What evidence is there that Jesus rose from the dead three days after dying?

Answer 1

I won't use the word "evidence". Rather I would approach this question on historical facts. Historians base their findinds on ancient scripts and archeology. So Jesus is up there as far as a true historical figure is concerned.

But how do we know that Jesus truely rosed from the dead? We know from the Bible that there were something like at least 500 witnesses. So lets consider the 3 possibilities:

1) He truely died but the disciples hid the body
2) He truely died but the Romans/Pharasees stole the body
3) Jesus survived the crucifixion and migrated
3) He truely rosed from the dead

Possibility 1. If the disciples really hid the body, then Christians are living in a false religion. It is very hard to believe that the once cowardly followers of Jesus would receive such boldness so much so as to overcome the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb, steal the body, live in a lie and be willing to die for a lie. All 11 disciples died a martyr's death except for John.

Possibiliy 2. If the Pharasees/Romans took the body, they could have simply displayed the body that was stolen and all rumours would have been squashed.

Possibility 3. This is not very different from 1 and 2. Would the followers be willing to die for a lie? Would not somone have spotted Jesus? Anyway, what are the chances that someone survives the cruelest execution ever invented? The Roman soldiers are very maticulous of making sure they die by breaking the legs or piercing the side.

Possibiliy 4. We are left with only this possibility. Miracles followed. Saints see his glory after death. And its all history.

Answer 2

1) His body did not remain in the tomb. We know this because, if it was in the tomb, the Jews would have eagerly brought it out to disprove the claims the Christians were making that Jesus had risen.

2) The disciples did not steal the body. If they had, they would have been unable to persuade people like Thomas and James, the brother of Jesus. Furthermore, the disciples wouldn't have professed so sincerely about a risen Christ, and undergo persecution, if they knew it was all a sham in the first place.

3) If Christ died as a mere moral teacher, there is no way you can explain the conversion of Paul, who only followed Christ after claiming to see him appear.

4) Paul lists that Christ appeared to several hundreds of people after the resurrection, and even included the fact that some were still living. By this, he was inviting people to check the witnesses, as Paul certainly knew their testimony if he said some were still living.

5) The disciples, particularly Peter and John, were publicly preaching about a risen Christ within months of the crucifixion; this is significant because that means a "tale" of a resurrection did not develop over a long period of time like legends do - a risen Christ was preached from the very beginning.

6) The disciples were not expecting Christ to be risen from the dead (just like they weren't expecting him to be killed). Thus they wouldn't create some fantastic story of a resurrection when it was not even something they were expecting.

7) The Bible says the first people to come to the tomb were Mary Magdalene and some other women. This is important because under Jewish culture, women were not considered as proper witnesses. If the resurrection was a man-made belief, they would have had one of the men first notice Christ had risen.

8) Many of the disciples reacted very different from each other. By breaking down the Greek, we know that Mary Magdalene was essentially confused, not knowing where the body of Jesus was. Peter, on the other hand, remembered what Jesus had said about rising in three days and contemplated if Jesus would actually come back to life. And as far as John, John went in the tomb and when he saw it empty, he immediately remembered Christ's words about rising and then John believed. So essentially you see human nature - one who just wonders where the body is, one who considers if Jesus rose, and one who firmly believes it.

9) The disciples were not imagining a risen Christ. Firstly, you would still have to answer the question of where the actual body is. Second, they were gathered into a group when Christ appeared - the idea that several people all imagine seeing Christ at once is far-fetched. Plus you still have to answer the later appearances, the ascension, and his appearance to Paul.

10) Oh, Jesus didn't "pass out" on the cross. He was really dead. He was stabbed in the heart and blood and water poured out - meaning his heart literally burst. After your heart explores, you won’t relax in a tomb for three days then stand up, miraculously appear in a locked room, etc etc etc.

Answer 3

The Resurrection:
Does Circumstantial Evidence Confirm It?

Timothy McVeigh, the man behind the Oklahoma City bombing, has a date with death. He’ll receive a lethal injection for killing 168 innocent people, even though no one saw him commit this heinous crime. All the evidence against McVeigh was circumstantial. Indirect testimony: That’s what circumstantial evidence is. It’s an accumulation of facts from which one can draw intelligent conclusions.

As a newspaper reporter covering the courts, former journalist Lee Strobel saw how circumstantial evidence is used to expose what really happened during a crime. So, in the midst of a spiritual quest, Strobel began to wonder: Could circumstantial evidence verify that the resurrection of Christ really happened?

Well, he took his question to philosopher J. P. Moreland. In a challenging voice, Strobel asked Moreland: “Can you give me five pieces of solid circumstantial evidence that convince you Jesus rose from the dead?” Certainly, Moreland responded. First, there’s the evidence of the skeptics. Some of those who were most hostile to Jesus prior to his death became his most ardent supporters afterwards.

