If I Had Faked the Resurrection

Focus on the Family ^ | Wednesday, April 16, 2003 | Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler

[Remedy]

I set out as a young man to debunk Christianity. I met a young Christian woman who challenged me to intellectually examine the evidence for Christianity, and I accepted her challenge. I aimed to show her-and everyone-that Christianity was nonsense. I thought it would be easy. I thought a careful investigation of the facts would expose Christianity as a lie and its followers as dupes.

But then a funny thing happened. As I began investigating the claims of Christianity, I kept running up against the evidence. Time after time, I was surprised to discover the factual basis for the seemingly outlandish things Christians believe. And one of the most convincing categories of evidence I confronted was this: The resurrection accounts found in the Gospels are not the stuff of fable, forgery or fabrication.

I had assumed that someone, or several someones, had invented the stories of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. But as I examined those accounts, I had to face the fact that any sensible mythmaker would do things much differently from the way Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did in recording the news of the resurrection. As much as I hated to, I had to admit that if I had been some first-century propagandist trying to fake the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I would have done a number of things differently:

I would wait a prudent period after the events before "publishing" my account.

Few historians dispute the fact that the disciples of Jesus began preaching the news of His resurrection soon after the event itself; in fact, Peter's Pentecost sermon (Acts 2) occurred within 50 days of the Resurrection. And textual research indicates that the written accounts of the Resurrection, especially the creedal statement of 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, are astoundingly early in origin, possibly within two years of the event. Such early origins argue against any notion that the Resurrection accounts are legendary.

I would publish my account far from the venue where it supposedly happened.

Dr. William Lane Craig writes, "One of the most amazing facts about the early Christian belief in Jesus' resurrection was that it originated in the very city where Jesus was crucified. The Christian faith did not come to exist in some distant city, far from eyewitnesses who knew of Jesus' death and burial. No, it came into being in the very city where Jesus had been publicly crucified, under the very eyes of its enemies."

I would select my "witnesses" very carefully.

I would avoid, as much as possible, using any names at all in my account, and I would certainly avoid citing prominent personalities as witnesses. Yet at least 16 individuals are mentioned by name as witnesses in the various accounts, and the mention of Joseph of Arimathea as the man who buried Jesus would have been terribly dangerous if the gospel accounts had been faked or embellished. As a member of the Sanhedrin, a Jewish "Supreme Court," he would have been well-known. J. P. Moreland writes, "No one could have invented such a person who did not exist and say he was on the Sanhedrin if such were not the case."

His involvement in the burial of Jesus could have been easily confirmed or refuted. Perhaps most important, I would avoid citing disreputable witnesses, which makes significant the record of Jesus' first appearances-to women-since in that time and culture women were considered invalid witnesses in a court of law. If the accounts were fabrications, the women would never have been included in the story, at least not as first witnesses.

I would surround the event with impressive supernatural displays and omens.

As Jewish scholar Pinchas Lapide writes, "We do not read in the first testimonies [of the Resurrection] of an apocalyptic spectacle, exorbitant sensations, or of the transforming impact of a cosmic event. . . . According to all New Testament reports, no human eye saw the resurrection itself, no human being was present, and none of the disciples asserted to have apprehended, let alone understood, its manner and nature. How easy it would have been for them or their immediate successors to supplement this scandalous hole in the concatenation of events by fanciful embellishments! But precisely because none of the evangelists dared to 'improve upon' or embellish this unseen resurrection, the total picture of the gospels also gains in trustworthiness."

I would painstakingly correlate my account with others I knew, embellishing the legend only where I could be confident of not being contradicted.

Many critics have pointed out the befuddling differences and apparent contradictions in the Resurrection accounts. But these are actually convincing evidences of their authenticity; they display an ingenuous lack of collusion, agreeing and (apparently) diverging much as eyewitness accounts of any event do.

I would portray myself and any co-conspirators sympathetically, even heroically.

Yet the Gospel writers present strikingly unflattering portraits of Jesus' followers (such as Peter and Thomas) and their often skeptical reactions (Mark 16:11, 13; Luke 24:11, 37; John 20:19, 25, 21:4). Such portrayals are very unlike the popular myths and legends of that (or any) time.

I would disguise the location of the tomb or spectacularly destroy it in my account.

