Jesus Is Risen And Over 500 People Saw Him
Christianity asserts that Jesus is a unique savior whose resurrection
from the dead cannot be called into question. An often used claim by Christians
as proof that the resurrection of Jesus was a historical fact is based the
writings of Paul (specifically 1 Cor 15, in Paul's letter to the Corinthians).
Christians will assert to Skeptics that over 500 people at one time saw
the resurrected Jesus based on a line of scripture which was supposed to
have been written by Paul. By claiming that over 500 people saw the resurrected
Jesus at one time, Christians attempt to convince others that the Bible and
the Bible's version of what Jesus was must be true. The following is an actual
exchange with a Christian where this type of tactic is used.
Christian writes:
On 12 separate occasions various individuals and groups in various locations
and circumstances saw Jesus alive after his death.
Brad:
The Gospels can't agree on who saw Jesus first or where he first appeared
to his apostles as a group. For that matter the Gospels can't even agree
on who the 12 apostles were. As the 12 separate occasions involve internal
contradictions, there is no reason to assign a large amount of credibility
to them.
Note: For a chart outlining the many internal inconsistencies regarding
the resurrection, the following link provides a comprehensive graphic: <
http://www.outreachjudaism.org/crucifix.html>
Christian:
1 Cor 15:3-4
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received:
that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was
buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures;"
Writing about 55 A.D., Paul quotes an old Christian creed saying that
Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day.
Brad:
An "old Christian creed" is useless as positive evidence of anything.
The very fact that Paul had to rely on second hand information indicates
he has NO firsthand knowledge of this event. The author of Luke has Jesus
himself stating that it was WRITTEN:
Luke 24:46
He(Jesus) told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day,
What "old Christian creed" is Jesus referring to here??? There was no
creed at that time. Furthermore, where is it WRITTEN in the Old Testament
that the Christ would rise from the dead on the third day? There is no such
thing written anywhere in the Old Testament.
Christian:
Paul would have learned it in his first two years as a convert, or at
least no later than AD36 when he visited Peter and James in Jerusalem. This
formula is no later than 5 or 6 years after the resurrection. Not enough
time for legend to dominate.
Brad:
It was Paul who claimed that he learned his gospel directly from Jesus
in a "revelation". Paul clearly stated that he didn't learn his gospel from
any human.
Gal 1:11-12
I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something
that man made up.
I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received
it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Your "formula" means very little anyway. If Paul is quoting a story
he heard from believers, then he is only passing on second hand rumor. As
Paul never once met Jesus while he was alive or even after the resurrection,
his story is not an eyewitness account. The only "Jesus" Paul saw was a vision
which he assumed was Jesus.
Christian:
Then Paul goes on to say: (1 Cor. 15:5-6) "and that he appeared
to Cephas; then to the twelve; then he appeared to above five hundred brethren
at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep;
Brad:
Where is this event and the figure of over 500 people confirmed by any
other writers in the New Testament? Paul gives no geographic location of
this mass crowd Jesus appeared to, nor the names of anyone involved. Paul
himself wasn't among any of these people and again is relying on second hand
information. Paul makes no mention of any women seeing Jesus prior to Jesus
being seen by men. Some of the Gospel writers state that it was a woman
who first saw the resurrected Jesus.
If Paul is attempting to establish a series of chronological events, as
he appears to be trying to do, then he contradicts the gospels.
Christian:
1 Cor 15:7-8
then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles; and last of all,
as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also."
Brad:
Since Paul (AKA Saul of Tarsus) only saw what he assumed was Jesus
in a vision, Jesus didn't appear to him in any tangible form. Paul
is simply writing about appearances by Jesus to others based on what he has
heard from others. In the book of Acts, Paul's experience was with a faceless
shining light.
Acts 9:3-7
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed
around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do
you persecute me?"
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,"
he replied.
"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound
but did not see anyone.
It's ironic that Paul would simply accept the faceless shining light as
Jesus and ironic that he would accept it as representing God. Paul, after
his conversion to Christianity, preached that God "canceled" the perfect
and eternal laws he gave to the Jews and replaced them with "faith" in a
human sacrifice called Jesus. These ideas directly contradict the Old Testament
teachings which are supposed to be the word of God.
If Paul was determined to preach his gospel in order to secure a position
of favor with God then he made a huge assumption about the faceless shining
light being from God.
Paul states:
2 Cor 11:12-14
And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from
under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the
things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades
as an angel of light.
Paul claims that Satan himself can assume the form of an angel of light
to deceive people. How could Paul be sure the faceless shining light
and voice he experienced was actually Jesus? Paul also had no problem
thinking that he was privy to special knowledge from God himself.
Col 1:25-26
I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to
you the word of God in its fullness-
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is
now disclosed to the saints.
Since this "vision" episode was the first and only experience Paul had
with "Jesus", it could just have easily been Satan pretending to be Jesus
and deceiving the vain minded Paul.
Christian:
Thus, the point is that unless there is substantial eyewitness account
to the resurrection event, Christians making such claims about Jesus would
be absurd.
