other women who came to the tomb (Matthew 28:8–10), two disciples traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35), and Peter individually (Luke 24:34). He also appeared to the disciples on at least five different occasions: twice in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36–49; John 20:19–23, 20:24–29), in Galilee (Matthew 28:16–20), by the Sea of Galilee (21:1–23), and at his ascension (Acts 1:3–11). Critics argue that either the disciples made this up or else they experienced some grief-induced vision. Paul had a slightly different experience than the disciples on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19; 22:6–16; 26:12–18). In his vision, only Paul saw Jesus and understood what he said; the people traveling with Paul only saw a light and heard a noise. Paul’s vision provides a template for the kind of psychological experiences that critics describe, but something real happened to Paul—the light left him blinded.  In the Gospels, when Jesus appears to the disciples, he eats with them and touches them, suggesting a physical appearance. Additionally, visions are typically singular, personal experiences. The fact that Jesus appears to the disciples as a group indicates that these were real, physical, bodily appearances of Jesus. The Resurrection Invented? The day after Jesus’s execution, the Pharisees requested that Pilate secure the tomb to prevent the disciples from stealing the body and claiming that he was raised from the dead (Matthew 27:62–66). Modern critics have made the same point. However, several problems arise with this approach to the resurrection. First, most first-century Jews anticipated a general resurrection at the end of the age. Martha expresses this belief before Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:24). Most people outside of Jewish circles would not have a concept of resurrection. The disciples themselves would not have conceived of a two-part resurrection: Jesus’s initial resurrection followed by the resurrection of his followers.  Second, if the disciples corroborated their accounts of the resurrection, they would have framed the stories differently with more consistency. In the first century, women were considered poor witnesses. The Gospel writers probably would not have listed women as the first witnesses of the resurrection nor described the initial doubt of the disciples. If they invented the story, they would have included more credible witnesses and omitted any doubt.  Furthermore, the disciples were imprisoned, persecuted, and even killed for their faith in the resurrection. When other Messiah movements failed, the followers typically dispersed. It is hard to imagine that Jesus’s disciples would endure so much rejection and suffering for something they fabricated. Conclusion During his ministry, Jesus made claims about himself that led to his execution. Even before he arrived in Jerusalem, he was aware that his actions would lead to his death. After Peter’s confession that he is the Messiah (Mark 8:29), Jesus predicted that the Jewish leadership would reject him and that he would ultimately be put to death (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34). When the High Priest examined him, Jesus affirmed his role as the Messiah, which led to his execution. By raising him from the dead, God vindicated the claims that Jesus made about himself. At Pentecost, Peter summarizes the point: “This Jesus, whom you crucified, God has made him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).  Even though the resurrection is grounded in history, there are immense theological implications. By identifying him as Lord and Christ, Jesus alone can save us. By laying down his perfect life for our sins and then rising from the dead, God breaks the power over death and sin for those who believe in his Son.

Was Jesus a real person or a legend, a myth made up by the earliest Christians? Most serious Bible scholars assume that Jesus existed, but some skeptics question Jesus’s existence and argue that the early Church developed Jesus as a mythical figure. Surprisingly, the strongest argument for the existence of Jesus comes from an unexpected source: Bart Ehrman, an outspoken agnostic/atheist critic of the Bible. Despite his usual skepticism, he argues that Jesus was a real person in his book Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York: Harper Collins, 2013).  Even though a consensus among historians is not definitive proof, it is noteworthy that just about every historian from every type of background—both religious and secular—accepts that Jesus was a real person. They may debate what he said or did, but his existence is rarely doubted. Nonetheless, it is important to explore the historical data that we have. After looking at how different ancient historians refer to Jesus, we will consider the general argument that Jesus is a myth. Sources about Jesus While the New Testament provides the most extensive record of Jesus’s life, several non-Christian authors mention him outside of the biblical text. These writers, detached from the Christian community, offer a unique perspective on Jesus and the movement he inspired. Although these accounts date from the early second century, nearly 80 years after Jesus’s ministry, they serve a valuable purpose: they provide an unbiased, and at times hostile, account of Jesus and early Christianity, corroborating elements of the biblical narrative.  Pliny the Younger, a Roman senator governing Asia Minor around AD 111, provides our earliest non-Christian account. In a letter to Trajan (Epistles 10.96–97), Pliny discusses how to handle Christians who refuse to participate in the worship of the Roman gods. The exchange reveals that Christianity had spread widely enough to concern Roman officials. He reports that Christians worshipped Christ as a god and refused to curse him even under threat of execution. While Pliny does not give any details about Jesus’s life, his account suggests that Christ was central to early Christian worship as early as AD 85.  