The truth about the resurrection
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.” (1 Corinthians 15:14–15).¹
The resurrection of Jesus is, as Paul says, the very core of the Christian faith. Today I want to examine this core through the lens of the Minimal Facts Case. This argument was primarily developed by historian and philosopher Dr. Gary Habermas (Liberty University) and Dr. Michael Licona (Risen Jesus Ministry). The Minimal Facts Case defends the resurrection of Jesus by relying only on information accepted by nearly all historians who specialize in the life and times of Jesus—regardless of their religious convictions or worldview.²
Historians use several criteria to assess the credibility of a historical report. Some of these criteria are:
Multiple attestation – the more independent sources there are, the more reliable the report.
Early testimony – the closer a report is to the actual event, the more credible it is.
Criterion of embarrassment – if a shameful fact is reported, it is more likely authentic.
Enemy attestation – when even opponents confirm a fact, its credibility is strengthened.
Accurate cultural context – the information must fit within the historical and cultural reality of the time.
Dissimilarity – Jesus’ message was unexpected and countercultural, which suggests it was not invented.³
I will apply these criteria to the Minimal Facts Case. The cultural context criterion appears throughout this text, while the other criteria will be emphasized specifically. The argument is simple and can be remembered with the acronym CASE: Crucifixion, Appearances, Skeptics, Early attestation.
According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified and buried. On the third day, women discovered an empty tomb and saw the risen Jesus. Later, He appeared to both individuals and groups. Most scholars acknowledge the account of the empty tomb. I will now explain why this report is highly credible.¹
In Matthew 28 we read that, while the women were on their way to announce the good news, the guards went to the chief priests to report what had happened. The chief priests and elders gave the soldiers a sum of money and instructed them to say that Jesus’ disciples had stolen His body. This makes clear that the tomb was indeed empty, since the authorities resorted to spreading a false story. Even the “enemies” of Jesus thus acknowledged that His tomb was empty.⁴ (Enemy attestation)
Crucifixion
The crucifixion of Jesus may well be the best-attested historical fact of antiquity. This event is confirmed by multiple sources. In the Bible, it is recorded in all four Gospels. In addition, non-biblical sources also affirm the credibility of Jesus’ death by crucifixion. Among these are the Jewish historian Josephus, the Greek historian Thallus, the Roman historian Tacitus, and many early church fathers.⁵ (multiple attestation criterion)
But what are the natural alternatives to Jesus’ resurrection that Christians are confronted with, and more importantly: are these alternatives reasonable?
Conspiracy Theory
According to this theory, the disciples hid Jesus’ body and invented the resurrection. This interpretation views the Jews of the first century with an anachronistic lens. As explained earlier, Jews had a very different concept of resurrection: they expected a collective resurrection at the end of time, not an individual one. Moreover, this theory does not account for Jesus’ appearances to people outside His circle of disciples.⁴
Not Really Dead
According to this explanation, Jesus never truly died on the cross. Dr. Alexander Metherell, a physician with a doctorate in engineering, considers this theory almost laughable. It presents a false picture of crucifixion, which was preceded and accompanied by brutal torture. He explains:
"Roman flogging was known to be extraordinarily brutal. It usually consisted of thirty-nine lashes, but often many more, depending on the mood of the soldier administering the punishment. The soldier used a whip made of braided leather thongs interwoven with metal balls. When the whip struck the flesh, the balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs would cut into the skin. The back would be so shredded that sometimes the spine itself was exposed. The whipping went from the shoulders down the back, the buttocks, and the back of the legs. It was simply horrific."
This explanation underestimates the competence of Roman executioners; they were experts at killing. Furthermore, there was a severe penalty for failing at such duties: the soldier responsible could be executed himself.⁶
Relocation of the Body
According to this theory, Joseph of Arimathea temporarily buried Jesus’ body and later moved it to a common criminals’ graveyard. The disciples would then have discovered the empty tomb.
However, Joseph was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin—the highest legal and religious council in Judea—and would have been well aware of Jewish law, which permitted reburial only in a family tomb.
