THE RESURRECTION OF
JESUS THE MESSIAH
ROBBY LASHUA
THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT
Before we begin to look into the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must first
establish the credibility of the historical
documents that give us the accounts of
Jesus’ death and resurrection.
THE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT
• Contemporary accounts, close to the
events
• Many accounts of the events
• Independent sources
• Consistent with one another
Author
Work
Earliest MSS
Time Gap
Iliad
History
Plays
Tetralogies
Gallic Wars
History of
Rome
Date
Written
800 BC
480-425 BC
496-406 BC
400 BC
100-44 BC
59 BC–17
AD
Homer
Herodotus
Sophocles
Plato
Caesar
Livy
Old #
New
c. 400 BC
1st C
3rd C BC
895
9th C
Early 5th C
400
1,350
100-200
1,300
950
400
643
8
100
7
10
1 Partial,
19
copies
1,757
109
193
210
251
90 & 60
copies
Tacitus
Annals
100 AD
1st half: 850,
2nd: 1050
(1100 AD)
750-950
20
2 + 31 15 C
copies
Pliny, the
Elder
Natural
History
49-79 AD
5th C frag: 1; 400 (750)
Rem. 14-15th
C
7
200
Thucydides
History
460-400 BC
3rd C BC
(AD 900)
200
(1,350)
8
96
Demosthene Speeches
s
300 BC
Some frags
from 1 C.
BC. (AD
1100)
1,100+
(1,400)
200
340
NT
50-100 AD
AD 130
40
5366
5,795
Author
Work
Earliest MSS
Time Gap
Iliad
History
Plays
Tetralogies
Gallic Wars
History of
Rome
Date
Written
800 BC
480-425 BC
496-406 BC
400 BC
100-44 BC
59 BC–17
AD
Homer
Herodotus
Sophocles
Plato
Caesar
Livy
Old #
New
c. 400 BC
1st C
3rd C BC
895
9th C
Early 5th C
400
1,350
100-200
1,300
950
400
643
8
100
7
10
1 Partial,
19
copies
1,757
109
193
210
251
90 & 60
copies
Tacitus
Annals
100 AD
1st half: 850,
2nd: 1050
(1100 AD)
750-950
20
2 + 31 15 C
copies
Pliny, the
Elder
Natural
History
49-79 AD
5th C frag: 1; 400 (750)
Rem. 14-15th
C
7
200
Thucydides
History
460-400 BC
3rd C BC
(AD 900)
200
(1,350)
8
96
Demosthene Speeches
s
300 BC
Some frags
from 1 C.
BC. (AD
1100)
1,100+
(1,400)
200
340
NT
50-100 AD
AD 130
40
5366
5,795
Author
Work
Earliest MSS
Time Gap
Iliad
History
Plays
Tetralogies
Gallic Wars
History of
Rome
Date
Written
800 BC
480-425 BC
496-406 BC
400 BC
100-44 BC
59 BC–17
AD
Homer
Herodotus
Sophocles
Plato
Caesar
Livy
Old #
New
c. 400 BC
1st C
3rd C BC
895
9th C
Early 5th C
400
1,350
100-200
1,300
950
400
643
8
100
7
10
1 Partial,
19
copies
1,757
109
193
210
251
90 & 60
copies
Tacitus
Annals
100 AD
1st half: 850,
2nd: 1050
(1100 AD)
750-950
20
2 + 31 15 C
copies
Pliny, the
Elder
Natural
History
49-79 AD
5th C frag: 1; 400 (750)
Rem. 14-15th
C
7
200
Thucydides
History
460-400 BC
3rd C BC
(AD 900)
200
(1,350)
8
96
Demosthene Speeches
s
300 BC
Some frags
from 1 C.
BC. (AD
1100)
1,100+
(1,400)
200
340
NT
50-100 AD
AD 130
40
5366
5,795
Author
Work
Earliest MSS
Time Gap
Iliad
History
Plays
Tetralogies
Gallic Wars
History of
Rome
Date
Written
800 BC
480-425 BC
496-406 BC
400 BC
100-44 BC
59 BC–17
AD
Homer
Herodotus
Sophocles
Plato
Caesar
Livy
Old #
New
c. 400 BC
1st C
3rd C BC
895
9th C
Early 5th C
400
1,350
100-200
1,300
950
400
643
8
100
7
10
1 Partial,
19
copies
1,757
109
193
210
251
90 & 60
copies
Tacitus
Annals
100 AD
1st half: 850,
2nd: 1050
(1100 AD)
750-950
20
2 + 31 15 C
copies
Pliny, the
Elder
Natural
History
49-79 AD
5th C frag: 1; 400 (750)
Rem. 14-15th
C
7
200
Thucydides
History
460-400 BC
3rd C BC
(AD 900)
200
(1,350)
8
96
Demosthene Speeches
s
300 BC
Some frags
from 1 C.