Second, the ancient Jews had a number of immensely important religious rituals. These included the offering of animal sacrifices, obeying the Mosaic law, and keeping the Sabbath. But within five weeks of Jesus’ death, more than 10,000 Jews had suddenly altered or abandoned these rituals. Moreland asked: Why would they relinquish rites that had long given them their national identity? The implication is that something enormously significant had occurred.

Third, we see the emergence of new rituals: the sacraments of Communion and Baptism. The early Jews baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, “which,” Moreland said, “meant they had elevated Jesus to the full status of God.”

Fourth, we see the rapid rise of a new church, beginning shortly after the death of Jesus. Within twenty years this new church (begun by the companions of a dead carpenter) had reached Caesar’s palace in Rome, and eventually spread throughout the Roman empire.

And fifth, Moreland said, there’s the most convincing circumstantial evidence of all: the fact that every one of Jesus’ disciples was willing to suffer and die for his beliefs. These men spent the rest of their lives witnessing about Christ. They frequently went without food; they were mocked, beaten, and thrown into prison. In the end, all but one died a painful martyr’s death. Would they have done this for a lie? Of course not. They did it because they were convinced beyond a doubt that they had seen the risen Christ.

Even if we doubted 2,000-year-old evidence, we have all the circumstantial evidence we could possibly want—right in front of us. It is, Moreland said, “the ongoing encounter with the resurrected Christ that happens all over the world, in every culture, to people from all kinds of back-grounds and personalities. They all will testify that more than any single thing in their lives, Jesus Christ has changed them.”

Circumstantial evidence earned Timothy McVeigh a death sentence. But sacred circumstantial evidence about the resurrection of Jesus Christ can lead all of us, including McVeigh, to a much better verdict: everlasting life in the presence of God.

Answer 4

Not all things in this world are proven by science..look around you. nor can evolution be proved...thus we live by faith..faith in all things, your parents/family, friends, teachers, gov'tments, eyesight, hearing etc etc etc..what do you think in your mind about these things I mentioned? do you rely on them? yourself? Therefore as it is written and passed down over time we have faith in that belief..are there tangible things to prove it yes and no. The cloth that jesus wore..(science has dated it) same with the dead sea scrolls from that time frame..Thus we believe it to be true since we can't disprove it. and it makes some people feel good..Are there non believers yes..but let me tell you when death is knocking I have heard alot of non belivers pray, ask for divine intervention etc etc not only on the battle field but hospitals, nursing homes etc..So evidence yes tangible yes do you HAVE to believe this yes if you are a christian because there is nothing else to believe in..This applies to all religions..None can be poved to the exact other than what i have already mentioned..as for other spiritual beings I don't know..supposedly they walk/walked the earth as well..Good Luck in your answers Good questions

Answer 5

sure, Jesus resurrection replaced into witnessed through over 500 human beings. the actual shown actuality that such lots of first hand witnesses observed Jesus resurrected after lack of life would clarify why the early Christian stream persisted contained in the face of such problematic resistance from the Roman empire and the Jewish leaders of the time, and in time spread the global over. the shape replaced into documented through 4 diverse writers. imagine about this: If Jesus did not honestly upward thrust from the lifeless, why did the disciples bypass from fearful, timid followers of Jesus earlier his lack of life, to formidable evangelists keen to die preaching his resurrection in the journey that they only fairly made the entire project up and he replaced into nonetheless lifeless? remember, earlier Jesus replaced into crucified, the disciples were, for the most area, cowards. Peter denied even understanding Jesus 3 cases earlier the crucifixion. What journey replaced them from cowards to courageous? answer: they must have honestly seen the risen Jesus. Why were the disciples keen to be tortured and killed for a common lie? historic previous files educate mass conversions to Christianity following the lack of life of Jesus Christ, as many as thousands in an afternoon. What would reason this style of mass stream, once you would almost surely face torture and shortage of life, if this replaced into not witnessed through many?

Answer 6

They found his JC monogrammed loin cloth, sandals and shroud in a heap just as if he had risen out of them but no body, so they took some photographs of the scene and detailed forensic notes and that was about it really, job done. The Pope has the photographs and notes hidden in the basement storerooms of the Vatican.

Answer 7

the evidence is the same as any other evidence presented by Christianity .... the bible
now this is not to say that it is not true ... but it is hardly what we would call hard evidence
it is a matter of faith for those who believe

Answer 8

when u ask these question no christain ll ans u.they ll say tht to giv respect to religion ..but if u talk agianst muslims u lll get 1000 of ans aganist muslim..at tht time thy 4get to give respect to other religion n also 4get tht it ll hurt muslim same when thy get any question againt thier Jess(pbuh).....do u think its fair...to offend others n ask 4 respect 4 urself...its unjust

Answer 9

No concrete evidence is there...but don't hurt someones belief...