Historicity Of Jesus

Lesson 7 The Resurrection I

“ But who do you say I am?”

Study of the historical character called

Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

In Matthew 16:15 Jesus said,

“ But who do you say I am? ”

This is a question that all man-kind must

answer.

Review

“ The Gospel stories are no more historical

than the Genesis creation accounts are

scientific. They are filled with exaggerations,

miracles and admitted propaganda”.

- Dan Barker, atheist

“ We have become convinced that the

story of Jesus is not the biography of a

historical Messiah , but a myth based on

perennial pagan stories.”

- Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy

Promoting Unbelief

“ Behold the greatest cover up in history.

Not only was Jesus Christ married, but

He was a father.”

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

Accuracy

“ The Bible is the most scrutinized book

ever written.

If the New Testament can be proven to

be historically accurate , than the

testimony regarding Jesus Christ

must be accepted as accurate andlegitimate”. Kyle Butt & Eric Lyons

Review

Miracle : “ An event that appears inexplicable

by the laws of nature and so is held to

be supernatural in origin or an act

of God”.

The Free Dictionary. com

Review

Providence of God: “ the care, guardianship,

and control exercised by a deity;

divine direction”.

The Free Dictionary. com

Review

The stories of the Great Flood transcend

many cultures.• Hebrew• American Indian• Greek • Polynesian• Druid

Review

Some reject the possibility of miracles.

“ The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or

ever will be”. - Carl Sagan, astronomer

Review

The Bible has documented proof from

outside sources.• Tacticus• Suetonius• Pliny the Younger • Josephus

The Resurrection

Christianity stands or falls on

the reality of the resurrection

of Christ.

Looking At The Facts

1. The New Testament is historically

accurate.

2. It is beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus

is a real person that walked on this Earth.

3. The story of His resurrection has had a

profound impact on mankind.

The Swoon Theory

Theory that Jesus really did not die at the

time of the crucifixion. Some claim that

He later recovered from His ordeal and

announced His resurrection.

First advanced by Peter Annet in 1768.

In the The Passover Plot Hough Shonfield

claims that Jesus faked His death and

resurrection.

The Swoon Theory

“But also we can not ignore that in the

interest of theological doctrine,

contemporary circumstances , and effective

story telling , nothing wrong was seen in

creating views for Jesus to express.”

J. Schoenfield – The Passover Plot

The Stolen Body Theory

Thought that the followers of Jesus stole

the body from the tomb.

It would have been hard to pull off.

Matthew 27: 63 – 66.

The Missing Body Theory

Thought that someone else took the body

of Jesus. Or His followers go to the

wrong tomb and it was empty.

Does not answer the fact that many

people saw Jesus and spoke to Him

after He was crucified.

Thoughts Advanced From The Ancient Jewish Community

“ …and now deceived men by asserting

that he has risen from the dead and

ascended to heaven”.

“ … a gardener had taken him (Jesus)

from his grave and buried him….”

Toledoth Yeshu as reported by Justin Martyr

Thoughts On The Resurrection

“ It passes the bounds of credibility that the

early church could have manufactured

such a tale and then preached it among

those who might easily have refuted it

simply by producing the body of Jesus”.

John Warrick Montgomery

It’s Empty !

Whether friend or foe, it is undeniable that

the tomb was empty. There is no evidence that

anyone searched for the body of Jesus, or

took it out of the tomb.

If the Romans or the Jews had the body,

they would have produced it.

Jesus Physically Rose From The Dead

The apostles preached that they saw

Jesus after He physically rose from the

dead.

Acts 1:22 Acts 3:15

Acts 2:24 Acts 3:26

Acts 2:31 Acts 4:2

From Hostile Sources

“ Paul was absolutely convinced of the

resurrection; and this proves that it was

widely believed not many years after the

death of Jesus”.

- Joseph McCabe

What About The Apostles?

1. Were they conmen ?

2. Did they hallucinate?

3. Were they crazy?

4. Was it peer pressure?

What About The Apostles?

1. Could it have been desire for wealth?

2. Could it have been a desire for a reputation?

3. Could it have been for a desire of power?

4. Could it have been due to some fear?

Implications Of His Resurrection

• Implies His Godhead Romans 1:4• Jesus is trustworthy to keep His promises.

John 11:25 1 Peter 1:3-4• Christianity stands or falls on the

resurrection of Jesus.• If Christ has not been resurrected , then

all is futile. 1 Cor. 15:12-17