HISTORICAL EVIDENCE
Chapter Six
THE CONTEMPORARY TESTS
The first, and obviously the strongest, tests applied to the claim of Jesus escape from the tomb were by his contemporaries. Clearly, those skeptics closest to the event would have had the greatest opportunity to refute it. If the disciples were lying and the tomb was not empty they could have produced His body. End of story! Why didn't they?
No one can claim the Jewish Scribes and Pharisees would not have been motivated to put an end to this new religious movement. They most certainly wanted to stop the spread of Christianity. If they didn't produce Jesus body to refute the claim that He had risen from the grave it was because they could not.
It is very important to remember that most of the facts presented were recorded during the lifetimes of people who knew the facts. For example, one of the most intensely questioned events of scripture is the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The accounts of these events were circulated when there were still living witnesses to the events described. Many of them were hostile to the Christian movement, and would have loved to have proven the falsehood of these accounts - if they were false.
For example; if the Roman soldier did not thrust a spear into Jesus side releasing blood and water (probably paracardial fluid from the sac around his heart) to prove his death, they would have known it and could have said so. If Jesus did not arise from the tomb the Jewish leaders and Romans could have produced His body and put an end to the rumor.
1 Cor. 15:6-7 states regarding Jesus resurrection:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. NKJV (italics and bold mine).
If this was a false rumor it should not have been difficult to dispel. This scripture says most of the five hundred witnesses to Jesus resurrection were still alive at the time this was written. Certainly this could have been easily verified. They were either alive or they weren't, and that could have easily been checked.
If these facts were untrue, why weren't they challenged and refuted? It is not as if the Jewish scribes and Pharisees didn't care that these stories of Jesus resurrection and deity were being circulated. If these witnesses were alive it surely would not have been difficult to find someone among several hundred who would admit that their story regarding Jesus resurrection was false - unless it was true!
Some say the inability of the Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers to produce Jesus body was because the disciples stole the body of Jesus from the tomb as the soldiers, at the urging of the Sanhedrin, later claimed.
There are, however, major problems with this claim as we discussed earlier. The first problem is the psychological condition of the disciples at this point. These, after all, are the same men who hours before deserted Jesus when He was arrested. The same ones who avoided the site of His crucifixion. Peter had denied even knowing Jesus three times to avoid admitting that he was one of Jesus’ disciples. It seems unlikely these men would have been bold enough to attempt the theft of Jesus body from under the noses of Roman soldiers, in an effort to support a fictitious story. Where would this sudden courage have come from? Besides, this tomb was sealed and guarded for the very purpose of preventing the stealing away of Jesus body.
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."
"Take a guard ," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard . Matt 27:65-66; NIV (italics and underline mine).
Are we to believe these frightened, demoralized men approached His grave which was guarded by Roman soldiers, rolled away a stone that weighed tons, and stole the body of Jesus from under the soldier's noses without waking them? How?
Some have claimed, as did the guards themselves, that the soldiers were asleep. Roman soldiers did not sleep while on watch. The penalty for doing so was death. Besides that, how could they all have slept through the rolling away of that heavy stone and the removal of Jesus’ body? That wouldn’t be sleep – that would be unconsciousness.
They only agreed to say they slept because the Jewish leaders promised to protect them from punishment if they would say they slept. They were, after all, in a difficult situation. They had lost a body they were ordered to guard. How could they explain to their superiors that an angel rolled away the stone and Jesus arose and walked out? They needed a strong ally and, the chief priests and elders, the most powerful group in Israel was making them an offer they could not refuse. After all, these priests promised to pay them, and defend them, if they lied by claiming to have fallen asleep. On the other hand if they did not do as the priests asked, they would at best, face their superiors without excuse and, at worst, have the Sanhedrin calling for their blood.
-- some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Matt 28:11-15; NIV. (italics and underline mine).
If the Jewish leaders really believed the disciples stole Jesus' body while the soldiers slept, why would they form a conspiracy with the soldiers to reward them and keep them out of trouble? Why wouldn't they have insisted the soldiers be punished? The only reasonable answer is that they knew the soldiers did not fall asleep on duty.
