New Testament Evidence for the Resurrection - Essay Example

New Testament evidence for the resurrection by The of the The of the School The and State where it is located The Date New Testament evidence for the resurrection Introduction It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the notion of religion plays an extremely important role in the human civilization. Indeed, the belief in supernatural forces can be traced back almost to the dawn of the humanity. Nevertheless, at the present moment, several religions were able to spread all over the world and become significant on a global scale. Christianity is one of such world religions. It must be noted that one of the corner stones of this spiritual tradition is the sheer belief in resurrection of Jesus Christ. While some people argue that this is a didactic allegory, others insist that there is a substantial support for this. This paper will analyze the evidence that one is able to find in the New Testament as well as examine some of the obstacles that may prevent a person from believing in the resurrection. Evidence of the tomb Large stone moved The first group of facts that can be inferred from the New Testament about resurrection of Jesus is connected to the tomb where He was buried. To begin with, one should point out that according to the tradition of the time the tomb was blocked with a heavy stone. It was so big that only several men could move it with a lever (Dollar & Pinkerton, 2009, p. 83). The presence of such a stone might be seen as a guarantee that other people would not move it. Nevertheless, as the tradition states when the tomb was first seen, the stone was moved. Keeping in mind that above mentioned information, one can not reject the supernatural character of the event. No guards around Another piece of evidence that indirectly proves that resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact is that the Roman guards who were on their duty near the tomb left it. It is a common fact that soldiers in the Roman Empire were disciplined (Walvoord 1993, p. 181). Indeed, the rules and regulations were extremely strict which contributed to high moral and willingness to obey every order. This means that when a squad of soldiers was ordered to guard the tomb, there was nothing that could prevent them from doing so. In other words, they could not have been bribed, scared away or killed: first of all, money would make no difference for them; secondly, Roman soldiers were fearless warriors who could defeat any person in the province of Judea at that time. So, there must have been something clearly supernatural in the event in question. The seal is broken Another point that should be taken into the account is the fact that the tomb was also sealed to ensure that nobody would open it without permission. Nowadays violating rules often results into a fine or prison, but in the ancient time, especially on a conquered territory perpetrator would be executed without any hesitation (McDowell & McDowell 2009, p. 92). As a result, a person, no matter how much he or she would have wanted to rebel, would never break a seal since it would lead to terrible consequences. In other words, no one would want to take such a big risk at the time. The empty tomb One of the elements of the story of resurrection that is irreplaceable when it comes to a close examination of it is that the tomb was empty. Indeed, the modern researcher were able to locate the tomb which is thought to be the exact tomb where Jesus was buried, but just like some two thousand years ago it is empty (Dunn 1995, p. 63). This is particularly important since it shows that Jesus truly ascended to heavens and there is no body that was left behind. Graveclothes as evidence The discussion of the resurrection of Jesus often revolves around a piece of material evidence that is supposed to end all arguments. There is a relic that is though to be the graveclothes that Jesus was wrapped in after He was put into the tomb. Indeed, Shroud of Turin is often called the most controversial object in Christianity since it provides people with material, easily perceivable evidence that Jesus existed. Moreover, it is thought to be a credible evidence of the very process of resurrection: when His body disappeared, the cloth was able to depict it (Bailey 1999, p. 46). All this results into the fact that those who are not sure about resurrection might see for themselves the relic and make sure that it features the image of Christ. Witnesses as evidence Post resurrection appearances It is quite obvious that every person who interacted with Jesus or could have seen Him after the resurrection is long dead and is not able to testify as a witness. Nevertheless, the New Testament holds evidence that after His death, Jesus was seen by numerous people. This is particularly important since it shows that many people saw Christ resurrected, not only His disciples or relatives (Barclay 2003, p. 18). This might serve as important evidence since it shows that the fact of resurrection could have been confirmed by other people at that time and was recorded in the New Testament. In other words, the support of some many witnesses is essential when it comes to validating a controversial fact. Appearance to adversaries One could have easily argued that all the above mentioned witnesses were approved of life of Jesus and there is no wonder that they are willing to testify His resurrection. Nevertheless, the Son of God is also known to appear to those who opposed His teaching. One of the most significant examples is Saul who was a passionate opponent of the teaching of Jesus, but changed his views completely after He appeared to him. Indeed, Saul denied the divine nature of Jesus and would have never acknowledged His resurrection unless that was true (Still 2007, p. 48). The fact that Saul turned into Paul the Apostle after this encounter suggests that Jesus truly appear to him; that is why resurrection might be seen as a fact. Textual evidence The New Testament is a collection of texts that were written long ago. That is why there is no wonder in the fact that their credibility is often doubted. However, over centuries various specialists studied all known textual evidence and gradually refined the set of text that no is known as the New Testament (Lake 2004, p. 62). This means that unlike other ancient text, the latter is well examined and the level of accuracy of it is extraordinary. So, the fact of resurrection is supported by the four Gospels and other books of the New Testament which should be seen as reliable since they were tested by numerous specialists and there is no doubt in their validity. Obstacles on the way of believing in resurrection Common mythological theme People who study religions of the world often point out that the motif of dying and resurrecting god is not peculiar to Christianity. Numerous other religions that exist in various part of the world often tell a story about god or a hero who had to time, but was able to resurrect in order to gain even more power (Stookey 2004, p. 107). All this allows one to think that resurrection of Jesus is yet another variation of the universal narrative about the way death is able to make someone stronger or reveal one’s true identity. This means that such myths about resurrection are typical and should be seen as a part of global spiritual heritage, but not as a historical fact. One sided story It is quite obvious that there are two conflicting parties in the story of Jesus: His disciples on the one and the Jews on the other. Each party had its chronicles and each party wanted to prove the supremacy of its position. If resurrection were a historical fact, then both parties would agree that it put an end to their quarrel as the Christian would prove themselves rights. Nevertheless, nowadays the Jews reject the story of Jesus and are not likely to do that in the foreseeable future. In other words, the resurrection might be seen as a tool with the help of which one side of the argument will defeat the other. However, since the latter did not acknowledge the historicity of it, it should not be seen as established. Dating of Shroud of Turin As it has already been noted, the material evidence that the Christians have in the form of Shroud of Turin is rather controversial since there were several researches made, some of which proved that the above mentioned piece of cloth could have made in the Middle ages (Ramesh 2010, p. 59). That was a great shock to the scientific community since it proved that one of the fundamental pieces of evidence was not reliable. As a result, the studies which were designed to increase belief in resurrection had quite the opposite effect: people began to doubt. Too unrealistic Finally, one should point out that the concept of resurrection might make sense within the framework of the spiritual tradition of Christianity. However, it goes against every natural law that guides life in the universe. Indeed, Jesus is thought to be the Son of God; so, going against universal laws would not be a problem for Him. However, if resurrection is acknowledged as a historical fact, then it would undermine the entire way people perceive the world and think about their place in the universe. In other words, treating the above mentioned part of Christian beliefs is a fact of reality would require major changes in the worldview and will probably do more harm than good. Contrary to that, if resurrection of Jesus is seen as an element of the teaching only, it may be quite useful and helpful for the people who struggle with their lives. Conclusion Heaving examined all the evidence, one is able to point out that resurrection of Jesus is often seen as the essential part of the Christian church. Indeed, it is often used as evidence of the credibility of this religion and there is no wonder that some believers see it as a well established historical fact. What is more important is that the New Testament brings evidence which shows that resurrection could have occurred. Nevertheless, there are some obstacles for the people who struggle with adopting the above mentioned belief. So, one might conclude that there is no flat answer to whether the resurrection of Jesus actually occurred as every part of the argument brings it own evidence. References Bailey, M. (1999). Nelsons New Testament survey: Discover the background, theology and meaning of every book in the New Testament. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. Barclay, W. (2003). Many witnesses, one Lord. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press. Dollar, J., & Pinkerton, B. (2009). Contend: A survey of Christian apologetics. San Diego, CA: Aventine Press. Dunn, J. (1995). The evidence for Jesus. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press. Lake, K. (2004). The historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ,. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock. McDowell, J., & McDowell, S. (2009). Jesus: Dead or Alive? Ventura, CA. Ramesh, C. (2010). The Shroud of Turin: An Imprint of the Soul, Apparition Or Quantum Bio-Hologram. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Still, T. (2007). Jesus and Paul reconnected: Fresh pathways into an old debate. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Stookey, L. (2004). Thematic guide to world mythology. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press. Walvoord, J. (1993). The Bible knowledge commentary: An exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. Read More