Reading Time: 3 minutes Theories that attempt to refute the resurrection are known as naturalistic explanations because they appeal to the natural rather than supernatural. In the 19th century, liberal scholars rejected the resurrection and provided refutations, however prestigious scholar Karl Barth, a 20th century scholar pointed out how each opposing theory suffers from Read more…
Reading Time: 2 minutes Introduction Given these 5 facts we’ve discussed, we now want to compare and contrast the various explanations for them. We want to do what the doctor did in explaining the symptoms. Any good doctor is going to pick a diagnosis that explains all the symptoms, not just a couple. We Read more…
Reading Time: 2 minutes Conclusion So what do these five facts mean then after all of this? Well we’ve put to one side, for the sake of argument, the inspiration and inerrancy of the bible, just valued them as historical documents that sceptical scholars accept, so I’m deliberately using sceptical data to make it Read more…
Reading Time: 15 minutes 11 Reasons why that’s true 1. Paul’s testimony guarantees the fact of the empty tomb. When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 “and He was raised,” this implies an empty tomb. The word used here is egegertai which means “to awaken” from sleep. Sleep is used as a euphemism for death in the bible, Read more…
Reading Time: 7 minutes Introduction This is a fact that is accepted by nearly all scholars and an impressive majority of sceptical scholars. Gary Habermas discovered in a large survey that roughly 75% of scholars accept the empty tomb as a historical fact (our other four facts have a 90-99% acceptance rate). Prominent critical Read more…
Reading Time: 6 minutes In 2002, what was thought to be a significant archaeological discovery was made. An ancient ossuary or bone box dating to the first century was found with the inscription “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” While controversy continues regarding the authenticity of the inscription, the fact that such a Read more…
Reading Time: 5 minutes Paul of Tarsus (Saul being his Aramaic name), was a Christian persecutor who believed that it was God’s will to persecute the Christian church but instead became one of its most influential messengers. Coming from a form of agnostic atheism myself, I admire Paul’s change as something I can relate Read more…
Reading Time: 11 minutes Acts After Jesus’ death, the disciples were transformed to the point where they endured persecution and even martyrdom. This indicates more than just a claim, they didn’t say it to gain some personal benefit. The comparison can be made before and after his death and their emotional journey. They followed Read more…
Reading Time: 7 minutes Crucifixion exists We know crucifixion exists, it was a common form of execution by the Romans. The Roman soldiers felt such hatred towards the Jews that they crucified a multitude of them in various postures. Josephus, Jewish historian writes when describing a persecution of Jewish people When caught, they resisted Read more…