The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (Did The Disciples See The Risen Jesus?)

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series we examined crucifixion from a medical perspective and whether Jesus’ tomb was found empty or not. In this final part, we will consider whether the disciples actually saw the risen Jesus, or whether there are rational explanations for their claims.

What did the Disciples believe before Jesus’ Crucifixion?

If you read the gospel accounts, it is clear that the disciples did not understand what was going to happen to Jesus, so when he was killed like a criminal via crucifixion, it was an absolute disaster for them. They were scared, feared for their own lives and consequently dispersed and went back to their homes. Yet, not long after this, they are suddenly all convinced of the resurrection of their leader, and begin preaching this around the world; consequently, leading to their suffering and martyrdom. What was it that suddenly made them believe in the resurrection of Jesus?

James (the brother of Jesus), did not believe Jesus was the Messiah or a prophet. In fact, he probably thought it was quite strange that his older brother was claiming to be the Messiah. However, something happened after Jesus' crucifixion to make James suddenly believe in his resurrection. James was martyred for his faith during the early A.D. 60s. There must have been a critical event that transformed James’ opinion. What would make him, an unbeliever, suddenly be willing to die for preaching the resurrection of his older brother?

Then we have the apostle Paul, who was originally persecuting the Christians and even condemning them to death. After Jesus’ death Paul became a Christian and gave his life for preaching the resurrection of Jesus. What could have made this persecutor of Christians suddenly be willing to give his life to spread Christianity?

Critical scholars are largely in agreement that the disciples, for whatever reason, came to sincerely believe that Jesus had been risen from the dead by God.

The Creed

Virtually all critical scholars will admit that the apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, so this is a good place to start. In this creed we have him affirming in two places that he personally encountered the resurrected Christ. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:1, Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? And he says in 1 Corinthians 15:8, Last of all he appeared to me also. The final part of the creed from verses 5-8 deals with his post-resurrection appearances:

[Christ] appeared to Peter and then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James [The Brother of Jesus], then to all the apostles.” In the next verse, Paul adds, “And last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

This is a powerful testimony because we have names of specific individuals and groups of people who saw him and were still alive at the time of writing. If people wanted to question these individuals about what they saw, this was possible.

So, why are historians convinced it’s a creed? How trustworthy is it? And how far back does this creed go?

Evidence it is a Creed

Firstly, Paul introduces it with the words ‘received’ and ‘delivered’ or ‘passed on’, which were translated from technical rabbinic terms indicating his passing along of Holy tradition. Secondly, the text’s parallelism and stylised content indicate it is a creed. Thirdly, the original text uses Cephas instead of Peter, which is his Aramaic name. In fact, the Aramaic itself could indicate a very early origin. Fourth, the creed uses several other primitive phrases that Paul would not customarily use, like ‘the twelve’, ‘the third day’, and ‘he was raised’. Fifth, the use of certain words is similar to Aramaic and Mishnaic Hebrew means of narration. We know that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians between A.D. 55 and A.D. 57. He indicates in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 that he had already passed on this creed to the church at Corinth, which would mean it must predate his visit there in A.D. 51. Therefore, the creed was being used within twenty years of the resurrection, which is early. However, there are scholars who trace it back further than this, and believe it was written down within a few years of Jesus’ crucifixion. So, this is incredibly early testimony to the fact that Jesus appeared alive to non-believers like Paul and sceptics like James, as well as Peter and the rest of the disciples.

Most scholars believe he received this material three years after his conversion when he took a trip to Jerusalem and met with Peter and James. Paul describes that trip in Galatians 1: 18-19, where he uses the Greek word ‘historeo’. This is important because it suggests when he met with them it was to investigate the evidence for the resurrection. Paul was examining and finding out what the apostles experienced. So, the fact that Paul personally confirms matters with two eyewitnesses who are specifically mentioned in the creed, Peter and James, gives weight to the evidence.

One of the very few Jewish New Testament scholars, Pinchas Lapide, says the evidence in support of the creed is so strong that it may be considered as a statement of eyewitnesses. In 1 Corinthians 15:11, Paul emphasises that the other apostles agreed in preaching the same gospel, this same message about the resurrection. This means that what the eyewitness Paul is saying is the exact same thing as what the eyewitnesses Peter and James are saying, and there is no room for Paul's own interpretation.

The mystery of the 500

The creed in 1 Corinthians 15 is the only place in ancient literature in which it is claimed that the resurrected Jesus appeared to five hundred people at once. The gospels do not mention this, nor do secular historians mention it. To sceptics this raises some issues. If this really happened, why doesn't anyone talk about it? As the atheist Michael Martin says:

"one must conclude that it is extremely unlikely that this incident really occurred and that this therefore indirectly cast doubts on Paul as a reliable source."

Though it’s only mentioned in Corinthians, this just so happens to be the earliest and best authenticated passage of all, which certainly counts for something. Also, Paul apparently had some proximity to these people. He said, ‘most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep’. Paul either knew some of these people or the other disciples knew that they were still walking around and willing to be interviewed. You would never include this phrase unless you were absolutely confident that these people would confirm that they really did see Jesus alive. Paul was inviting people to seek out these witnesses. He wouldn't have said this if he didn't know they would back up his claims.

The Testimony of the Gospels

Firstly, Let's start with a list of appearances. Jesus appeared to:

• Mary Magdalene, in John chapter 20:10-18
• To the other women, in Matthew 28:8-10
• To Cleopas and another Disciple on the road to Emmaus, in Luke 24:13-32
• To 11 disciples and others, in Luke 24:33-49
• To 10 Apostles and others, with Thomas absent, in John 20:19-23
• To Thomas and the other apostles, in John 20:26-30
• To 7 apostles, in John in chapter 21:1-14
• To the disciple, in Matthew chapter 28:16-20
• And was with the apostles at the Mount of Olives before his Ascension, in Luke 24:50-52 and Acts 1:4-9

C. H. Dodd, the Cambridge University Scholar, has carefully analysed these appearances and concluded that several of them are based on especially early material, including Jesus' encounter with the women in Matthew 28: 8-10; his meeting with the 11 apostles, in Matthew 28:16-20; and his meeting with the disciples in John 20: 19-20, in which he showed them his hands and side. Again, there was a wealth of sightings of Jesus. This was not merely a possible sighting of Jesus by one or two people. There are multiple appearances to numerous people, several of the appearances being confirmed in more than one gospel or by the 1 Corinthians 15 creed.

The Book of Acts is filled with further information. Not only are Jesus' appearances mentioned regularly, but details are provided, and the theme of disciples being a witness of these things is found in almost every context. A number of accounts in Acts also include some creeds that, like the one in 1 Corinthians 15, report very early data concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus. the Apostle Peter was especially adamant about it. He says in Acts 2:32, God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all Witnesses to the fact. In Acts 3: 15 he repeats, you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are Witnesses to this. He confirms to Cornelius in Acts 10:41 that he and others ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. Paul said in a speech recorded in Acts 13:31, For many days you were seen by those who had travelled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his Witnesses to our people.

The resurrection was undoubtedly the central proclamation of the early church from the very beginning. The earliest Christians didn't just endorse Jesus's teachings; they were convinced that they had seen him alive after his crucifixion. That's what changed their lives and started the church. Certainly, since this was their central most conviction, they would have made absolutely sure that it was true. All the gospels and Acts provide evidence of several post-crucifixion incidents, numerous witnesses, specific details and corroborating information.

Mark’s Missing Conclusion

The most reliable early manuscripts, and other ancient Witnesses do not have Mark 16: 9-20. Most scholars believe that the gospel of Mark ends at 16: 8, with the women discovering the tomb empty but without Jesus having appeared alive to anyone at all. Scholars believe this is where later legends could have come into play. However, even if Mark does end there, which not everyone believes, you still have him reporting that the tomb is empty, and the young man proclaiming, He is risen, and telling the women that there will be appearances. So, you have, first, a proclamation that the resurrection has occurred, and second, a prediction that appearances will follow. Mark obviously believed the resurrection had taken place, as he ends with the women being told that Jesus will appear in Galilee, and others later confirm that he did.

Also, sceptics question why Mark didn't mention that Jesus met with Peter, as Mark was an associate of Peter. However, Mark does specifically mention Peter. In Mark 16:7 it is written but go, go tell his disciples and Peter, he is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you

This agrees with 1 Corinthians 15: 5, which confirms that Jesus did appear to Peter, and Luke 24:34, another early creed, which says, It is true the Lord has risen and has appeared to Peter. So, what Mark predicts about Peter is reported to have been fulfilled, in two early and very reliable creeds of the church, as well as by Peter himself in Acts.

Critical Scholar, Gerd Ludemann, wrote:

"It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus’ death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ."

Plausible Alternatives - The Appearances are Legendary

If it is true that the gospel of Mark originally ended before any appearances were reported, it could be argued that there's evolutionary development in the other gospels: Mark records no appearances, Matthew has some, Luke has more, and John has the most. Could this demonstrate that the appearances are merely legendary, and grew over time?

Firstly, not everybody believes Mark is the earliest gospel. There are some scholars, who believe Matthew was written first. Secondly, even if this were true, it only proves that a legend grew up over time and can't explain away the original belief that Jesus was risen from the dead. Something happened that prompted the apostles to make the resurrection the central proclamation of the earliest church. Legend can't explain those initial eyewitness accounts. In other words, legend can tell you how a story got bigger; it can't tell you how it originated when the participants are both eyewitnesses and reported the events early. Thirdly, you still have the 1 Corinthians 15 creed which predates any of the gospels and makes huge claims about the appearances. In fact, the claim involving the biggest number that he was seen alive by goes back to the earliest source. That creates problems for the legendary development theory. The best reasons for rejecting the legendary theory come from the early creedal accounts in 1 Corinthians 15 and Acts, both of which predate the gospel material. And finally, there is still the empty tomb. If the resurrection was really a legend, the tomb would be filled. But it was empty. That demands an additional hypothesis.

Were the Appearances Hallucinations

Maybe the witnesses were sincere in believing they saw Jesus. Perhaps they accurately recorded what took place. But maybe they were seeing an hallucination that convinced them they were encountering Jesus when they really were not.

Dr. Joseph Bergeron and Dr. Gary R. Habermas explored this hypothesis in their paper entitled: The Resurrection of Jesus: A Clinical Review of Psychiatric Hypotheses for the Biblical Story of Easter.

They reaffirmed that hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly are not something which can be seen by groups of people. Neither is it possible that one person could somehow induce an hallucination in somebody else. Since hallucination exists only in this subjective, personal sense, it is obvious that other witnesses cannot witness it. This is a big problem for the hallucination theory, since there are repeated accounts of Jesus appearing to multiple people who reported the same thing. There are several other arguments why hallucinations cannot explain away his appearances. The disciples were fearful, doubtful and in despair after the crucifixion, and were not expecting a resurrection. Whereas, people who hallucinate need a fertile mind of expectancy or anticipation. Peter was hard-headed and James was a sceptic, while Paul was persecuting the Christian church and a non-believer; they were not good candidates for hallucinations. Besides, if people were only hallucinating Jesus, his body would still be in the grave, which would immediately end any claims of a resurrection.

Summary and Conclusion

Philosopher, J. P. Moorland puts it this way:

"When Jesus was crucified, his followers were discouraged and depressed. So, they dispersed. The Jesus movement was all but stopped in its tracks. Then, after a short period of time, we see them abandoning their occupations, re-gathering, and committing themselves to spreading a very specific message - that Jesus was the Messiah of God who died on a cross, returned to life, and was seen alive by them. And they were willing to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming this, without any payoff from a human point of view. They faced a life of hardship. They often went without food, slept exposed to the elements, were ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned. And finally, most of them were executed in torturous ways. For what? For good intentions? No, because they were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had seen Jesus Christ alive from the dead."

The disciples had real insight. They didn't merely believe in the resurrection; they knew whether it was fact or fiction. They proclaimed the resurrection to their deaths for one reason alone: they knew it was true.