BC. (AD
1100)
1,100+
(1,400)
200
340
NT
50-100 AD
AD 130
40
5366
5,795
Author
Work
Earliest MSS
Time Gap
Iliad
History
Plays
Tetralogies
Gallic Wars
History of
Rome
Date
Written
800 BC
480-425 BC
496-406 BC
400 BC
100-44 BC
59 BC–17
AD
Homer
Herodotus
Sophocles
Plato
Caesar
Livy
Old #
New
c. 400 BC
1st C
3rd C BC
895
9th C
Early 5th C
400
1,350
100-200
1,300
950
400
643
8
100
7
10
1 Partial,
19
copies
1,757
109
193
210
251
90 & 60
copies
Tacitus
Annals
100 AD
1st half: 850,
2nd: 1050
(1100 AD)
750-950
20
2 + 31 15 C
copies
Pliny, the
Elder
Natural
History
49-79 AD
5th C frag: 1; 400 (750)
Rem. 14-15th
C
7
200
Thucydides
History
460-400 BC
3rd C BC
(AD 900)
200
(1,350)
8
96
Demosthene Speeches
s
300 BC
Some frags
from 1 C.
BC. (AD
1100)
1,100+
(1,400)
200
340
NT
50-100 AD
AD 130
40
5366
5,795
“Besides textual evidence derived from
New Testament Greek manuscripts and
from early versions, the textual critic has available
the numerous scriptural quotations included in the
commentaries, sermons, and other treatises written
by the early Church fathers. Indeed, so extensive
are these citations that if all other sources for our
knowledge of the text of the New Testament were
destroyed, they would be sufficient alone for the
reconstruction of practically the entire New
Testament.”
-Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman
Bruce M. Metzger and Bart D. Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and
Restoration 4th ed., (New York: Oxford, 2005), 126.
“The number of manuscripts
of the New Testament, of
early translations from it, and of
quotations from it in the oldest
writers of the Church, is so large
that it is practically certain that the
true reading of every doubtful
passage is preserved in some one
or other of these ancient
authorities. This can be said of no
other ancient book in the world.”
-Sir Frederic Kenyon
Quotations of the N.T. by
early Church Fathers
Author
Gospels
Acts
Pauline
Epistles
General
Epistles
Justin Martyr
268
10
43
6
3
330
Irenaeus
1,038
194
499
23
65
1,819
Clement
1,107
44
1,127
207
11
2,406
Origin
9,231
349
7,778
399
165
17,992
Tertullian
3,822
502
2,609
120
205
7,258
Hippolytus
734
42
387
27
188
1,378
Eusebius
3,258
211
1,592
88
27
5,176
1,352
14, 035
870
664
36,289
Grand Totals 19,368
Taken from Josh McDowell,
New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p. 43
Rev.
Totals
NEW TESTAMENT TRUSTWORTHY
“On the contrary, the
10000
time between the
composition of the books 9000
of the New Testament
8000
and the earliest extant
7000
copies is relatively brief.
6000
Instead of a lapse of a
millennium or more, as is 5000
the case of not a few
classical authors, several 4000
3000
papyrus manuscripts of
portions of the New
2000
Testament are extant
that were copied within a 1000
0
century or so after the
composition of the
original documents.”
Metzger and Ehrman
Others
Armenian
Slavic
Latin
NEW TESTAMENT TRUSTWORTHY
Sir Frederic Kenyon: “The
number of manuscripts of
the New Testament, of
early translations from it,
and of quotations from it
in the oldest writers of the
Church, is so large that it
is practically certain that
the true reading of every
doubtful passage is
preserved in some one or
other of these ancient
authorities. This can be
said of no other ancient
book in the world.”
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
MSS
Others
Homer
NT
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
Josephus
• Born around A.D. 37
• Father was a respected priest in
Jerusalem named Matthias
• Fought against the Romans, but was
defeated by them
• Joined the Romans as the court historian
for Emperor Vespasian
• Josephus mentions Jesus on two
occasions in his writings
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
“Having such a character, Ananus
thought that with Festus dead and
Albinus still on the way he would have
the proper opportunity. Convening the
judges of the Sanhedrin, he brought
before them the brother of Jesus who
was called the Christ, whose name was
James, and certain others. He accused
them of having transgressed the law and
delivered them up to be stoned.”
-Josephus Antiquities 20.200.
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
“At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man, if indeed
one should call him a man. For he was a doer of startling
deeds, a teacher of people who receive the truth with
pleasure. And he gained a following both among many
Jews and among many of Greek origin. He was the
Messiah. And when Pilate, because of accusations made
by the leading men among us, condemned him to the
cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease
to do so. For he appeared to them on the third day, living
again, just as the divine prophets had spoken of these and
countless other wondrous things about him. And up until
this very day the tribe of Christians, named after him, has
not died out.” – Josephus Antiquities 18.63-64.
