Were there resurrection witnesses during the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do the resurrection witnesses help prove that the resurrection really happened?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Bible, there were several important resurrection witnesses. In The Case for Christ<\/em>, Lee Strobel claims that these resurrection witnesses strengthen the claim of the resurrection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep reading to find out why the resurrection witnesses contribute to the idea that the resurrection happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n As noted, the witnesses to Jesus\u2019s empty tomb were a group of women sympathetic to him\u2014isn\u2019t it possible they fabricated their account?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What this objection fails to take into consideration is the position of women in first-century Jewish society<\/strong>. At the time, women were very much second-class citizens; in fact, they weren\u2019t even allowed to testify in Jewish courts of law! If the gospel authors wanted to fabricate witnesses to the empty tomb, it\u2019s likely they would have had one of Jesus\u2019s male disciples (Peter or John, perhaps) go to the tomb on Easter Sunday. That all four gospels portray women bearing witness to Christ\u2019s resurrection is a testament to the account\u2019s veracity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But why were the women there in the first place? If they knew the tomb was sealed, why would they go to anoint a body they knew they wouldn\u2019t be able to access? Were they really witnesses of Jesus after resurrection?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply put, they loved Jesus deeply and were in deep mourning. They likely visited his tomb in the desperate hope that, somehow, they would be able to anoint his body<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the rebuttals outlined above, there is a wealth of affirmative evidence that the tomb was empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This theory, proposed by Kirsopp Lake in 1907, is absurd on its face. As noted in #2 just above, both Jews and Christians of the time knew exactly where Jesus was buried<\/strong>. If the women witnesses had gone to the wrong tomb, they would have been quickly corrected by the Jewish authorities (who had an interest in showing Jesus\u2019s Resurrection to be a concoction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if the disciples were able to get by the guards and steal Jesus\u2019s body, this theory doesn\u2019t make sense given the disciples\u2019 own faith\u2014for which, eventually, they were put to death. Why would they die for a hoax they\u2019d perpetrated themselves?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The textual scholarship on the gospels, Mark\u2019s especially (see Chapter 1), has shown the gospels were written quite close in time to the events in question. Simply put, if the gospels contained fabrications or exaggerations, they would have been corrected by the eyewitnesses and near-eyewitnesses still living<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isn\u2019t <\/em>any alternative account more plausible than a dead person coming back to life?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, but only if one is thinking exclusively naturally or materially<\/strong>. If one believes in the existence of a supernatural God, however, the Resurrection is, in fact, comparatively simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on what story you believe to be accurate, the resurrection witnesses may significantly impact how you view the historical accuracy of the resurrection. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Were there resurrection witnesses during the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do the resurrection witnesses help prove that the resurrection really happened? In the Bible, there were several important resurrection witnesses. In The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel claims that these resurrection witnesses strengthen the claim of the resurrection. Keep reading to find out why the resurrection witnesses contribute to the idea that the resurrection happened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":14218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,6],"tags":[125],"class_list":["post-14194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-spiritual","tag-the-case-for-christ","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Resurrection Witnesses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Positive Evidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Alternative Possibilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The women are witnesses of Jesus after resurrection. But could the women witnesses have gone to the wrong tomb? <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Could the disciples have removed the body?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Could the empty tomb be the product of later legend?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n