If I were creating a resurrection legend, I would keep the tomb's location a secret to prevent any chance that someone might discover Jesus' body, or I would record in my account that the angels sealed it or carried it off into heaven after the Resurrection. Or I might have taken the easiest course of all and simply made my fictional resurrection a "spiritual" one, which would have made it impossible to refute even if a body were eventually discovered. But, of course, the Gospel accounts describe the owner of the tomb (Joseph of Arimathea) and its location ("At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb," John 19:41), and identify Jesus' resurrection as a bodily one (John 20:27).

I would try to squelch inquiry or investigation.

I might pronounce a curse on anyone attempting to substantiate my claims, or attach a stigma to anyone so shallow as to require evidence. Yet note the frequent appeal of Jesus' disciples, to the easily confirmed-or discredited-nature of the evidence, as though inviting investigation (Acts 2:32, 3:15, 13:31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6). This was done within a few years of the events themselves; if the tomb were not empty or the Resurrection appearances were fiction, the early Christians' opponents could have conclusively debunked the new religion.

As Dr. Edwin Yamauchi says of the citation of the resurrected Christ appearing to more than 500 people in 1 Corinthians 15, "What gives special authority to the list [of witnesses] as historical evidence is the reference to most of the five hundred brethren being still alive. St. Paul says in effect, 'If you do not believe me, you can ask them.' "

I would not preach a message of repentance in light of the Resurrection.

No one in his right mind would have chosen to create a fictional message that would invite opposition and persecution from both civil and religious authorities of those days. How much easier and wiser it would have been to preach a less controversial gospel- concentrating on Jesus' teachings about love, perhaps-thus saving myself and the adherents of my new religion a lot of trouble.

I would stop short of dying for my lie.

Lee Strobel has written, "People will die for their religious beliefs if they sincerely believe they're true, but people won't die for their religious beliefs if they know their beliefs are false.

"While most people can only have faith that their beliefs are true, the disciples were in a position to know without a doubt whether or not Jesus had risen from the dead. They claimed that they saw him, talked with him, and ate with him. If they weren't absolutely certain, they wouldn't have allowed themselves to be tortured to death for proclaiming that the resurrection had happened."

•••

These are not the only reasons I believe in the truth of the Bible and the reality of the Resurrection. But these were among the "many convincing proofs" (Acts 1:3) that I encountered in my attempts to prove Christianity wrong, which eventually led me to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be and that He really did rise from the dead. It didn't happen immediately, but eventually I gave in to the truth, and on Dec. 19, 1959, the Risen Christ radically changed my life. I've seen Him do the same for countless others, and I pray, if you haven't done so already, you will let Him do the same for you.

Josh McDowell is a speaker, author, and traveling representative for Campus Crusade for Christ. His books include Evidence That Demands a Verdict, More Than a Carpenter, and The New Tolerance. He was assisted in writing this article by Bob Hostetler, an award-winning writer who lives in Hamilton, Ohio.
This article appeared in Focus on the Family magazine.
Copyright © 2000 Josh McDowell.
All rights reserved.

[Dataman]

I have been to Ephesus, quite a fascinating place, to walk down stone streets that are millenia old is a very strange sensation. To think about the ancient peoples that walked and built those streets and buildings is really quite incredible.

I have not been there but two friends of mine were there and they brougt back lots of photos. Although not as impressive as actually being there, they were impressive in themselves.

[Dataman]

You also characterized ancient Dianic/Artemesian worship as "witchcraft." Again: citation, please.

Wrong. Go back and read the post.

[Dataman]

In chapter 28 of "Decline," Gibbon wrote that, in 378AD, the library at Alexandria ws "pillaged or burned." This was reported to occur during the archbishopric of Theophilus in Alexandria. Gibbon referenced "Orosius, l. vi. c. 15, p. 421, edit. Havercamp" as his source. Do you deny the authenticity of this citation, or Gibbons' assertion that Christians, acting under the authority of Thepohylus, pillaged or burned the library at Alexandria?

Most certainly. Gibbon's claim refuted.

[malakhi]

You are doing web searches for your history or consulting skeptic sites.

I gave you a link. Did you go to it? It was to ccel.org, a Christian web site with a large collection of documents relating to the early church. The quote accompanying the link is verbatim from Gibbon's work.

you'd know that there were two burnings in question.

With the incident described by Gibbon in between them in time.

But I guess facts are to be dismissed when they don't fit your template.

