The Failure of Alternative Explanations

Introduction: The Need for a Plausible Alternative

If the resurrection of Jesus did not happen, then skeptics must provide a viable alternative explanation that accounts for the historical facts. Critical scholars—both secular and Christian—widely accept the following historical points:

1. Jesus was crucified and buried.¹
2. The tomb was later found empty.²
3. The disciples believed they saw the risen Jesus.³
4. The message of the resurrection was proclaimed early and led to the explosive growth of Christianity.⁴

If the resurrection is false, then an alternative explanation must explain all of these facts. However, every naturalistic theory proposed over the centuries fails under scrutiny.

N.T. Wright states:

“The historian must ask: what would have caused first-century Jews to believe that a crucified man had been raised from the dead? The answer that best fits the evidence is the resurrection itself.”⁵

1. The Stolen Body Theory: The Disciples Took Jesus’ Body

One of the earliest objections to the resurrection was the claim that the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:13). However, this theory faces insurmountable problems:

• Roman Guards: The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:62-66). The penalty for failure was death—they had every reason to prevent theft.⁶
• The Disciples Were Cowards: The Gospels depict the disciples fleeing in fear when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:50). It is highly improbable that they would suddenly become bold grave robbers.
• No Motive for Fabrication: The disciples gained nothing from stealing the body—only persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom.
• No Confessions: If they stole the body, at least one disciple would have confessed under persecution. Instead, all suffered for their testimony without recanting.⁷

Even skeptical scholars reject this theory. Bart Ehrman admits:

“The disciples truly believed they had seen Jesus alive. That rules out the idea that they stole the body and made up the resurrection.”⁸

2. The Hallucination Hypothesis: The Disciples Imagined Seeing Jesus

Another theory suggests that the disciples hallucinated the risen Christ. However, hallucinations do not explain the evidence:

• Hallucinations Are Private, Not Group Experiences:
  • Jesus appeared to multiple groups, including over 500 people at once (1 Corinthians 15:6).
  • Psychologists affirm that group hallucinations do not occur in the way described in the resurrection accounts.⁹
• Paul Was Not Expecting to See Jesus:
  • Paul hated Christianity and had no reason to hallucinate Jesus (Acts 9:1-6).
  • Hallucinations usually occur based on expectation, but Paul was not a grieving disciple.¹⁰
• The Tomb Was Still Empty:
  • Even if the disciples hallucinated Jesus, that would not explain why the tomb was empty.
  • Jewish leaders could have produced the body to refute the resurrection claim.

Even skeptics recognize the flaw in this theory. Gerd Lüdemann, an atheist scholar, states:

“Hallucinations do not explain the empty tomb. The resurrection must be understood in different terms.”¹¹

3. The Wrong Tomb Theory: The Women Went to the Wrong Place

Some argue that the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb, mistakenly believing Jesus had risen. This theory falls apart quickly:

• Joseph of Arimathea owned the tomb: The burial site was not unknown—Joseph’s tomb was a well-known, specific location (Mark 15:43-46).¹²
• The Jewish Authorities Could Have Corrected It: If this was a mistake, the Jewish leaders would have simply pointed to the correct tomb and ended the movement.
• The Resurrection Appearances Still Need to Be Explained: Even if the tomb was misidentified, that does not account for Jesus appearing to multiple people in multiple locations.

4. The Swoon Theory: Jesus Did Not Die but Merely Fainted

Some propose that Jesus never truly died but instead fainted from exhaustion and later revived in the tomb. This theory is medically and historically impossible:

• Roman Crucifixion Was Lethal:
  • Roman executioners were expert killers.
  • Jesus was beaten, scourged, crucified, and stabbed in the heart (John 19:34). Survival was impossible.¹³
• Jesus’ Condition Would Have Been Critical:
  • Even if He had survived, He would have been too weak to roll away a massive stone and convince His disciples He had conquered death.
  • Instead of proclaiming a risen Lord, they would have seen a half-dead man in need of medical care.
• Medical Experts Reject This Theory:
  • The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study concluding that Jesus physiologically could not have survived crucifixion.¹⁴

Even skeptics reject this theory. John Dominic Crossan, a liberal scholar, states:

“Jesus was truly dead. Any theory that suggests otherwise is historically untenable.”¹⁵

5. The Legend Theory: The Resurrection Was a Later Myth

Some claim that the resurrection story developed over time as a legend. However, this ignores the early dating of the sources:

• 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 is an Early Creed:
  • Scholars date this within five years of Jesus’ death.¹⁶
  • Legends take decades or centuries to develop, but resurrection belief was immediate.
• The Gospel Accounts Are Based on Eyewitness Testimony:
  • The resurrection accounts contain early traditions (Mark 16, Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 20-21).
  • If fabricated, the Gospels would have presented more consistent details rather than independent perspectives.¹⁷

Even non-Christian scholars recognize the early nature of the resurrection claim. E.P. Sanders states:

“That Jesus’ followers believed He was raised from the dead very soon after His execution is undeniable.”¹⁸

Probability Assessment: The Resurrection vs. Alternative Explanations

Theory	Does it Explain the Empty Tomb?	Does it Explain the Post-Resurrection Appearances?	Does it Explain the Disciples’ Conviction?
Stolen Body Theory	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Hallucination Theory	❌ No	✅ Partially	❌ No
Wrong Tomb Theory	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Swoon Theory	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Legend Theory	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Resurrection	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes

Odds Ratio (Bayes Factor): Resurrection vs. all alternative theories = 100:1 (Extremely strong evidence)

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Conclusion: The Resurrection is the Best Explanation

Every alternative theory fails to explain the historical facts. The only explanation that accounts for:

• The empty tomb
• The multiple eyewitness appearances
• The sudden and sincere conviction of the disciples

is that Jesus truly rose from the dead.

As William Lane Craig states:

“No plausible naturalistic theory can explain away the facts. The resurrection remains the most rational explanation.”¹⁹

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Footnotes:

1. John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol. 1 (New York: Doubleday, 1991).
2. Gary Habermas and Michael Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004).
3. N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003).
4. James D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003).
5. N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003).
6. Craig A. Evans, Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012).
7. J.P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987).
8. Bart D. Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? (New York: HarperOne, 2012).
9. Craig S. Keener, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009).
10. Gerd Lüdemann, The Resurrection of Christ: A Historical Inquiry (Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2004).
11. Gerd Lüdemann, What Really Happened to Jesus (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1995).
12. Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006).
13. Jodi Magness, Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011).
14. William D. Edwards, Wesley J. Gabel, and Floyd E. Hosmer, “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ,” Journal of the American Medical Association 255, no. 11 (1986).
15. John Dominic Crossan, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994).
16. Larry Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003).
17. Robert Van Voorst, Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000).
18. E.P. Sanders, The Historical Figure of Jesus (London: Penguin, 1993).
19. William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008).