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
“At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man, if indeed
one should call him a man. For he was a doer of startling
deeds, a teacher of people who receive the truth with
pleasure. And he gained a following both among many
Jews and among many of Greek origin. He was the
Messiah. And when Pilate, because of accusations made
by the leading men among us, condemned him to the
cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to
do so. For he appeared to them on the third day, living
again, just as the divine prophets had spoken of these and
countless other wondrous things about him. And up until this
very day the tribe of Christians, named after him, has not
died out.” – Josephus Antiquities 18.63-64.
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
Tacitus
• Lived ca. A.D. 56-120
• Regarded as the greatest of Roman
historians
• Mentions Jesus once in Annals which
was written ca. A.D. 116-117
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
“Therefore, to squelch the rumor, Nero created
scapegoats and subjected to the most refined
torture those whom the common people called
‘Christians’ (a group) hated for their abominable
crimes. Their name comes from Christ, who, during
the reign of Tiberius, had been executed by the
procurator Pontius Pilate. Supressed for the moment,
the deadly superstition broke out again, not only in
Judea, the land which originated this evil, but also
in the city of Rome.” – Tacitus Annals 15.44.
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
• Within 150 years of the life of Jesus, there are 10
known non-Christian sources who mention Jesus.
• Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor at the time
of Jesus, has 9 non-Christian sources who
mention him over the same 150 years
• If we include Christian sources, Jesus is
mentioned by 43 sources and Tiberius is
mentioned by 10 sources within these 150 years
NON-CHRISTIAN SOURCES
These 10 non-Christian sources give us the following
facts about Jesus
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Jesus lived during the time of Tiberius Caeser
He lived a virtuous life
He was a wonder-worker
He had a brother named James
He was acclaimed to be the Messiah
He was crucified under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified on the eve of the Jewish Passover
Darkness and an earthquake occurred when he died
His disciples believed that he rose from the dead
His disciples were willing to die for their belief
Christianity spread rapidly as far as Rome
His disciples denied the Roman gods and worshiped
Jesus as God
INTERNAL EVIDENCE
Bart Ehrman Video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2w6G5i6Y0A
Watch from 34:00-41:30
INTERNAL EVIDENCE
Evidence that the Gospels were written within the
lifetime of the Apostles:
• Matthew, Mark and Luke do not name the woman
who anointed Jesus feet even though she is to be
remembered or the man who cut off the ear of the
high priest’s servant in the garden of Gethsemane.
• Why? Perhaps to protect these people who were
still alive?
• Embarrassing details: “Get behind me Satan”,
Peter’s denials of Jesus, Jesus’ family not believing
in Him.
DO THE GOSPELS
CONTRADICT EACH OTHER?
What if they do?
The Women at the Tomb
• Matt. 28; Mark; 16; Luke 24:12 (Multiple Women)
• John 20:1-2 (One Woman?)
• Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene
went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and
saw that the stone had been taken away from the
tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter,
and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and
said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out
of the Tomb, and WE do not know where they
have laid him.’”. John 20:1-2
THE GOSPELS REPORT THINGS
IDEA FOR IDEA
Ipsissima Verba
• Latin for “The Very Words”
Ipsissima Vox
• Latin for “The Very Voice”
• Jesus spoke Aramaic, but the Gospels were
written in Greek
• Jesus taught for hours, but we can read his
speeches in minutes
• The Gospel writers do not agree word for word
THE GOSPELS REPORT THINGS
IDEA FOR IDEA
Ipsissima Vox
• Paul’s conversion experience
• Acts 9:1-21 (read 9:1-6)
• Acts 22:6-15
• Acts 26:12-20 (read 26:12-14)
THE GOSPELS REPORT THINGS
IDEA FOR IDEA
Jesus on divorce:
• Mark 10:1-12 (read 11-12)
• Matthew 19:1-12 (read 9)
• Why was it permissible for Matthew to add
the exception clause?
• Maybe he knew this was Jesus’ view
• Maybe Mark left this out
• Maybe Jesus spoke at different times on this
subject and Matthew was giving the
Ipsissima Vox of Jesus’ statements on
divorce.
A WORD ON BIAS
Were the N.T. writers biased?
• Some say that the N.T. cannot be trusted because
the authors were biased and trying to convert
people to their beliefs
• The question we should ask is why were the authors
converted themselves.
• Everyone who has ever written is biased.
DATING OF THE GOSPELS
• Mark 65-70 A.D.
• Matthew and Luke after Mark but
prior to 70 A.D.
• John 90-95 A.D.