[malakhi]

BTW, Justin actually contradicts the caption on your picture. Your picture suggests crucifixion, Martyr said Bacchus was torn limb from limb.

Yes, and some accounts say Jesus was crucified on a cross, and others say it was from a pole, stake or tree. so what?

[malakhi]

Very possible. The Gospel of the Hebrews doesn't mention the ressurrection. Instead it says: 'After they had raised him up on the cross, the Father took him up into heaven unto himself.'

Hi ET. Do you have an online source for this? I'd be very interested in seeing it.

[Dataman]

It seems like Christians are blamed for hiding or destroying pagan materials. I found this from The Deeds of Zenophilus (about 250 AD):

When they [the magistrates and a policeman] came to the house of Felix the tailor, he brought out five books, and when they came to the house of Projectus he brought out five big and two little books. Victor the schoolmaster brought out two books and four books of five volumes each. Felix the Perpetual Flamen, a pagan priest helping with the search, said to him,

"Bring your Scriptures out: you have more."

Victor the schoolmaster said,

"If I had had more I should hav brought them out."

When they came to the house of Eutychus who was a Caesarian, the flamen said,

Bring out your books that you may obey the law."

"I have none," he replied.

"Your answer," said Felix, "is taken down."

At the house of Coddeo, Coddeo's wife brought out six books. Felix said, "Look and see if you have not got some more."

The woman said, "I have no more."

Felix said to Bos, the policeman, "Go in and see if she has any more."

The policeman reported, "I have looked and found none."

A footnote to the incident is reported:

A wiley bishop, Mensurius of Carthage, who removed all the library of his church, but took care not to leave the shelves bare, but left a number of heretical works. These the pagans seized and were satisfied with, to the secret glee of the orthodox Christians.

It seems this account should classify all subsequent attempts to blame Christians for book burning as hypocritical.

[malakhi]

True, pagans were a threat since they enjoyed murdering Christians

The reverse was apparently true as well...

[malakhi]

The Islamic method would involve the destruction of the population.

Incorrect. "People of the Book" -- Jews and Christians -- generally could convert or remain in dhimmitude status, as second-class citizens. Forced conversions to Islam mostly involved pagans. For dhimmis, the pressure to convert involved economic and social pressure rather than brute force.

[ET(end tyranny)]

To: PaganConservative

Your description may fit one or more of the many false Jewish messiahs during that time.

It's also possible they thought Jesus was one of the 'false prophets'.

Numbers 23
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Were there those among the people that thought he lied? That thought he didn't make good on this prophecy?

Mark 9
1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:15
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

At hand implies imminent. The people may have felt that as month after month after month passed, that this was a failed prophecy.

20 Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.

However, he also taught on the "mount" (5:1-7:28), by the sea (Matthew 13:1), on the plain (Luke 6:17-49)

Mark 4
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Not exactly 'openly', if it is done in a 'coded' manner. And then there is:

John 7:8-10
8 "Go up yourselves to the festival. I am not going up to this festival because the time is not yet ripe for me."
9 Having said this, he stayed on in Galilee.
10 However, once his brothers had gone up to the festival he too went up, but as if in secret and not for anyone to see.

The people may have felt the above actions indicated deception and lying.

The people may have thought that he was a false prophet.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.

Mark 7:18-19
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

This may have been seen by the people as violating God's commandment pertaining to their dietary laws, turning them away from God.

The people may have thought they were doing what they had been told to do by God, according to scripture, regarding someone they thought was a false prophet or blasphemer because he said that he spoke spoke for God because he and the Father were one.

Deuteronomy 21
Various Laws
22 If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree,
23 you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

[malakhi]

Gibbon's claim refuted.

Hardly refuted. Did you read the whole article? From your link:

Probably everyone mentioned above had some hand in destroying some part of the Library's holdings.

In other words, Gibbon's report of a pillaging of the library by Christians was correct.

[malakhi]

It seems this account should classify all subsequent attempts to blame Christians for book burning as hypocritical.

First, I have never denied that Christians suffered persecution, too, including the destruction of their holy books.

So you are no longer denying that Christians destroyed pagan and "heretical" works? Now you are just calling such claims hypocritical?

It is okay simply to admit that your earlier statement was in error.

[ET(end tyranny)]

It seems like Christians are blamed for hiding or destroying pagan materials.

