THE CASE FOR THE HISTORICAL RESURECTION

Billions profess to believe in the historical existence, death, and supernatural resurrection of Jesus.

This man from Nazareth, a working-class Jew, made an exclusive claim to personal deity.

I will be using scholar’s opinions and hypothesis to prove my case; I won’t be assuming anything of my own here.

Some scholars go on the traditional method by primarily believing that the gospel accounts are true and the belief that resurrection was mentioned by the canonized gospels.

Going through the historical method i will use the method called MINIMAL FACTS approach this is an powerful method of offering evidence that the resurrection was a historical event.

It was got from 2 historical scholars Gary Habermas and Mike Licona.

I am quite familiar with mike Licona. This method is not only approved by conservative scholars, but also skeptical scholars.

--Habermas has compiled a list of some 2,200 sources (both skeptical and conservative), and identified a List of 12 facts which are considered historical by the large majority of experts, even skeptical scholars.

In the Historical method we use 5 different methods.

1) Multiple sources - If two or more sources attest to the same fact, it is more likely authentic.

2) Enemy attestation - If the writer’s enemies corroborate a given fact, it is more likely authentic.

3) Principle of embarrassment - If the text embarrasses the writer, it is more likely authentic.

4) Eyewitness testimony - First hand accounts are to be preferred.

5) Early testimony - an early account is more likely accurate than a later one.

These are agreed to by a majority of scholars (ranging from atheist to conservative)

Now as per Habermas 12 points

We have well established facts which are undisputed by even atheist and agnostic scholars studying the Historical Jesus.

1. Jesus death by crucifixion

2. An early belief in resurrection

3. The resurrection appearances experienced by disciples

4. Paul’s appearance and change of heart

5. James’s (Jesus’ brother) change of heart

7. Jesus’ burial

8. The discovery of his empty tomb

9. Jesus post-mortem appearances

10. The origin of the disciples’ belief in his resurrection.

11. The empty tomb

12. The appearances to various people

13. Changes in Jewish doctrine and practice.

Now based on these 3 facts we have multiple attested independent sources.

Jesus died by Roman crucifixion

The empty tomb

Resurrection appearances

Together with the above 3 facts we have another fact which draws the conclusion that the resurrection has indeed taken place historically.

The origin of the disciples’ belief in his resurrection.

The references for the same are from

Reference: Habermas, Gary. Mike Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids, Kregel Publications, 2004

Also see the theory of minimal facts.

Reference: http://www.apologetics-wiki.com/wiki/index.php/Minimal_facts

These are only some of the scholars on the historical Jesus but in truth there are many of them who are doing biblical studies at PHD level.

As per Wikipedia there are about 348 leading scholars in the world. While many are yet to graduate.

reference:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Biblical_scholars

Now for facts regarding the historical scholar Gary habermas.

He has written Twenty-Seven Books, 24 scholarly articles in other books and publicized 100’s of scholarly articles on journals.

Although he was raised in a Christian home and attended a German Baptist Church, he began having serious doubts about Christianity. For more than ten years, he faced uncertainty about key Christian claims and searched other religious and non-religious systems Habermas continued his search as an undergraduate student at Tyndale College, graduating in 1972 with three majors and three minors

Studying relevant historical, philosophical, and religious questions, Habermas proposed an historical study of Jesus’ resurrection for his PhD dissertation. The topic was approved by his committee, but he was told specifically that he could not use the New Testament as evidence, unless the individual passages could be affirmed by ordinary critical standards, apart from faith During his doctoral study, Habermas developed what he now terms the "minimal facts" approach to the Resurrection. According to this method, the chief (if not the only) historical data that could be utilized were those that passed two critical tests:

1) Each datum had to be multiply attested by normal critical means, preferably from more than one angle.

2) The vast majority of critical scholars had to concede the probability of this historical fact.

In addition to the data itself, this meant conducting a long, arduous study of most of the critical publications on the subject of the resurrection, in order to ascertain the scholarly "lay of the land." Habermas concluded that the resurrection could be known according to probability as a normal historical fact. To this day, he marks the conclusion of his study as giving him the conviction that the resurrection had occurred in history

In 1985, Dr. Gary Habermas and Antony Flew debated the question of Jesus' resurrection as a literal and historical/physical event, before a crowd of three thousand people. Five philosophers and five professional debate judges judged the debate. Of the philosophers, who judged on the content of the debate, four voted that Habermas won, and the other was undecided.

Recently in 2004 Anthony flew converted to a theist after the historical evidence of resurrection.

To criticize the Resurrection various theories had been developed. But nothing has matched the resurrection historically.

Some of them are:

Jesus didn't rise==the apostles were deceived

The apostles were myth-makers=Myth

The apostles were deceivers=Conspiracy

Jesus didn't die=Swoon

But these theories didn’t last for long they were refuted by the overwhelming evidence for the resurrection.

The refutation for the same can be found here, it also answers several objections raised by critics.

ref:http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/num9.htm

Now for discussions and DEBATES on the resurrection

The Christians have DR WILLIAM CRAIG LANE A SCHOLAR FOR MORE THAN 20+ YRS DEBATES MOST OF THE WORLDS

LEADING BIBLICAL AND RESURRECTION CRITICS WHICH INCLUDE ATHEIST AND AGNOSTIC SCHOLARS.

SO FAR HES NOT LOST A SINGLE SCHOLARLY MODERATED DEBATE ON THE RESURRECTION.AND THESE CLAIMS ARE AS PER

ATHEIST REVIEWS AND NOT BY CHRISTIAN PEOPLE.

REF:http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=392

HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO DEBATES RELATED TO SCHOLARS OF BIBLE AND HISTORY.

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigFlewDebate1998.mp3

http://www.christianheritageuk.org.uk/Media/AllMedia.aspx?speaker=Arif%20Ahmed,%20William%20Lane%20Craig

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigCavinDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigCrossanDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigLudemannResurrectionDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigPriceDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigEdwardsResurrectionDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigBorgDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigLudemannResurrection2002.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigAvalosResurrectionDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigSpongDebate.mp3

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigCarrierDebate.mp3

This is the debate which must be watched. The biggest biblical scholar (HISTORICAL) and critic of Christianity DR Bart ERHMAN looses on the resurrection. EVEN atheist review says the same.

Craig v/s Dr Bart Ehrman

http://www.bringyou.to/CraigEhrmanDebate2006.mp3

video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhT4IENSwac

There are more than 400+ debates which are available on the internet pertaining to Christianity V/s Atheists based on resurrection and almost all of them have been won due to the facts of the historical method.

So we see from undisputed facts that the hypothesis for resurrection can be proved using the method used by all historians and which brings out results.