The Gospel of Luke describes Joseph as a good and righteous man who wanted to give Jesus an honorable burial. It is therefore illogical to think he would later transfer Jesus’ body to a dishonorable place. And if Joseph had indeed done so, it would also make no sense for him to remain silent while the disciples proclaimed the resurrection and the empty tomb.⁴
Hallucination Theory
Could the entire resurrection have been a hallucination? Dr. Gary Collins, a psychologist and longtime professor, answers:
*"Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly aren’t something that can be seen by a group of people. Nor is it possible that one person could somehow induce a hallucination in someone else. Since hallucinations exist only in this subjective, personal sense, it is obvious that others cannot witness them."*⁶
This explanation likewise fails to account for what actually happened some 2000 years ago.
All these theories were once popular but have since been discredited. Today in academia, one often hears: “Something extraordinary happened, but I don’t know what.” Some go further and say they don’t need to know. Considering what is at stake—heaven or hell—I would strongly encourage anyone to investigate further. (Blaise Pascal)
Appearances
The disciples believed they had seen the risen Jesus. Yet Jews in the first century had a very different understanding of resurrection. For them, it was a universal event at the end of time, not an individual occurrence. Moreover, the Messiah was expected to be a political leader who would overthrow the Romans.
These ideas about the Messiah were instilled in Jews from childhood. For them, it was as self-evident as for us to say that Donald Trump is president of the United States. And yet the disciples underwent a drastic change in their beliefs. They came to regard Jesus as the Messiah, and many of them were willing to die for this conviction.
Something happened that made them abandon their deeply ingrained expectations. What was it? According to them: Jesus rose from the dead. (criterion of dissimilarity).⁶
As Sean McDowell sharply observes: *“Many people will die for something they believe is true, but nobody dies for something they know is a lie. The apostles could know whether the resurrection was a lie or a historical fact.”*⁷
Skeptics
It was not only Jesus’ followers and friends who came to believe in His resurrection. His once-skeptical brother James came to faith and was later executed for it. Likewise, the notorious skeptic Saul (later Paul), who was known as a fierce persecutor of Christians, also converted to the faith.⁴
Early
The resurrection report is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as in Paul’s letters. This means there are multiple sources confirming the story.⁴ Furthermore, all of these sources date from fifteen to sixty years after the crucifixion, which makes them relatively early.⁵ ⁶
According to Dr. Craig Blomberg, the apostolic creed in 1 Corinthians 15 could even date to just three years after the crucifixion of Jesus.⁶
On the basis of such early testimony, the resurrection cannot be considered a myth, since myths within classical religious contexts typically took centuries to develop.
The fact that women discovered the empty tomb further strengthens the reports credibility. In the first century, women were considered second-class citizens and could not give valid testimony in court. If the story had been fabricated, the writers would almost certainly have chosen male disciples as the first witnesses. The fact that women are explicitly named in all the Gospels adds to the reliability of the narrative. (criterion of dissimilarity).⁶
Conclusion
Given the full context and the failure of all natural explanations, only one possibility remains: a supernatural explanation. This is exactly what the first eyewitnesses claimed—that the resurrection was a factual event.
But is a miracle such as the resurrection even possible? As the agnostic philosopher Peter Slezak remarked: *“For a God who can create the entire universe, raising someone from the dead is child’s play.”*⁴
-Ella
References:
1 1 Korinthiërs 15 | HTB Bijbel | YouVersion. (z.d.). YouVersion | de Bijbel App | Bible.com. https://www.bible.com/nl/bible/75/1CO.15.HTB
2 1 Powell, L. Z. (2023, 24 november). Just the Facts Ma’am: The Minimal Facts Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus — An Affair with Reason. An Affair With Reason. https://laurazpowell.org/blog/just-the-facts-maam-the-minimal-facts-argument-for-the-resurrection-of-jesus
3 Easter: Making the Case for the Resurrection of Jesus to Non-Christians. (2022, 15 april). Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/19csOnuCZlTMzeBkU9ouyM
4 Craig, W. L. (2010a). On guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. David C Cook
5 Infographics — Wesley Huff. (z.d.). Wesley Huff. https://www.wesleyhuff.com/infographics/#bible
6 Strobel, L. (2017). Case for Christ Movie Edition: Solving the Biggest Mystery of All Time. Zondervan
7 Knight and Rose Show. (2025, 10 mei). The Fate of the Apostles with @SeanMcDowell [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yvk5iEtMoc