THE TWO SOURCE
HYPOTHESIS
DATING OF THE GOSPELS
Reasons for Markan Priority
• If Mark was not first, he would have:
• Taken Matthew and cut material
• Use worse grammar
• Add only three new additions to
Matthew’s Gospel
• More probable Mark was used by
Matthew.
DATING OF THE GOSPELS
The Q Document
• 235 verses that comprise what we call Q
• Examples: Matt. 3:7-10 & Luke 3:7-9; Matt. 6:24 &
Luke 16:13
• Arguments for Q
• Luke did not know Matthew
• Infancy narratives in Matt. And Luke only.
They are so different, which shows Luke knew
nothing of Matthew
• When Matthew adds to Mark, it is rarely
found in Luke.
• Both Matthew and Luke preserve the more
primitive version of Q at different times.
MARK AND MATTHEW
DIFFERENCES
Mark: the Girl Version
Matthew: The Guy Version
• Jairus’ Daughter
• Mark 5:22-24
“One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on
seeing Him, fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying,
“My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay
Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.”
• Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25
“While He was saying these things to them, a synagogue official
came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter
has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will
live.” Jesus got up and began to follow him, and so did His
disciples”.
GENRE OF THE GOSPELS?
Greco-Roman Biographies
Usual length 10,000-25,000 words
Subject of the verb more than 20%
Focused on an individual
Little mention of the subjects childhood
Stories, Sayings, and Speeches of the
Subject
• Subject’s Character is revealed
•
•
•
•
•
See Richard Burdge’s What are the
Gospels?
GENRE OF GOSPELS
Theon wrote between 70-125 A.D. and gives rules for
writing biography.
Plutarch (46-120 A.D.) wrote many biographies, and
many had parallel accounts.
"So you have the same biographer telling the same
story five different times. By noticing how Plutarch tells
the story of Caesar's assassination differently, we can
notice the kinds of biographical liberties that Plutarch
took, and he's writing around the same time that
some of the Gospels are being written and in the
same language -- Greek -- to boot,” Michael Licona
Information from Advanced Apologetics taught by Michael Licona Fall 2012 at Biola Univeristy
GENRE OF GOSPELS
Licona’s initial findings in Theon
• Variation in Syntax
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Substitution
• Recast statement as question
• Speeches may be recomposed
Information from Advanced Apologetics taught by Michael Licona Fall 2012 at Biola Univeristy
GENRE OF GOSPELS
Six Liberties Licona found in Plutarch
• Compression/Telescoping
• Conflation
• Displacement
• Transferal
• Create Narrative Details
• Creative Narrative Context
Information from Advanced Apologetics taught by Michael Licona Fall 2012 at Biola Univeristy
PAUL’S EPISTLES
“The seven letters that virtually all
scholars agree Paul wrote—the socalled undisputed Pauline
epistles—are Romans, 1 and 2
Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians,
1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.”
- Bart Ehrman
PAUL’S EPISTLES
Ehrman’s argument:
• Greco-Roman letters were very short and to
the point
• Cicero: Avg 295 words (range 22-2,530)
• Seneca: Avg 995 words (range 149-4,134)
• Paul’s UNDISPUTED letters: Avg. 3,442
• Rom. 7,111; 1 Cor. 6,830; 2 Cor. 4,477;
Phil. 1,629; 1 Thess. 1,481; Philemon 335
• Paul’s disputed letters Avg. 1,386
• Eph. 2,422; Col. 1,582; 2 Thess. 823; 1
Tim. 1,591; 2 Tim. 1,238; Titus 659
PAUL’S EPISTLES
Ehrman’s argument:
• There is no evidence Paul extensively used
a secretary to write his letters.
• “Virtually all of the problems with what I
have been calling forgeries can be
solved if secretaries were heavily
involved in the composition of the early
Christian writings.”
–Bart Ehrman in Forged
PAUL’S EPISTLES
Good reasons for thinking Paul used
secretaries
• Poor Speaker
• 2 Cor. 11:6 “Untrained in Public
speaking”
• 2 Cor. 10:9-11 “for I do not wish to seem as if I
would terrify you by my letters. For they say, “His
letters are weighty and strong, but his personal
presence is unimpressive and his speech
contemptible.” Let such a person consider this,
that what we are in word by letters when absent,
such persons we are also in deed when present.”
PAUL’S EPISTLES
Good reasons for thinking Paul used
secretaries
• Rom. 16:22 “I, Tertius, who write this letter,
greet you in the Lord.”
• 1 Cor. 16:21 “This greeting is in my own
hand”
• Philemon 19 “I, Paul, am writing this with
my own hand, I will repay it.”
• These are all from the UNDISPUTED letters
of Paul.
PAUL’S EPISTLES
Licona on Paul’s use of secretaries
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=poiDolq0Y
to
Licona on how many letters Paul wrote
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=cxBnrveV
piM