Not all though, some they brought into the 'church':

In those very early Roman Pope times, some strangeness occured. Besides changing the Sabbath, they also eventually changed the calendar, more prophesies fulfilled. But, they brought 'sun worship'/'paganism' into the church.

Here's a little history.

A the left is a sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini decorating the tomb of Pope Alexander VII. At the four corners surrounding the enthroned Pope, are the four virtues, Charity, Prudence, Justice and Truth. Charity is on the front left side and "La Verita", which means "The Truth" is on the right front side.  On the right is a close up of "La Verita".
Notice that the woman is embracing a 'sun-burst'.  Clicking on the large image will take you to an art gallery where
you can click on the image and zoom for a closer look.

Pagan Babylon worshipped the sun as a deity, and pagan Rome also worshipped the sun.  The Roman Catholic Church, with the assistance of Constantine, changed the day of worship from Sabbath to the Sun Day and commonly used images and symbols of the sun.

Constantine placed no Christian appellation upon the worship on the first day of the week,  referring to it as the "venerable day of the sun."
 

Let all judges and all city people and all tradesmen rest upon the venerable day of the sun. But let those dwelling in the country freely and with full liberty attend to the culture of their field; since it frequently happens that no other day is so fit for the sowing of grain or the planting of vines; hence, the favorable time should not be allowed to pass, lest the provisions of heaven be lost.  Quoted in Blakely, p. 269

Or if you prefer the Codex Justinianus:
 

On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].)  Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p. 380, note 1.

 

At the left is a tablet from the early 9th century B.C. which depicts the Babylonian sun-god Shamash seated on the right, holding emblems of his authority, a staff and ring, and the king with two attendants on the left. In the center, on an altar, is a large 4-point sun image, with additional small wavy rays between the points.  Clicking on the image will take you to the British Museum, where you can see and read about this tablet depicting the sun god, Shamash.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

The symbol again appears on the pope's mitre.  Note also the small black cross on his shoulder (compare below), on what is called a Pallium :  "The modern pallium is a circular band about two inches wide, worn about the neck, breast, and shoulders, and having two pendants, one hanging down in front and one behind. ... The ornamentation of the pallium consists of six small black crosses -- one each on the breast and back, one on each shoulder, and one on each pendant."

Below on the left is a Neo-Assyrian standing stone (stele/stela) dating from about 824-811 B.C., which depicts King Shamshi-Adad V.   Note the necklace the King is wearing. On it is what today is called a Maltese cross. Twenty-eight hundred years ago that shape was symbolic of pagan sun worship.  
 

Clicking on the above image will take you to the British Museum.  Today the Pope wears a similar symbol around his neck, on the Pallium, which the Pope also confers on selected bishops as an ornamental token of his favor, and it is also worn by archbishops and  patriarchs as a symbol of their authority as a metropolitan, derived from unity with the Pope.  The Pope also has a ring and staff of authority, remarkably similar to the depiction of the sun god Shamash on the Babylonian tablet shown previously.

Note the lower hand of King Ashur-nasir-pal II in the above stele. On the wrist is the sunburst symbol. On the right, the pagan sunburst is on the glove of Pope John XXIII.  Clicking on the image of the stele will take you to the British Museum.

 
 
 

The depictions of the pagan kings on the ancient standing stones (stela) above, show a strip of cloth (lappet) hanging from the rear of the headgear. These lappets are also present on the papal mitre and tiara, shown at left, and partially visible in the photos of popes above.

[Remedy]

POST #84.

[ET(end tyranny)]

Hi ET. Do you have an online source for this? I'd be very interested in seeing it.

The Gospel of the Hebrews

The particular verse you ask about is mentioned at the very bottom of the page. But, there are other 'interesting' things on the page.

[malakhi]

Thanks!

[Dataman]

Probably everyone mentioned above had some hand in destroying some part of the Library's holdings. In other words, Gibbon's report of a pillaging of the library by Christians was correct.

I suggest you re-read the article. Gibbon's opinion was one of a kind. The conclusion was that it cannot be known. In fact, the Jews get blamed for baiting.

Let me translate that for you:

Your assertion that the Christians burned the library is without merit.

[Dataman]

I have no wish to go down the rabbit trail of accommodation by accretion, nor do I wish to critique Renaissance Romanism. This thread is primarily focused on the first few centuries AD.