Minimizing the Minimal Facts of the Resurrection

Mar 15

Every apologist should be able to give a basic argument for the resurrection of Jesus.

One of my favorite arguments for the resurrection is the “Minimal Facts Approach” by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona. This argument is based on five historical facts surrounding the resurrection that are attested by the majority of scholars who study the subject.

The facts are:

Jesus died by crucifixion.
Jesus’ disciples believed that He rose and appeared to them.
The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed.
The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.
The tomb was empty.

Habermas and Licona then give several subpoints to defend each of the facts. When these minimal facts are granted, they argue that the best explanation is that Jesus rose from the dead.

Resurrection Simplified

Their argument is very short and simple, but can it be simplified even more? Professor and lawyer John Warwick Montgomery argues that the resurrection can be argued with only two points!First, he defines a resurrection as simply “death followed by life.” He says,

“If Jesus was dead at point A, and alive again at point B, then resurrection has occurred...”

Usually someone is alive at point A and dead at point B. Jesus, however, died at point A and was alive again at point B.Montgomery goes on to say that when we think of the categories of life and death, we can place a person in one category or the other based on obvious criteria. For example, if a man is eating fish, then he is alive, but if he was brutally scourged and crucified, then he is dead. Using similar criteria, we can investigate to see if Jesus really died and if He really lived after his death.Based on this, one can argue for the resurrection with just the first two minimal facts:

Jesus died by crucifixion.
Jesus’ disciples believed that He rose and appeared to them.

The Resurrection in Everyday Conversations

If you are having a casual conversation with a friend, you may not be in a position to give out all five minimal facts and discuss each one. The first two facts alone are enough to start a conversation and give your friend something to chew on. Additionally, if you are going to defend the resurrection in everyday conversations, you are probably not going to be able to memorize long quotes by first century writers or modern scholars to support all five facts.On the the other hand, you will probably have access to a Bible. Let’s look at a simple way to demonstrate these two facts using two passages in Scripture.

1. Jesus Died by Crucifixion (Mark 15).

Mark’s Gospel is generally agreed to be the earliest Gospel (60-70 AD), which is around 30-40 years after Jesus’ death. Some scholars believe that Mark used a pre-Markan source for at least part of his passion narrative. Some scholars even date this pre-Markan source to the late 30’s.Even if you deny the use of this pre-Markan source, Mark’s passion narrative is still our best historical resource for the events surrounding Jesus’ death because it’s our earliest source. Mark mentions many details about the passion event:

Jesus was Scourged (15:15)
Jesus was Further Beaten (15:17-19)
Jesus Needed Help Carrying the Cross (15:21)
Jesus was Crucified (15:24-25)
Jesus Suffered Intense Agony (15:34)
The Centurion Confirmed Jesus’ Death to Pilate (15:44-45)
Jesus was Laid in a Tomb by Joseph of Arimathea (15:45-46)
Women Followers of Jesus Knew the Location of Jesus’ Tomb (15:47)

There is a lot in this one chapter, so you probably wouldn’t have time to go through all of these points. We can minimize the list down to these three:

Jesus was Crucified (15:24-25)
The Centurion Confirmed Jesus’ Death to Pilate (15:44-45)
Jesus was Laid in a Tomb by Joseph of Arimathea (15:45-46)

Even with only these three points, Mark’s Gospel gives us clear evidence that Jesus died by crucifixion.

2. Jesus’ Disciples Believed That He Rose and Appeared to Them (1 Cor. 15:3b-5).

Of course, Jesus’ story doesn’t end with His death. His disciples later claimed to have experienced the risen Jesus after the crucifixion. What is the best evidence that we have for this?Enter the Apostle Paul. Paul’s letters were written from the late 40’s to the 60’s, only a few decades after Jesus’ death. Some of Paul’s letters contain early creedal formulas that predate his writings! Possibly the earliest creed is in 1 Corinthians 15:3b-5. Here Paul says that he delivered the same tradition to the Corinthians that was first delivered to him:

“...that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and

that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

The creed says that Jesus was buried (presumably in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb), that he was resurrected on the third day, that he appeared to Peter (Cephas), and that he appeared to the twelve. The appearance to Peter is also attested in Luke 24:34 and the appearance to the twelve is also attested in Luke 24:36-43 and John 20:19-20.Paul visited Peter and James a few years after his conversion (Gal. 1:18-19) and many scholars think that Paul received the creed during this time. This means that the creed probably goes back to within 5 years of Jesus crucifixion! Therefore we have good historical evidence for Jesus’ appearances to Peter and to the Twelve.As a result, William Lane Craig concludes:

“Given the early date of Paul’s information as well as his personal acquaintance with the people involved, these appearances cannot be dismissed as mere legends.”

Two Facts = One Resurrection

In closing, a practical argument for Jesus’ resurrection can be made by presenting these two facts from Scripture. I pray that you can use this simplified version to defend the resurrection in everyday conversations.Here is the argument in its simplest form:

1. Jesus Died by Crucifixion (Mark 15).

a. Jesus was crucified (15:24-25).

b. The centurion confirmed Jesus’ death to Pilate (15:44-45).

c. Jesus was laid in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea (15:45-46).

2. Jesus’ Disciples Believed That He Rose and Appeared to Them (1 Cor. 15:3b-5).

a. Paul cites a creed dated within 5 years of Jesus’ crucifixion.

b. Jesus appeared to Peter.

c. Jesus appeared to the Twelve.

We therefore agree with Paul that “in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:20).

Sources:

Craig, William Lane. "Is There Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus? The Craig-Ehrman Debate | Reasonable Faith." ReasonableFaith.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

Montgomery, John Warwick. "The Jury Returns: A Juridical Defense of Christianity." N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.