Evidence For The Resurrection

[Ninevite]

Well, technically, we have a Christian account of the Jews accusing them of stealing the body. Also, a missing body wouldn't prove resurrection; the body could have simply been stolen.

 

 

 

 

Stolen by whom?

 

The Pharisees and the Saducees had no motive to steal the body. In fact, they had all the reason in the world to produce a body. Certainly, Peter and company could not have stolen the body. Their motive is only logical after the fact, something they never would have expected and made no sense at the time. It would not have fit with their beliefs regarding not only the messiah, but it goes against their belief in a general resurrection.

 

Jesus, if He was the messiah was not suposed to die at the hands of His enemies. He was expected to rise to political power and conquer His enemies. These expectations coupled with the untimely death and horrific demise of their saviour would certainly not have motivated them to steal a body and perpetrate a hoax. Even if that were the case, one of them would have exposed the truth of the matter while faced with death.

 

I find it hard to believe that even one of them would have been willing to die for what they knew to be a lie, let alone most if not all of them. Surely one of them would have recanted. An extremist muslim might blow himself up for Allah as result of his beliefs, but he sincerely believes in his cause. He would not do such a thing otherwise.

 

Had the disciples of Jesus been lying, it is doubtful they would have been willing to die for something they knew was a lie. The two choices we have are: A) The disciples stole the body, hid it somewhere and pulled off the greatest con of all time or B) Jesus really did rise from the dead.

 

Given the testimony of the witnesses and having reviewed the physical evidence, it requires exponentially more faith to believe Jesus' body was stolen by a bunch of cowardly, illiterate fishermen during some nefarious plot to fool the world. The reward for which was persecution, ridicule, beatings, imprisonment and death.

 

On top of all that, the disciples did not even believe Jesus had raised from the dead until He appeared to them...again, this was an unexpected turn of events that no one of the day understood the significance of until after the fact. At the time the "body was stolen" no one had a motive to steal it.

 

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2009/07/22/the-nazareth-inscription-proof-of-the-resurrection-of-christ.aspx

Edited August 27, 2013 by Ninevite

[RobbyPants]

 

Well, technically, we have a Christian account of the Jews accusing them of stealing the body. Also, a missing body wouldn't prove resurrection; the body could have simply been stolen.

 

 

 

 

Stolen by whom?

 

The Pharisees and the Saducees had no motive to steal the body. In fact, they had all the reason in the world to produce a body. Certainly, Peter and company could not have stolen the body. Their motive is only logical after the fact, something they never would have expected and made no sense at the time. It would not have fit with their beliefs regarding not only the messiah, but it goes against their belief in a general resurrection.

 

I thought the story was the Jews accused the Christians of stealing the body, so they could claim that he resurrected. That would honestly make sense if you believe that:

1. Jesus is dead and in a tomb.
2. The tomb is now empty.
3. His followers are claiming he's alive.

Unless the Jews saw him alive, it would be quite reasonable to assume that his body was stolen. If they did see him alive and wanted to discredit the Christians, it would make sense to lie and say they stole to body to try and squash rumors of the resurrection.

 

I guess what I'm saying is I have never heard this presented as the Jews stealing the body.

[alphaparticle]

 

 

Well, technically, we have a Christian account of the Jews accusing them of stealing the body. Also, a missing body wouldn't prove resurrection; the body could have simply been stolen.

 

 

 

 

Stolen by whom?

 

The Pharisees and the Saducees had no motive to steal the body. In fact, they had all the reason in the world to produce a body. Certainly, Peter and company could not have stolen the body. Their motive is only logical after the fact, something they never would have expected and made no sense at the time. It would not have fit with their beliefs regarding not only the messiah, but it goes against their belief in a general resurrection.

 

I thought the story was the Jews accused the Christians of stealing the body, so they could claim that he resurrected. That would honestly make sense if you believe that:

1. Jesus is dead and in a tomb.
2. The tomb is now empty.
3. His followers are claiming he's alive.

Unless the Jews saw him alive, it would be quite reasonable to assume that his body was stolen. If they did see him alive and wanted to discredit the Christians, it would make sense to lie and say they stole to body to try and squash rumors of the resurrection.

 

I guess what I'm saying is I have never heard this presented as the Jews stealing the body.

 

 First, the disciples were Jews also so there is a bit of an anachronism there. Second, the missing body is coupled with Jesus' disciples seeing his resurrected body physically. They were convinced enough that it was real to commit their lives to the cause for that fact alone.

[RobbyPants]

 First, the disciples were Jews also so there is a bit of an anachronism there. Second, the missing body is coupled with Jesus' disciples seeing his resurrected body physically. They were convinced enough that it was real to commit their lives to the cause for that fact alone.

 

 

Just to keep the terms clear, so we aren't talking past each other: when I say "Jew" I mean the Jewish people who didn't follow Christ, and when I say "Christian", I mean the people who did follow Christ, regardless of if they were born Jew or Gentile.

 

That being said, your response doesn't really reject what I said. Regardless of if the Christians (as defined above) knew that Jesus returned from the grave, the Jews wouldn't have necessarily known. It still stands to reason that if they 1) see an empty tomb, and 2) don't see Jesus walking around, that they'd assume someone took the body. Absent of any evidence of a dead person walking around, it seems foolish to assume the body came back from the dead. If a body went missing from the cemetery today and didn't see it walking around alive, would you assume the corpse resurrected, or would you assume it was moved?

 

Also, if the Jews did see Jesus walking around, and still had hard feelings and wanted to discredit the Christians, it also stands to reason that they'd lie about the Christians taking to body to discredit the story of the resurrection. I thought this idea was actually supported in Matthew 28:

 

 

[11] Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

[12] And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

[13] Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

[14] And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

[15] So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

 

Matthew literally says that the Jews lied and blamed the Christians for body theft in an attempt to discredit them.

[JohnD]

Also the testimony of the Bible itself cannot be overlooked here..

 

The Bible has withstood the test of time and the assaults of every imaginable kind...

 

It says he rose from the grave and since the Bible is true (John 17:17b) it's true that Jesus rose from the grave.