The Resurrection of Jesus: A Historical Event Worth Investigating
A Life-Changing Encounter
The first followers of Jesus didn’t claim their leader rose from the dead out of ignorance or blind faith. They knew that dead people stay dead. Yet, they were willing to die for what they believed they had seen – a once-dead man alive. These initial eyewitnesses declared what they experienced, and their firsthand testimonies eventually found their way into the New Testament.
The Power of Eyewitness Testimony
Even if you think the resurrection of Jesus is as unlikely as the existence of a “Flying Spaghetti Monster,” the testimonies of the first generation of witnesses should not be dismissed lightly. Something extraordinary happened to these men and women, making them willing to die for what they believed they had seen. After decades of studying the historical aftermath of these events, it’s clear that the resurrection makes the best sense of the evidence.
A Creed Worth Exploring
One of the most important summaries of the resurrection is a creed recorded in the apostle Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. This creed, which predates Paul’s writing, outlines the crucial truths Christians confess about the resurrection of Jesus. It includes every vital detail: Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to numerous people, including Cephas, the twelve, and more than five hundred brothers at one time.
Tracing the Origins of the Creed
So, where did Paul receive this creed? The answer lies in Jerusalem, the very location where Jesus was crucified and where some of his followers later claimed they saw him alive. The creed can be traced to a time when firsthand witnesses of the life and ministry of Jesus were still alive and leading the Jerusalem church. The mention of Cephas and James, both of whom knew Jesus personally, suggests that the words took shape in a context where both were familiar faces.
Paul’s Encounter with the Creed
Paul likely received this outline of faith during his visit to Jerusalem, where he spent fifteen days talking with Peter. This means the creed reached Paul five years or less after Jesus’s death. Paul then delivered the same creedal content in every place he visited, and the Corinthians remembered what he had told them earlier.
The Gospels: Eyewitness Accounts
The resurrection stories in the Gospels can also be traced back to individuals with firsthand knowledge of Jesus. Although the exact locations where the New Testament Gospels were written are unknown, it’s possible to reconstruct certain aspects of where the stories originated. The stories that were eventually woven into the Gospels originated in locations where the alleged events happened, with specific topographical details that could only have come from people with firsthand knowledge of the regions.
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