Furthermore, if the Jewish leaders and/or the Romans really believed the disciples stole the body they were guarding why weren't the disciples arrested, forced to return the body, and punished? After all, the tomb was "sealed" with the governor’s seal.
Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. Matt 27:62-66; NKJV. (italics and underline mine).
Breaking the seal and stealing Jesus body would have been a serious crime. The Romans were not known to be shy about arresting suspects. It is my belief, and that of a number of scholars, that the Jewish leaders and the Romans did little because there was little they could do.
Scripture also gives an account of darkness covering the land, a great earthquake with the veil of the temple being torn.
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matt 27:45-46; NIV. (italics and bold mine).
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. Matt 27:50-52; NIV. (italics and bold mine).
Author Grant Jeffrey reports what Julius Africanus wrote in A.D. 215:
He [Julius Africanus] recorded the writing of a pagan historian by the name of Thallus who lived in A.D. 52 shortly after the resurrection of Christ. Thallus recorded in this history that there was a miraculous darkness covering the face of the earth at the Passover in A.D.32.... "Thallus,...explains away this darkness as an eclipse of the sun-....Julius explained that Thallus's theory was unreasonable because a solar eclipse could not occur at the same time as the full moon and it was at the season of the Paschal full moon that Christ died. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.110 (underline mine).
Modern astronomers confirm that Julius Africanus was right in his conclusion that a normal eclipse could not possibly occur at the time of a full moon, which was the time of the Passover. The high priest carefully calculated the position of the full moon to the smallest degree because their whole Jewish liturgical calendar, especially Passover, depended on following the lunar position exactly. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.111. (underline mine).
Clearly this was an unusual event! Scripture also tells of graves opening and deceased saints walking the streets of Jerusalem after Jesus resurrection.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Matt 27:51-53; NKJV. (italics and underline mine).
How could the authorities take serious action against the disciples by using false accusations when so many people were witness to these events? If a claim like this were false the Jewish religious leaders would most certainly have had the author arrested and brought to answer before the court. Scripture doesn't elaborate but I suspect the officials were overwhelmed by these reports from all over the city. I personally think the Jewish leaders and perhaps even the Roman leaders were quite rattled at this point. That sort of experience would shock many into silence!
A crucified body mysteriously goes missing. Huge rocks are split by a massive earthquake. The ancient Temple veil is torn from top to bottom. A mysterious darkness covers the land during Passover. People long deceased come out of their graves and stroll about Jerusalem. Then Jesus, who many witnesses watched die, appears to over 500 witnesses at one time.
Under ancient law that emphasized that truth is established by two or three witnesses it would certainly have been difficult to refute the testimony of so many. It is hardly conceivable that the Sanhedrin were unaware of these witnesses and events. It was probably the "talk of the town." A public trial regarding the absence of Jesus body would only have focused more attention on these issues - something the Jewish Sanhedrin and Roman officials would have wanted to avoid.
Another evidence of the validity of scripture and of Christianity is the location of its roots. It must be remembered that the Christian church began in Jerusalem. How could this have happened, right in the religious center of Judaism among those who had been witness to Jesus ministry, if they knew that the disciple's claims regarding Jesus were exaggerated or untrue?
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. Acts 2:38-42; NIV. (italics and underline mine).
The disciples were teaching and preaching in Jerusalem, the very heart of the opposition and they were not mincing words. Few, if any, of the people there were unaware of the events that had transpired. This was the major news event! If the evidence for the truth of the resurrection did not exceed the evidence of falsehood why would the people in Jerusalem, many of the devout Jews, have come to Christianity by the thousands?
Why wouldn’t they have responded in anger at such accusations instead of repentance?
While we all know of instances where smooth talking false prophets have deceived people and some have even taken in fairly large numbers over a period of time - but this is different. First, we need to remember that these were Jews who were raised in Jewish families. When Jews became Christians it usually meant rebelling against their families and most or all of their friends. While that may be fairly common today it was not common in that time and culture.
Secondly, look at the numbers; 3,000 in one day, at one meeting. Is it reasonable to believe that these people many of them devout Jews, were all weak willed, gullible, or easily deceived? These were people who studied scripture from their childhood.
It is also important to remember that of the three largest Jewish religious groups in Israel; the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes, only the Pharisees believed in resurrection. And the Pharisees were strict legalists, strongly committed to the law and the traditions of the elders, not easily persuaded by new ideas. Does it seem reasonable to believe that the disciples were so persuasive that they could con Sadducees and Essenes, who did not believe in the idea of resurrection at all, that Jesus had risen from the grave? How would they fool the Pharisees who believed in a general end of time resurrection and spent their lives in observance and study of the Law?
How would these poorly educated fishermen and hated tax collectors convert the very strict, legalistic Pharisees who believed that the Christ was to be a powerful political figure, that this crucified carpenter was the resurrected Christ? Isn't it more likely that the converts were intelligent, reasonable people who had seen and/or heard of Jesus and his teaching and miracles and that they had witnessed some of these things, carefully considered the evidence, and believed -- especially since we're also told that they added to their number daily?
THE HISTORICAL TESTS
Historically the first serious question would naturally be; was Jesus a real person? And secondly: is there any secular historical evidence that He did the things the scriptures claim?
The fact of Jesus having been a real flesh and blood person is now well established and not even questioned by serious scholars. And while some question His resurrection and deity, Jesus ministry and death on the cross are very well established facts. Josephus (37 AD to 100 AD), a Jewish historian, who aligned himself with the Romans, mentioned Jesus in his Testimonium Flavianum.
About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. The Case for Christ Lee Strobel, 1998, Zondervan Publishing, p.79. (bold mine).
Some question whether Josephus would have flatly said Jesus was the Christ or would more likely have said, “people claimed he was the Christ.” Regardless of one’s position on that issue, Josephus clearly considered Jesus to be a legitimate historical figure who taught truth, performed astonishing feats and made claims of deity.
Jesus is also referred to in the writings of Tacitus, a Roman historian, in A.D. 115.
Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abomination, called Christians by the populace. Christos, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus,-- . The Case for Christ Lee Strobel, 1998, Zondervan Publishing, p. 82. (bold mine).
Tacitus clearly was not friendly toward the Christians but just as clearly believed that Jesus (Christos) was a real person who died at the hands of Pontius Pilate. In addition, others made references through history that lend support to the truth of scriptures and the life and death of Jesus. One such example is Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia, who wrote to Emperor Trojan, discussing his persecution of Christians and their faith in "Christ" and their refusal to bend under threat of torture and death.
Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian and governor of Asia (Turkey) in A.D.112. He wrote: "Christus [Christ], the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also" (Annals XV 44). The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p. 104-105. (Emphasis mine).
Suetonius was the official historian of Rome in A.D. 125. In his Life of Claudius (25.4) he referred to the Christians causing disturbances in Rome that led to their being banished from the city. He identifies that sect of Christians as being derived from "the instigation of Christus," which was his spelling of the name Christ. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.105. (Emphasis mine).
Plinius Secundus, known as Pliny the younger,....In his Epistles X 96, he states that these believers would not worship Emperor Trajan and would not curse their leader, Jesus Christ, even under extreme torture. Pliny described the Christians as people who loved the truth at any cost. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.105. ( Emphasis mine).
Flavius Josephus was a Pharisee and priest living in Jerusalem. Born in A.D. 37, following the death of Christ, he witnessed first-hand the events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple....in A.D. 94, Josephus published in Rome his definitive study of the history of the Jewish people called Antiquities of the Jews.
"Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him....(Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, bk. XVIII, chap. III, Section 3). The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.106. (Emphasis mine).
Many liberal scholars have refused to accept the validity of this portion of Antiquities of the Jews claiming that it is either an interpolation or outright forgery by later Christian editors. However, all known copies include the above reference to Jesus, His works, His being the Christ and His resurrection.
Phillip Schaff declared in his book History of the Christian Church
No one has ever explained how an editor could have altered each of these widely distributed versions during the centuries following their publication. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.107-108. (underline mine).
"As therefore Ananus (the High Priest) was of such a disposition, he thought he had now a good opportunity, as Festus (the Roman Procurator) was now dead, and Albinus (the new Procurator) was still on the road; so he assembled a council of judges and brought before it the brother of Jesus the so-called Christ, whose name was James, together with some others, and having accused them as law breakers, he delivered them over to be stoned."...most modern scholars accept the authenticity of this ... passage about James... Antiquities of the Jews (bk. XX, chap. IX, sect. I ). The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p. 109. (underline mine).
One issue that often arises is the fact that the scriptures were written a long time ago, therefore, they may have been accurate when written but how can we be sure they come to us unaltered in material fact. One way we know the scriptures to be accurate is through cross checks with ancient manuscripts. For the Old Testament we also have the witness of Jesus who never questioned their authenticity and in fact quoted portions.
Sir Frederick G. Kenyon, the director of the British Museum, was possibly the most respected New Testament textual scholar in our century. He commented on the significance of the fact that the evidence is overwhelming that the Gospels were composed shortly after the events of Christ's life and that the early Church widely distributed them to its congregations within a relatively short period of time...."The interval, then, between the dates of the original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible,...both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."..."It is reassuring at the end to find that the general result of all these discoveries and all this study is to strengthen the proof of the authenticity of the Scriptures,..." ( Frederick G. Kenyon, The Story of the Bible, Special U.S. Edition [Grand Rapids: Eermans Co. 1967], The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p.133). p. 99-100.
It was impossible that anyone could have created and introduced significant changes into the authenticated New Testament manuscripts during the few years between their original recording by the apostles, and the time they were widely distributed among the early churches....Many Christians who had personally known and listened to the words of the apostles were still alive at the time these New Testament manuscripts were being read in the churches every Sunday....John the Apostle, was still the bishop in charge of seven churches in Turkey until the first few years of the second century....It was impossible to widely distribute a blatantly false story about Christ while thousands of followers and observers were still alive to dispute it.
Furthermore, the Greek originals of the Gospels and epistles were widely copied, distributed, and translated immediately into Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and other languages....the Gospel's historical account about Christ's life, death, and resurrection was not denied by the Jews or the Romans who lived in the first century. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p. 101-102.
We also have the Dead Sea Scrolls which authenticate virtually all of the Old Testament books. For the New Testament we have approximately 5,000 cataloged Greek manuscripts, plus more than 8,000 Latin Vulgate manuscripts and another 8,000 in other languages. Some of these date back to within a generation or two from the originals.
....for the past one hundred and fifty years, many brilliant scholars have conducted detailed archaeological examinations at thousands of sites throughout the Middle East. The results of their discoveries have proven that the Bible is reliable and accurate in every single area where its statements could be tested. The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p. 73.
"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or to exact detail historical statements in the Bible...." (Dr. Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert [New York: Grove,, 1960. p.31). In confirmation of Dr. Glueck's statement, another respected scholar, Dr. J.O. Kinnaman, declared: "Of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by the archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts or denies one word, phrase, clause, or sentence of the Bible, but always confirms and verifies the facts of the biblical record." The Signature of God Grant Jeffrey, World Publishing, 1998, p. 75.
Was Jesus a real person? Is there any historical evidence that He did the things the scriptures claim? The answer to both questions is YES.
ACCURACY OF BIBLICAL HISTORY
Throughout Christianity's history some have claimed that the historical facts in scripture are inaccurate. One fact sometimes used to prove the Bible's inaccuracy is the mention of Pilate in the account of Jesus crucifixion. Historians have claimed that Pilate never existed because he was not mentioned in available records. Recently, a corner stone with Pilate's name engraved on it was found in Tiberius. This same scenario has occurred numerous times throughout history as detractors denied the truth of scripture only to have archaeology reveal historical proofs of their accuracy. Is the Bible accurate, truthful and the inspired Word of God? Absolutely!
Text copyright © 2013 Vernon E. Gillispie
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