Table of Contents
Acknowledgments 4 Introduction: Setting the Stage 9
~ PART I ~ BUILDING THE SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION
CHAPTER 1 – Is the New Testament Reliable? 22 CHAPTER 2 – Is the Old Testament Relevant and Reliable? 61 CHAPTER 3 – Is the Bible Alone Divinely Written? 87
~ PART II ~ PRELUDE TO A RESURRECTION... THE DIVINE LIFE OF CHRIST
CHAPTER 4 – Was Christ Really Sinless? 110 CHAPTER 5 – Was Christ Really Prophetic? 119 CHAPTER 6 – Was Christ Really Miraculous? 133
~ PART III ~ THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF ALL… FACT OR FICTION?
CHAPTER 7 – Is Christ Really Risen? 146 CHAPTER 8 – Do Naturalistic/Alternative Theories Disprove the Resurrection? 189
THEORY #1: Miracles are Unscientific 189 THEORY #2: The Earliest Christians All Hallucinated 191 THEORY #3: Jesus Sent Mental Telegrams to His Disciples 198 THEORY #4: The Disciples had Vivid, Non-Literal Memories of Christ 200 THEORY #5: Peter Imagined the Resurrection 201 THEORY #6: Paul Had a Singular Vision, Which Caused a “Conversion Disorder” 202 THEORY #7: Jesus’ Resurrection was only Spiritual 206 THEORY #8: Jesus’ Body Dissolved into Gasses 209 THEORY #9: The Roman Soldiers Failed to Guard the Tomb Adequately, Allowing the Body to be Stolen 210 THEORY #10: The Disciples Stole the Body 214 THEORY #11: Another Individual or Group Stole the Body 221 THEORY #12: Joseph of Arimathea Buried Jesus' Body in a Different Location 224 THEORY #13: Everyone Visited the Wrong Tomb 227 THEORY #14: The Tomb was Never Visited 229 THEORY #15: Pontius Pilate was Bribed 230 THEORY #16: The Disciples Bribed the Soldiers at the Cross 232 THEORY #17: The Disciples Bribed the Soldiers at the Tomb 233 THEORY #18: The Disciples Created Christianity out of Guilt 234 THEORY #19: The Disciples Created Christianity to Gain Power, Fame and Worldly Wealth 235 THEORY #20: The Disciples Died for a Delusion 236 THEORY #21: The Disciples Died for a Known Lie 237 THEORY #22: The Gospels are Inconsistent and Unreliable 246 THEORY #23: Jesus’ Resurrection is Just a Later Legend 248 THEORY #24: The Resurrection Claims were only Symbolic 250 THEORY #25: Jesus Faked His Death – The “Swoon” Theory 251 THEORY #26: The “Passover Plot” 255 THEORY #27: The Disciples Really Saw Someone Other than Jesus 257 THEORY #28: Pilate Assured the Release of Jesus, the Empire Supporter 259 THEORY #29: Someone Else Died on the Cross in Place of Christ 260 THEORY #30: Jesus Had a Deceptive Twin Brother 261 THEORY #31: Wild Dogs Ate Jesus’ Body 263 THEORY #32: Jesus’ Body was Thrown into an Open Pit 264 THEORY #33: Jesus was Drugged 265 THEORY #34: Jesus’ Family Tomb Has Been Found 266 THEORY #35: Christ’s Resurrection Wasn’t Unique 268 THEORY #36: The Gnostic Gospels Reject the Resurrection 271 THEORY #37: The Da Vinci Code Unveils the True Jesus 274 THEORY #38: There Would be More Accounts if Christ Really had Risen 276 THEORY #39: A Combination of Theories Explain the Resurrection 278 THEORY #40: Other Existing Theories Disprove the Resurrection 278
APPENDIX A – The Risen Christ’s Personal Message to You 287 B - Consequences of the Resurrection 301 C - Shroud of Turin – The Burial Cloth of Christ? 311 D – 48+ Prophecies Uniquely Fulfilled by Christ 319 E – An Expanded Apologetic Outline from Creation to Beyond the Cross 325
WORKS CITED 333
RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY 348 _________________________________________________________________________
(Adapted from back cover/introduction)
_________________________________________________________________________ THE RESURRECTION: FACT OR FICTION? _________________________________________________________________________
The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave is the central heartbeat of Christianity and is also the most vital event in the history of the world. For if it really happened, then the exclusive claim of Christ to be the sole Savior of historical humanity is true, Christianity is uniquely validated and all other faiths in the world must logically be dismissed by the honest seeker of truth. However, if the resurrection is simply a legendary story, then Christ, if He even existed, was likely either a liar or lunatic and the Christian faith professed by nearly one-third of the human population is a massive fraud which must be forever buried. While the ultimate importance of the resurrection is indisputable, the real question is whether or not enough excellent reasons exist to accept its reality. In an effort to validate the resurrection, the strongest evidences have been compiled and thorough answers to the following foundational questions (among others) lie within…
Is the Bible an historically reliable divine resource or an unsubstantiated fairy tale? Is there ancient, extra-biblical evidence for the resurrection of Christ? Was Christ really sinless, prophetic and miraculous or just a deceptive magician? Do alternative theories destroy the concept of Christ’s physical resurrection?
If you are a skeptical, yet open minded explorer of the truth or a Christian wishing to confirm and/or better defend your faith, then you are invited to discover inside this understandable resource a treasure chest of information designed to aid you on your spiritual quest. _________________________________________________________________________ (From the “Setting the Stage” section.)
The resurrection of Christ is a monumentally important issue that directly affects everyone who has ever lived on this planet, but do excellent reasons exist to accept its reality? Following more than 15 years of research in the field of Christian apologetics, I remain convinced that the answer to this question is a triumphant “Yes!”
I assure you that my choice to be a confident Christian is not based on a preconceived, unfounded and arrogant bias, but was cemented only after conducting a thoughtful and honest examination of the historical, scientific and textual evidence. I accept the risen Christ and Christianity not out of easy believism. (As my wife can attest, I am very hard to convince and never make an important decision without first gathering and carefully considering all the facts). I also accept Christ and Christianity, not because this is the religion I grew up with, but because it appears to be the most reasonable faith based upon the best available evidence. I’ve discovered that those who choose to place their eternal trust in Jesus Christ are not taking a blind leap of faith into the dark, for biblical Christianity alone is centered firmly on the historically verifiable bodily resurrection of its founder… due to this and many other excellent reasons, a Christian can confidently love and worship the true God with their entire heart, soul and mind.
|