By David McLauren, Ph.D.
A fresh start or a new beginning – it’s something we all need from time to time. So this Easter, as we revisit the greatest turnaround ever (Jesus’ victory over death). Christianity is a religion that stands or falls on history, especially when it comes to the resurrection. As the Apostle Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, our faith is useless. Everything stands or falls on the resurrection. But, how can we believe anything so fantastic as the resurrection?
Yet it might surprise you to learn that historians take the resurrection very seriously and there are thousands of scholarly, academic works of history published discussing it. In particular, there are a number of facts that most historians, be they Christian, Jewish, or secular all agree upon.
First, it’s agreed that Jesus was crucified. No serious historian would doubt this — Christians claimed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and the messiah was supposed to defeat the Romans, not get crucified by them. The crucifixion is simply too embarrassing to have been invented. Furthermore, the death of Jesus is attested so frequently and so early by our sources that there’s no avoiding it.
Second, it’s agreed that Jesus was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea. Again, this claim is very early, contained in multiple sources. No alternative burial story exists and it’s unlikely that Christians would have ascribed such a role to a Jew, as Joseph was, unless this really was the case.
Third, most historians agree that early on the Sunday morning after his death, Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of his women followers. The story exists in our earliest sources and, more significantly, if one was invented this kind of story, one would hardly have invented women as witnesses — their testimony was considered all but worthless in the world of first-century Judaism. Everybody agreed the tomb was empty.
Fourth, historians agree that the early Christians had numerous experiences of the risen Jesus, on multiple occasions and over a period of several weeks. We have an extremely early list of the witnesses of such experiences preserved in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, as well as in the gospels.
Jesus Christ came into the world, died, was buried, and came back to life on the third day. Christians to this day believe that he is alive and continuing to transform our lives. Even when we have finished enjoying our treats and the long weekend passes, this true meaning of Easter will stay with us. Easter is reminding us to receive the truth and God is calling us to make a decision right now…a fresh start!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16
David McLauren, Ph.D. Executive Director of the Multi-Cultural Ministries. He can be reached at [email protected]