Suetonius, a Roman historian writing around AD 120, mentions “Chrestus” (most likely a misspelling of “Christus”) in his biography Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Claudius 25.4). The reference describes the expulsion of the Jewish people from Rome in AD 49 due to the disturbance caused by “Chrestus.” Luke describes this event when he introduces Aquila and Priscilla as Jewish believers who have been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:2). Even though the reference is brief, it suggests that Jesus’s influence through Christianity had reached Rome within two decades of his ministry. Tacitus gives more detail in his Roman history, Annals of Imperial Rome, written around AD 116. The section describes Nero’s persecution of the Christian community following the great fire that devasted much of Rome in AD 64 (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). In his description, Tacitus identifies Christ as the founder of the group who was executed by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Josephus, a Jewish historian born shortly after Jesus’s death, mentions Jesus in Antiquities (Ant. 18.63–64), written around AD 94. Even though later Christian scribes embellished Josephus’s comments about Jesus, most scholars believe that he referred to Jesus as a wisdom teacher, mentioned his miracles, and confirmed his execution by Pilate. Finally, he notes that his followers considered Jesus the Messiah. These sources might disappoint modern readers, given the impact that Jesus made on history. Despite Christianity’s rapid growth, Jesus ministered for a brief time in a remote part of the empire. When we compare the available records about Jesus with other historical figures, we gain a better appreciation. For example, Pontius Pilate, a Roman official central to the Gospels, is mentioned only by Tacitus. While we might want a more complete picture of Jesus’s life, the existing documentation is remarkable.  Jesus as a Myth The primary argument against Jesus’s historical existence comes from the Gospel writers’ use of literary devices and parallels with mythical narratives about great men. For instance, Jesus’s virgin birth (Luke 1:26–38) has been compared to the miraculous conception of Augustus (Suetonius, Augustus 94.4), while his death and resurrection are likened to myths about dying and rising gods in Egyptian and Greek mythology. This perspective argues that these stories were “historicized,” meaning that the individual stories about Jesus were crafted within a mythical framework, transforming symbolic and allegorical tales into historical accounts. This view assumes that the use of literary devices inherently indicates mythical content. In reality, both fictional and non-fictional narratives use literary techniques like characterization or plot development. For example, the musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda uses Broadway conventions to portray the life of Alexander Hamilton. Likewise, Shakespeare presents the story of Julius Caesar in iambic pentameter, but that does not mean that he did not exist. We can find numerous examples in historically based movies. For instance, Steven Spielberg directed a movie about Abraham Lincoln in 2012. In the same year, the movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter came out. Even though one movie is more truthful than the other, they are both based on a real person. Furthermore, throughout the Gospels, Jesus interacts with real people. He stands before Pilate and Herod Antipas. The Gospels show him interacting with his disciples. In Acts, Luke describes them preaching Jesus’s death and resurrection throughout Jerusalem and Judea. The Gospel writers describe Jesus as having a family who did not quite understand his ministry at first (Mark 3:31–32).  Church history suggests that his mother, Mary, settled in Ephesus with John (Eusebius Hist. eccl. 3.1.2; cf. John 19:26–27). Despite initial unbelief (cf. John 7:5), two of his brothers became influential in the early church. James played a significant role in the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:13–19). He met with Paul in Jerusalem before his arrest (Acts 21:17–26). Paul himself describes him as an apostle (Galatians 1:19, cf. 1 Corinthians 9:5). The author of Jude identifies himself as the brother of James, which implies he, too, is the brother of Jesus. Mark confirms this by identifying both James and Jude (or Judas) as Jesus’s brothers (Mark 6:3).  In 1 Corinthians, Paul refers to Jesus’s teaching about marriage (1 Corinthians 7:10), the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–26), and Jesus’s death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–8). Paul attributes these teachings to Jesus years before the Gospels were written. Since Paul likely did not know Jesus personally before his conversion, he must have gathered these from the disciples who preserved what Jesus taught them. This suggests that a real historical person stands behind the traditions that appear in Paul’s letters. Even though we do not have any writings directly from Jesus himself, the network of interconnected relationships with real historical figures and the consistent references across various early Christian sources strongly support his historical existence.  Conclusion The evidence suggests that Jesus existed. We may not learn much about Jesus from Pliny, Suetonius, Tacitus, or Josephus, but they point to a real person behind the Christian movement that extended throughout the empire in the first century. While historians will debate what Jesus did or said, this forms a foundation upon which we can explore how his ministry impacted the world. In the prologue of his Gospel (John 1:1–18), John describes Jesus as one sent from God but rejected by the world. Jesus played a role in creation (John 1:1–3) and brings salvation to those who believe in him (John 1:12–13). John explains that no one has ever seen God, but Jesus, “the one and only God, who is at the Father’s side has made him known” (John 1:18).