What If Jesus Really Did Die And Come Back to Life – Part 1

As I sat down and started writing on the topic of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I was going to include it all in one blog post, but quickly realized it was going to be too long. So this will be a three part series which will cover evidence for the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the logical “hinge point” of the Christian faith.

Let’s start with the crucifixion of Jesus from sources outside the Bible. All of these sources are dated or known to be from the first century or early second century, which puts them within a very reasonable timeframe after Jesus’ death; which is important when measuring the accuracy of the writings.

1. Writings of Tacitus – “Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of … Pontius Pilatus“
2. Writings of Pliny the Younger – “They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath“
3. Writings of Josephus – “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he … wrought surprising feats…. He was the Christ. When Pilate …condemned him to be crucified“
4. Writings of Babylonian Talmud – “On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald … cried, “He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy.“
5. Writings of Lucian – “The Christians … worship a man to this day – the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account…. [It] was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws.“

Needless to say, it is not accurate to say there is NO evidence outside the Bible that testifies to Jesus’s life and crucifixion. We are only scratching the surface in this blog post. There is so much more that can be discussed regarding just these five quotes, not to mention all the other evidence as well. If you want to go deeper, check out the links and resources at the bottom of this post.

Let’s talk about two quick things from within the Bible that support Jesus’s life and crucifixion.

1. The Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) – At the core, these are four eye witness accounts of what happened to Jesus. This should not be taken lightly. There are very few events in ancient history that have as many written accounts as the gospels. Bible critics will often say the gospels are not accurate or coherent because they differ from each other in some ways, but as the apologist Detective J. Warner Wallace (book and website linked below) points out, that is actually good and to be expected. Each eye witness comes form a different point of view, so a good detective expects their testimonies to have some differences. Wallace also points out it is a good thing that they differ. The gospel accounts actually fill in gaps for each other. If this wasn’t the case, it would look like they were all copied or written by the same person, which would arouse suspicion about their authorship. Even today, a smart lawyer would want four eye witnesses who differ in detail and accuracy the same way the gospel writers did in order to have a good case.
2. Blood and Water John 19:34 – “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.” It is interesting that John mentioned both blood and water poured out after Jesus’s side was pierced. Blood makes total sense, but why water? We know today that the cause of death in a crucifixion was asphyxiation or hypovolemic shock. In either case, water would have collected around the heart and/or lungs, spilling out when the Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side. While I agree this isn’t a “smoking gun” argument for Jesus’ death on the cross, it does lend credibility to the accuracy of the Biblical account using science – which, for me, is always fun.

Inconclusion to this first installment, the evidence we have for Jesus’s life and crucifixion isn’t some fairy tale or poorly documented event. It is quite the opposite, actually. It is arguably the most significant event in human history. Additionally, more has been written about Jesus than any other person. What a feat that would be if Jesus was a fictional character or the gospel accounts were not accurate regarding His life, death, and resurrection!

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Other Resources:

1. The Historical Jesus by Gary Habermas
2. Article by Uncover – What’s the evidence outside the Bible for Jesus’ life and teaching?
3. Article by bethinking – Ancient Evidence for Jesus from Non-Christian Sources
4. Article by Biblical Archaeology Society – Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible
5. Article by J. Warner Wallace – Is the Bible True? The Cumulative Case for the Reliability of the Gospels
6. Cold Case Christianity Website
7. Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace