Historical evidence beyond “because the Bible says so.”

“The early Christians did not invent the resurrection. Nobody was expecting it, nobody wanted it, and nobody believed it until it happened.” – N. T. Wright

The resurrection of Jesus is the center of Christianity. If it did not happen, then Christianity collapses. Even the apostle Paul admitted this openly when he said that if Christ has not been raised, faith is empty. That honesty alone is worth noticing. Christianity does not begin with a feeling or a moral lesson. It begins with a historical claim.

Many people think Christians believe in the resurrection simply because the Bible says so. But that misunderstands the question. The real issue is not whether the Bible mentions the resurrection. The question is whether the resurrection claim has historical grounding that can be examined like any other event from the ancient world.

Historians do not ask whether miracles can happen. They ask what explanation best accounts for the available facts. When scholars examine the resurrection, they focus on several key points that are widely agreed upon, including by many non Christian historians.

“There is no plausible explanation for the origin of the disciples’ belief in Jesus’ resurrection apart from the fact that Jesus actually rose from the dead.” – William Lane Craig

First, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. This is one of the best established facts of ancient history. It is affirmed not only by Christian sources but also by Roman and Jewish writers. Jesus’ death by crucifixion is not in serious dispute.

Second, Jesus was buried, and shortly afterward His tomb was found empty. The empty tomb is important because resurrection preaching began in the same city where Jesus had been buried. If the body were still there, the movement could have been ended immediately by producing it. No ancient source claims the disciples went to the wrong tomb. Instead, opponents claimed the body was taken, which quietly admits the tomb was empty.

“I accept the resurrection of Easter Sunday not as an invention of the community of disciples, but as a historical event.” – Pinchas Lapide, Jewish historian and New Testament scholar

Third, Jesus’ followers sincerely believed they saw Him alive again. These were not vague spiritual experiences. The earliest accounts describe appearances to individuals and groups, including people who were skeptical at first. Some of these witnesses were named publicly, meaning their testimony could be questioned while they were still alive.

One of the earliest summaries of this belief appears in a creed preserved in 1 Corinthians 15. Most scholars, including skeptical ones, date this creed to within a few years of Jesus’ death. That means belief in the resurrection was not a legend that developed slowly over generations. It was present from the beginning.

“That the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that He was buried,
that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
and that He appeared to Cephas,
then to the Twelve,
then to many witnesses.” – The Early Resurrection Creed (circa AD 30–35)

Fourth, the disciples were transformed. Before the crucifixion, they were afraid and hiding. Afterward, they openly proclaimed Jesus as risen, even when it led to persecution, imprisonment, and death. People may die for beliefs that are false, but they do not willingly suffer for what they know to be a lie. Something convinced them that Jesus was truly alive again.

Alternative explanations have been offered for centuries. Some suggest the disciples hallucinated. But hallucinations do not occur in groups, do not explain an empty tomb, and do not convert skeptics like James, the brother of Jesus, or Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor of the early church.

Others suggest the body was stolen. But this fails to explain why frightened disciples would attempt such a plan or why they would maintain the story under intense pressure. Stealing a body does not explain sincere belief. It explains deception, not transformation.

Some claim the resurrection story developed over time. Yet the earliest sources show that resurrection belief appears immediately. There is no historical gap where legend could grow. The message was the same from the start.

None of this proves the resurrection the way a math equation is proven. History does not work that way. Instead, historians ask which explanation best fits the facts. When the empty tomb, early testimony, eyewitness claims, and transformation of the disciples are taken together, the resurrection emerges as the explanation that makes the most sense of the evidence.

“The resurrection of Jesus is the best explanation for the known historical facts surrounding the death of Jesus.” – Gary Habermas

Christianity does not ask you to believe because it feels comforting. In fact, the resurrection was not comforting at first. It was confusing, frightening, and life changing. It forced people to rethink everything they thought they knew about God, death, and hope.

If Jesus really rose from the dead, then Christianity is not merely a set of teachings. It is a response to something that happened. And if He did not, then it deserves to be questioned honestly.

The resurrection stands as an invitation, not a demand. Look at the evidence. Ask hard questions. And decide whether the best explanation is that something extraordinary occurred.

“The resurrection is the central theme in every Christian sermon reported in the Book of Acts. The resurrection, and its consequences, were the gospel.” – C. S. Lewis

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Table Talk

Why do you think the resurrection is the central claim of Christianity?
What facts about Jesus’ death are widely agreed upon by historians?
Which alternative explanation do you find most convincing or least convincing, and why?
Do you think historical evidence can support belief, even if it cannot force it?
If the resurrection is true, what would that mean for how someone lives today?

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Further Reading Suggestions

N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God
Gary Habermas and Michael Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus