Was Jesus death and resurrection a hoax?

Are there facts that support the resurrection?

What really happened to Jesus body?
Was Jesus seen after His death on the cross?
Wasnt the Bible just written by men?
Can the stories of Jesus really be trusted?
Is archeology a friend of the Bible?

Presented by
Dr Thomas J Kindell
Founder & President of Reasons for Faith Ministries, Inc.
Be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is within you I
Peter 3:15
 A
PROVEN
FACT OF
HISTOR
Audio CD Albums
 THE
RESURRECTION IS:
The most outlandish and
heartless
hoax of history
OR
The most significant and
meaningful fact of history.
 THE ULTIMATE PROOF
OF CHRISTS CLAIMS
John 2:19 Destroy this templeI will raise it up

Matt. 12:39 The sign of the prophet Jonah

Isa. 53 & Dan. 9 The Anointed One would be killed

Psalm 16:10 The Holy One would not corrupt in

the grave

Rom. 1:4 Christ was, declared to be the Son of

God with powerby His resurrection
from the dead
OBJECTION:
The resurrection of Christ is not
worthy of consideration because
it cant be proved scientifically.

ANSWER
: The scientific method has limited
applications and cannot be used
to prove any facts of history.
FACTS OF HISTORY ARE PROVEN NOT
BY THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD BUT BY
THE LEGAL HISTORICAL METHOD
The legal historical method depends on
three types of testimony:
1. Oral testimony
2. Written testimony
3. Exhibits
Could you prove you were at your job last
Wednesday?
 WHAT MUST ONE DO
TO REFUTE
CHRISTIANITY?
Legitimately refute the historical
evidence for the resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
If only more people would accept the
challenge to refute the historical
evidence of Christs resurrection
there would be a lot more converts to
Christianity.
SOME OF THE WORLDS
GREATEST EXPERTS IN
LAW AND HISTORY
ACCEPTED THE
CHALLENGE TO REFUTE
THE RESURRECTION OF
CHRIST AND FAILED!
1. Lord Littleton & Dr. Benjamin Gilbert West
The book: The Observation of the Evidence
Regarding the Resurrection of Christ

From the flyleaf: Reject not until you

have examined the evidence

2. Frank Morrison Lawyer & Rationalist

The book: Who Moved the Stone?
Title of Chapter 1: The Book that
Refused to be Written
3. Thomas Arnold - Historian
Qualifications
Professor Arnold was for 14 years
the Headmaster of Rugby, author of
the three-volume History of Rome,
and holder of the chair of modern
history at Oxford University. He was
certainly well acquainted with
the value of evidence in determining
historical facts.
 Professor Arnold testified:
I have been used for many years to
study the histories of other times, and
to examine and weigh the evidence of
those who have written about them,
and I know of no one fact in the history
of mankind which is proved by better
and fuller evidence of every sort, to the
understanding of a fair inquirer, than
the great sign which God hath given us
that Christ died and rose again from
the dead.
4. Lord Lindhurst Attorney General
Qualifications
Lindhurst was a Solicitor-General of
the British government, Attorney
General of Great Britain, three times
High Chancellor of England and
elected as High Steward of the
University of Cambridge. Thus, he
held in one lifetime the highest offices
ever conferred upon a judge in the
history of Great Britain.
 Lord Lindhurst testified:

I know pretty well what

evidence is; and I tell you,
such evidence as
that for the resurrection
has never
broken down yet.
5. Dr. Simon Greenleaf Professor of Law,
Harvard
Qualifications
Dr. Greenleaf authored a three-volume
set entitled A Treatise on the Law of
Evidence, (1842) which was so
excellent that it is still considered by
many to be the greatest single
authority on evidence in the entire
history of legal procedure.
 Dr. Simon Greenleaf was
challenged by his Christian law
students to try to refute the
eyewitness testimony of the
New Testament evangelists.

Dr. Simon Greenleaf became a

zealous Christian!
To explain why the testimony of the
Gospel accounts was irrefutable
from the standpoint of legally
admissible evidence,
Dr. Greenleaf authored a book
entitled:
An Examination of the Testimony
of the Four Evangelists by the
Rules of Evidence Administered in
Courts of Justice
 THE FIVE TESTS OF
EYEWITNESSES
The credit due to the testimony of
witnesses depends upon, first, their
honesty; secondly, their ability; thirdly,
their number and the consistency of their
testimony; fourthly, the conformity of their
testimony with experience, and fifthly, the
coincidence of their testimony with
collateral circumstances.

Let the evangelists be tried by

these tests!
In applying the five tests
of witnesses Greenleaf
found he could not
resolve the key issues
involved unless the
testimony of Christs
resurrection was true.
 GREENLEAFS THREE MAJOR
IRRECONCILABLE ISSUES

1. No motive to lie whether good or

bad men.

2. The number of witnesses and the

consistency of their testimony.
a. 1 Corinthians 15:6 Over five
hundred witnesses, most still
living.
 GREENLEAFS THREE MAJOR
IRRECONCILABLE ISSUES
b. 6 minutes of testimony equals
over 50 hours of direct eyewitness
confirmation.
c. Consistency of the Apostles
testimony never failed despite
lifelong persecution & martyrdom.
3. Consistency of the testimony with
collateral circumstances.
COLLATERAL CIRCUMSTANCES
1. Buried according to the burial custom of
the Jews.
a. 100 lbs of spices used.
b. 115 lb body cast.

2. A very large stone covered the tomb.

a. Parentheses 20 men could not
move the stone.
b. Two Georgia Tech engineers
1 to 2 tons.
COLLATERAL CIRCUMSTANCES
3. Roman Security Guard
a. Pilate gave a koustodia 16 men,
5 weapons each.
b. Roman Military Law Death
penalty.
I. Sleeping while on duty.
II. Leaving post without
authorization.
4. The Roman Seal was placed over the
tombstone.
 And behold there was a great
earthquake; for an angel of the
Lord descended from Heaven and
came and rolled back the stone,
and sat upon it. His appearance
was like lightening and his clothing
white as snow. And for fear of him
the guards trembled and became
like dead men.
Matthew 28.2-4
Something happened three days
after Christs burial resulting
in three facts that must be
reasonably explained:

1. The empty tomb

2. The appearances of Christ

3. The permanently transformed lives

of the Apostles
 If you examine every
theory advanced to
explain away the three
critical facts, your
conviction of the truth of
the resurrection of Christ
will grow stronger than
ever.
 THEORIES ADVANCED TO REFUTE THE
SUPERNATURAL RESURRECTION OF
JESUS CHRIST
1. The disciples removed the body while the guards
slept.
 And behold, there was a great
earthquake; for an angel of the
Lord descended from heaven and
came and rolled back the stone,
and sat upon it, his appearance
was like lightening and his
clothing white as snow. And for
fear of him the guards trembled
and became like dead men.
Matthew 28:2-4
 While they were going, behold,
some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had
taken place. And when they had
assembled with the elders and taken
council, they gave a sum of money
to the soldiers and said, tell people
His disciples came by night and
stole Him away while we were
asleep...
 And if this comes to the
governors ears, we will
satisfy him and keep you out
of trouble. So they took the
money and did as they were
directed; and this story has
been spread among the Jews
to this day.
Matthew 28:11-15
 THEORIES ADVANCED TO REFUTE THE
SUPERNATURAL RESURRECTION OF
JESUS CHRIST
1. The disciples removed the body while the guards
slept.
a. No one can testify about events that
happened while they slept.
b. The guards slept despite the death
penalty?
c. The rolling stone failed to wake the guard?
d. Motive Dilemma

2. The authorities moved the body for safe keeping.

3. The women went to the wrong tomb.
a. The disciples went to the wrong
tomb.
b. The Jews went to the wrong
tomb.
c. The Romans went to the wrong
tomb.
d. Joseph of Aramathea went to
the wrong tomb.
4. The Passover Plot
a. The disciples had little money
for bribery.
b. The guard would keep the money
and kill the disciples.

5. Christs Spirit rose but not His body.

a. Even enemies did not dispute the
empty tomb.
b. Jesus lied? Destroy this
temple John 2:19
 c. Jesus said, handle me, and see
for a spirit has not flesh and bones
as you see that I have. Luke 24:39
6. The witnesses all had the same
hallucinations.
a. Hallucinations are highly
subjective.
b. Hallucinations do not persist for
only forty days.
c. Hallucinations cannot be touched
Thomas.
7. An identical twin deceived the
disciples.
a. Where did the twin come from?

b. The marks of crucifixion?

Thomas
c. No knowledge of previous
experiences.

d. No ability to do miracles.
8. Christ only swooned (fainted) on the
cross.
a. Christ didnt die?
I. He sweat great drops of
blood.
II. Endured a sleepless night.
III. He was beaten with fists.
IV. A crown of thorns was
beaten into His head.
V. Scourged with the Roman
flagellum.
and having
scourged
Jesus,
delivered Him
to be
crucified.
Matthew 27:26
VI. He couldnt carry His cross.
VII. He was crucified with iron
spikes.
VIII. A spear was thrust into His
heart.
IX. Four professional executioners
signed His death certificate.
X. His body was wrapped like a
mummy.
A CRITICAL QUESTION
Would eleven men die for a
lie if they knew it was a lie?

Blaise Pascal:
They went through the
test of death to determine
their veracity.
Dr. Simon Greenleaf concluded:

If they believed in a future state of

retribution, a heaven and a hell
thereafter, they took the most
certain course, if false witnesses, to
secure the latter for their portion.
And if, still being bad men, they did
not believe in future punishment,
how came they to invent falsehoods,
the direct and certain
Dr. Simon Greenleaf concluded:
tendency of which was to destroy
all their prospects of worldly honor
and happiness and to insure their
misery in this life? From these
absurdities there is no escape but in
the perfect confidence and
admission that they were good men,
testifying to that which they had
carefully observed and considered
and well knew to be true.
Lord Darling, Former Chief Justice
of Great Britain concluded:
There exists such
overwhelming evidence,
positive and negative, factual
and circumstantial, that no
intelligent jury in the world
could fail to bring in a verdict
that the resurrection story is
true!
 WHAT IS YOUR
VERDICT?
What reasonable explanation do
you have for:
The empty tomb.

The hundreds of eye witnesses.

The permanently transformed

lives of the Apostles.
 WHAT
WILL YOU
DO WITH
JESUS
CHRIST?