the resurrection of jesus the messiah

R O B BY L A S H U A

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS THE MESSIAH

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must first establish the credibility of the historical documents that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 Date Written

Earliest MSS

Time Gap Old # New

Homer Iliad 800 BC c. 400 BC 400 643 1,757 Herodotus History 480-425

BC1st C 1,350 8 109

Sophocles Plays 496-406 BC

3rd C BC 100-200 100 193

Plato Tetralogies 400 BC 895 1,300 7 210Caesar Gallic Wars 100-44 BC 9th C 950 10 251Livy History of

Rome59 BC–17 AD

Early 5th C 400 1 Partial, 19 copies

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;Rem. 14-15th C

400 (750) 7 200

Thucydides History 460-400 BC

3rd C BC (AD 900)

200 (1,350)

8 96

Demosthenes

Speeches 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. EhrmanBruce 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

Rev. Totals

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

Grand Totals 19,368 1,352 14, 035 870 664 36,289

Taken from Josh McDowell,New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p. 43

NEW TESTAMENT TRUSTWORTHY“On the contrary, the time between the composition of the books of the New Testament and the earliest extant copies is relatively brief. Instead of a lapse of a millennium or more, as is the case of not a few classical authors, several papyrus manuscripts of portions of the New Testament are extant that were copied within a century or so after the composition of the original documents.” Metzger and Ehrman

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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.”

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


“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.


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


“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.


• 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 SOURCESThese 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


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)


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


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.


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 VersionMatthew: 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 GOSPELSTheon 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

recomposedInformation 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 so-called undisputed Pauline epistles—are Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon.”

- Bart Ehrman

PAUL’S EPISTLESEhrman’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 EPISTLESEhrman’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 EPISTLESGood 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 EPISTLESLicona on Paul’s use of secretaries

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=poiDolq0Yto

Licona on how many letters Paul wrote

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=cxBnrveVpiM





the resurrection of jesus the messiah

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