Brad:
In other words, Christianity wouldn't make the claim Jesus rose from the
dead unless it was factual. And in other words, Christians wouldn't
make absurd claims so there must have been many eyewitnesses. This is an
example of circular logic.
The real absurdity is that you attempt to claim as factual that which
Paul is writing from his second hand information years after the event was
supposed to have taken place. There is little way the people at Corinth
would have been able to prove his assertions right or wrong 20+ years after
the event was supposed to have happened.
Paul even admitted he operated from expediency. He changed himself into
whatever form helped him sell a story to potential converts, and in selling
his story, Paul expected to receive a big prize for all his efforts.
As Paul writes:
1 Cor 9:20-27
To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law
I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),
so as to win those under the law.
To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though
I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those
not having the law.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to
all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for
the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets
the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes
in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will
not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like
a man beating the air
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
=
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Another example of Paul expecting a reward:
2 Tim 4:8
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but
also to all who have longed for his appearing.
Clearly, Paul had no problem assuming any form which would help gain converts
to his cause, and gaining converts meant Paul would receive a prize.
Christian:
If what Paul's writing was lying it would have been common knowledge and
Christianity would have never gotten off the ground.
Brad:
This rationalization falls flat on it's face before it even gets off the
ground. If your logic is valid, you shouldn't have any trouble accepting
the Book of Mormon as the word of God.
The Book of Mormon published in 1830, was written based on gold plates
that were given to Joseph Smith by the Angel Moroni during a private revelation.
The gold plates were then taken back by the Angel.
Eleven witnesses were said to have testified that they saw the plates.
A private revelation where information is given to a human is exactly what
Paul claimed to have had with Jesus. Joseph Smith received his information
from a divine being and if what he wrote was a lie, it would have been common
knowledge and Mormonism would never have gotten off the ground.
Christian:
This is a insurmountable problem that God haters have never been able to
explain adequately.
Brad:
I love the way you define a God hater. A God hater is anyone who doesn't
believe in your personal favorite deity.
But that revealing display of self-serving hubris aside, in a society with
such limited news availability, there would have been no way to verify 20+
years after the fact if what Paul was writing was true or false.
Considering the time period involved and conditions under which he wrote,
Paul had little to fear if his exaggerated statements were challenged. Those
who denied Paul's claims would simply be accused of being false teachers
by Paul.
Rom 16:17-18
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put
obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.
Keep away from them.
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.
By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
Paul instructs people to avoid anyone who teaches anything different from
the gospel that Paul taught. As the years went by it became a case of Paul's
word against theirs. Paul also had no trouble trashing anyone who told a
different story that competed with his story. Threats are part of Paul's
"gospel".
Gal 1:9
As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to
you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!
It's not surprising that Paul would use threats since Christianity is primarily
based on the use of fear and threats to influence how people think.
Footnote: When Christians advertise as factual that "over 500 people
at one time saw the resurrected Jesus", a rational person must consider
that this claim comes from Paul, a New Testament writer who had NO firsthand
experience that this was true. It's a story unconfirmed by any other writer
in the New Testament. As this is a story Paul has passed along, the fact
that it is not an eyewitness account of anything must be considered before
accepting it as factual.
Christians have little trouble using verses like this to "prove" Jesus
rose from the dead. Probing beneath the surface reveals that this claim
cannot be confirmed. Far from being a fact, it's yet another aspect of Christianity
that can't be taken as "gospel" at all.
It should also be noted that according to the author of the Gospel of Matthew,
one of the most amazing events in world history occurred the moment Jesus
died.
Matt 27:52-53
The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were
raised to life.
They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into
the holy city and appeared to many people.
Paul makes no mention of this huge event ever taking place. Paul frequented
Jerusalem, went around to many places preaching about Jesus and he never
says one word about it. If dead people were raised to life, milled about
for three days and then strolled into Jerusalem and appeared to many people,
this was at least as big an event as over 500 people supposedly seeing a
resurrected Jesus at one time. This particular event can ONLY be found in
the Gospel of Matthew despite it's monumental significance. Nor is there
any mention of it anywhere in written accounts of that time period.
If Paul had heard of this event (and how could he not have heard), you
can be sure he would have preached it. This calls into question the Gospel
of Matthew which is also supposed to be God's infallible word. The author
of Matthew, who was always eager to manufacture a prophecy fulfillment attempted
to show that Jesus was the expected Messiah who was to usher in God's new
age for the Jews. In the Messianic age the dead would be raised to life.
Isa 26:19
But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust,
wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the
earth will give birth to her dead.
If this event ever actually happened, no other New Testament writer makes
any mention of it just as no other New Testament writer mentions Paul's
claim that a resurrected Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time.
Matthew 27:52-53 is most likely a manufactured event to give Jesus credibility
as the expected king Messiah. If at least one Gospel writer was prone to
manufacture evidence, what does this say about the type of tactics early
Christian writers (including Paul) would employ to reinforce their religion
on the minds of people?
The idea that an all-holy, all-just God would condemn people to hell for
their failure to accept these types of writings as "fact" is an injustice
in itself and would be the action of a mentally unbalanced deity.