Christian and Islamic Views of the Death, Resurrection, and Deity

of Jesus

Class Notes Week 5

Remaining Points of the Christian Opening Arguments

  1. Many have come to accept Christ and His resurrection through their mind

    2.

    1. Simon Greenleaf - great legal mind, made Harvard famous - became a Christian after trying to refute the evidence for Christianity.

    2. C.S.Lewis - Professor of Midieval and Renaissance literature at Oxford - "I was one of the most reluctant converts, but I was brought to Jesus Christ because of my mind".

    3. Lord Caldecote - Lord Justice of England - "...as often as I have tried to examine the evidence for Christianity, I have come to believe it as fact beyond dispute"

    4. Thomas Arnold - author of the famous History of Rome - "I know of no one fact in history of mankind which is proved better and fuler evidence than the resurrection"

    5. Dr. Werner von Braun - rocket scientist - said he never really became a scientist unitl he came to know Jesus Christ personally as Savior and God.

      6.

  2. Historical Accuracy of the Christian Bible

    3.

    1. Unrivaled in manuscript authority - 24000 manuscripts (hand written copies, not printed copies)

    2. Homer's Iliad is next in manuscript authority with 643

    3. Sir Frederick Kenyon, director of the British Museum until his death in 1946 and considered the world leading expert on textual criticism said: "The last foundations for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us as they were written now has been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may now be regarded as finally established."

    4. At the time of their writing the Gosples of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John were so well known and there authorship so well accepted that no one questioned who wrote them.

    5. At Jesus' arrest the deciples did flee as a group, but returned individually and witnessed His trials (Mark 14:50 - 54). Peter was right outside of where Jesus' first trial took place. Another deciple was right inside the court and witnessed the trial.

    6. The "Accient Document Rule" applies to the New Testament documents. This rule of evidence in court trials states "Every document, apparently ancient, comming from the proper respository or custody, and bearing on its face no marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine, and desolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise."

    7. Per 1st Corithians 15, which was written in A.D. 55 to 56, there were at least 500 eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Paul's challenge to doubter was to ask them.

    8. There were people hostle to Christianity that could have refuted the statements made in the New Testament documents concerning Jesus, there are none in any of the literature from that time, only twisted interpretations of the facts which on examination can be shown to be illogicaland consistant. Polycarp, a deciple of John wrote "So firm is the ground upon which these gosples rest, that even the heritics themselves would not undermine it".

    9. It is the conclusion of many scolars that the New Testament documents have come down to us virtually unchanged and that there reliability is infinitely stronger than any other record of antiquity

      10.

  3. Jesus Was Crucified

    4.

    1. Jesus predicted His death by crucifixion. He said he would be whipped and delivered over to be crucified.

    2. John 19:17-18 states "They took Jesus therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull... There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between."

    3. The whipping admistered before crucifixion could tear open the back of a man to the point that the bowels could be seen from within. Some died from the whipping alone.

    4. Spikes were driven throuh His wrists and feet.

    5. Crucifixion is designed to cause death by suffication on ones own air. You can inhale but not exhale usless you take the pressure off your arms by pushing up with your feet. The legs were broken on some to hasten death, which could be very quick, preventing them from being able to push up.

      6.

  4. Jesus Did Die

    5.

    1. Jesus willed himself to die. He layed down his life. He said "It is finished." - John 19:30.

    2. The sword stab prior to taking Jesus down off the cross would have killed him if the crucifixion didn't. Blood and water coming out serparated is a good indication of Him being dead of a broken heart. Medical research has shown that death due to a broken heart results in more that 500cc's of pericardial fluid and clotted blood.

    3. Jewish burial procedures would have killed Jesus. The bodies were wrapped in cloth, fully plastered with over 100 pounds of a mixture of spices and a cement like substance.

    4. Pilot had the centurian confirm that Jesus was dead. This required that all four executioners "sign off" on the death.

    5. Jewish leaders knew Jesus was alive. Per Mathew 27 they asked for a guard at the tomb, saying "...when He was still alive He said 'After three days I am to rise again.' "

      6.

  5. Security at the Tomb

    6.

    1. A large tone was used to cover the entrance to the tomb. It weighed somewhere between 1.5 and 2 tons.

    2. In saying that Joseph of Arimathea rolled the stone in front of the tomb may only mean he was "in charge" of getting it done. Also, the tombs were designed with a trough going up the side. A block was placed to hold the stone in the trough up hill from the entrance to the tomb. One man could then just remove the block and the stone would roll into place.

    3. The tomb was guarded by either a Roman Guard or the Temple Guard. Either were well trained and each member was a "killing machine" capable to protecting 6 square feet. The guard unit consisted of 16 men called a kustodia.

    4. The Tomb bore a Roman seal, which stood for the power and authority of the Roman government. To break it was punishable by death.

    5. With all of this the tomb was empty on the third day. This is a matter of historical record.

      6.

  6. The Sign of Jonah

    7.

    1. Three days and three nights in the Jewish culture of that day meant to the third day. See Ester chapter 4 in the Old Testament where there was a fast that was to last 3 days and three nights, and ended on the third day.

    2. In Matthew 20 Jesus said he would rise on the third day, not after the third day.

      3.

  7. The "Third Day"

    8.

    1. Anoint does NOT mean massage, it means to consecrate. If he was alive after the whipping, crucifixion, and burial procedure; Jesus was then massaged, it would for sure have killed Him

    2. Jesus did not want Mary to touch Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father.

    3. He was the scarefice and could not be stained by being touched.

    4. His comming back after ascending to the Father and saying "Touch Me" indicated that His sacrifice was accepted.

    5. 1st Corinthians 15:44-51 describes the resurrected, glorified, incorruptable body which Jesus had. He was NOT a spirit, He was raised from the dead.

      6.