In his most recent book, Jesus, Contradicted, historian Mike Licona writes:
"The task of the historian is to formulate hypotheses that attempt to account for the known facts. The hypothesis doing this better than competing hypotheses is regarded as what probably occurred."1
This raises the question, "What facts surrounding the life, death and resurrection of Jesus do historians need to account for?"
Licona explains:
"Given the frequent lack of consensus among historians even on nonreligious matters, we should not be surprised to find so many different opinions about Jesus shared by historians. That said, virtually all historians of Jesus, including those who are rather skeptical, agree upon a number of items about Jesus. They agree that Jesus lived in Palestine in the early first century AD, that he believed he had a special relationship with God who had chosen him to usher in his kingdom, that he taught in parables, that he performed deeds that astonished crowds, that he, his followers, and many others regarded as divine miracles and exorcisms, that the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem handed him over to the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate, who, in turn, had him crucified. Moreover, it is nearly universally agreed by historians of Jesus, that, shortly after his death, many if not all of his disciples had experiences they interpreted and sincerely believed were of Jesus who had risen from the dead and appeared to them. They also agree that a man named Saul of Tarsus, who was persecuting Christians, had an experience that he likewise interpreted and sincerely believed was of the risen Jesus who had appeared to him. Though not nearly all historians agree that some of the experiences involved groups of people seeing Jesus, a large majority do."2
So what best explains the available facts? It has been suggested that one could argue as follows:
1. The disciples were either lying, mistaken or telling the truth.
2. The disciples were not lying or mistaken.
3. Therefore, they were telling the truth.
Indeed, historically, Christians have held firm to the Apostle Peter's proclamation, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a cross" (Acts 5:20; NASB).
What is your explanation?
Courage and Godspeed,
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnotes:
1. Michael R. Licona, Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently, p. 172.
2. Ibid.
2. Ibid.
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