Resurrection of Jesus – Evidence for Christianity

Please respond to a recent post in which it is claimed that resurrection was a “hot topic” at the time of Christ and that the church claimed it for Jesus for this reason.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, End Times, General, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Please clear up for me the discussion below I found on line in which the writer tries to argue that the resurrection of Christ was invented by the later Christians for religions reasons: Christian apologists and conservative scholars have tried to argue that, while there was a belief in a coming general resurrection, the […]

Was Paul’s “vision” on the road to Damascus an actual physical appearance, or was it merely a spiritual vision or, perhaps even a hallucination?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I have recently read claims that Paul’s supposed vision on the road to Damascus are just hallucinations. Critics claim that the word used by Paul to describe the event refers to spiritual sight not a physical appearance. Could you respond to his claims about Paul? This really bothered me, and I am struggling. Can […]

My Muslim friend told me that those who say Jesus was crucified are spreading lies that will lead them to hell. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: You preach everywhere regarding the means of Jesus’ death, but my Muslim friend said to me: “They are spreading lies which will lead them in Hell.” That would include you. What should be our response? Answer: Your Muslim friend is claiming that when we Christians teach that Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem, […]

Do you know of any proponents of the Swoon Theory I can read from? What do they say to defend the theory?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Lately I’ve been thinking about the so-called “swoon” theory: the idea that Jesus survived His crucifixion, which you probably already know. I’ve been looking at what apologists are saying about it and have my own thoughts concerning their claims (the best source for apologetical arguments against the swoon theory I’ve currently come across is […]

Do discoveries related to the Talpiot tomb and the James Ossuary impact on the Christian belief that Jesus was resurrected?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Does this study in your opinion pose a serious challenge to the resurrection? I remember reading about the Talpiot tomb and how it was discredited by the majority of scholars both Christian and non Christian. In 2019 James Tabor posted a link to a more recent study saying that the soil of the James […]

In the first century Palestinian world, the testimony of women was not accepted, but the resurrection of Jesus is founded on such female witnesses. Does this mean the resurrection is a hoax?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: In the world of 1st century Palestine, a woman’s testimony was not recognized as legally binding BUT the Jesus resurrection account is built on the testimony of women. Does that mean it’s a hoax? Answer: Absolutely it does NOT mean that the gospel message is a hoax. Who said that? How sad is it […]

Muslims deny Jesus died on the cross. Can you help respond to an article making this claim?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

[Editor’s note: This is a VERY long question, which is simply copied and pasted from a web site. There are far too many issues raised for me to answer all of them in limited time. What I do afterward is give a general response, rather than address all of the issues raised. If this article […]

Are ghosts real? Do we have evidence of Jesus’ miracles? According to the big bang model, is God the cause of the big bang?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus, Science and the Bible, Supernatural .

Questions: 1. As a Christian, do you believe, at least one ghost video is real, and if it is why does the soul stay on earth instead of going to heaven or hell? 2. Do we have evidence for Jesus’ miracles? 3. According to the standard big bang models, is God the cause? Answer: 1. […]

Do you act because of something our brain does, or because of something our soul does?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Philosophy, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Do we act because of our brain or because of our soul? Are all NDE (near death experiences) unreliable? Did Plato prove that the afterlife is real? Answer: Your first question is a good one, in my opinion. I do not think that this is a particularly “Christian” question. The Bible will not help […]

How do I respond to a query about Jesus–whether he is a liar, a lunatic or God?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Miracles, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: How to respond to a query about Jesus–whether he is a liar, a lunatic or God? Answer: I respond to this by asking the people to read my book “Reasons for Belief” (available at www.ipibooks.com). In this book I spend two chapters delving into the liar/lord/lunatic question. If they do not want to spend the […]

The Gabriel inscription predicts a Messiah who would resurrect on the third day. W. L. Craig says that the Jews believed in a kingly Messiah would free them from Rome. Which is correct?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Dr. William Lane Craig and others have pointed out that first century Jews were not waiting for humble Messiah who will suffer, let alone will rise from the dead. They waited for king who would free them from the Romans. But I found information in a video about Dr. Knohl who decoded an inscription […]

If the evidence for the Bible is so strong, then why to Christians convert to Hinduism, Islam or Buddhism?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, General Apologetics, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: How can I keep my faith strong when people of great faith are walking away from my faith? And if we have historical evidences for Jesus outside the Bible that are more convincing than any other religion, why is it that people who are Christians convert into other religions like Hinduism or Islam? If […]

Paul saw a bright light on a dark desert highway. Why should we believe his or any other testimony about the resurrection of Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question/Comment: If Paul can see a bright light on a dark desert highway and believe that he has seen the physically resurrected Jesus then it is entirely plausible that this is what happened to Peter, James, the Twelve, and the “Five Hundred”. They all saw a strange bright light and believed it was an appearance […]

Muslims claim that Jesus did not die on the cross. Is there any historical evidence to support their claims?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Muslims say that Jesus did not die on the cross. Is there any historical evidences to their (Muslims)claims? Answer: First of all, the fact that Muhammad claimed Jesus did not die or was not resurrected has a problem up front. Muhammad lived nearly six hundred years after Christ. How would he know anything that […]

Is there historical evidence that Jesus actually died on a cross and that the tomb was empty?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I want to ask a few questions. Is there any historical evidences that: 1. Jesus actually died on the cross 2 . The tomb (Jesus’ tomb ) was indeed empty on the third day and 3. Jesus actually resurrected from the death? Answer: Yes, indeed, there is evidence for the first two. […]

Jehovah Witnesses teach that no one goes to heaven, and use Acts 2:34 where it says David did not go to heaven as a proof text. Can you explain?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Jehovah’s witnesses teach that no one goes to heaven after death. In proof of this they cite Acts 2,34 and they say that here Peter denies that David ascended into heaven and so if a man of God like David did not go to heaven it means no one go to heaven. Personally I […]

Help! How can I combine the seemingly contradictory material about the post-resurrection events in a way which is consistent?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: My brain is overheated since i’m trying to reconcile the apparent contradictions we find in the narratives of the apparitions of Jesus after his resurrection. For example, Jesus said to the disciples to go to Galilee and that He will precede them there and then they will meet Him in Galilee. (Matthew)….but no….Jesus appeared […]

Is the fact that the apostles didn’t believe in the resurrection at first evidence that it did not happen?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: We read in the gospels that Jesus informed his disciples that he would be resurrected on the third day, but we read also that the disciples at first didn’t believe the resurrection (Luke 24 :11). Isn’t this a contradiction? Isn’t this an evidence against the resurrection? Answer: If the Bible was a whitewashed version of […]

What would you say to an atheist who is a complete materialist (who believes in only the things he can see) to convince him that Jesus is the truth?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Philosophy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Science and the Bible .

Question: What would you say to an atheist who is a complete materialist (who believes in only the things he can see) to convince him that Jesus is the truth? Answer: That would depend on the person. Not every materialist is the same. If the person is even an iota open, I might do a […]

The gospels were written well after the purported events and there was much dispute in the early Church over the contents of the New Testament.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

[Editor’s notes. I received a six-part set of claims from a visitor to the site. I will answer them in a series of responses Claims: 1. The Bible [Gospels] were not written until well after the purported events. 2. There was much dispute over the contents of the Bible. The early Church had many conflicting […]

Could it be that people simply did not know where Jesus was buried, making it convenient when proclaiming the resurrection?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

[Editor’s note: This question is coming from a Christian in the Middle East who is dealing with relatively unsophisticated Muslim skeptics of the resurrection] Question: Some Christians insist this [the scenario which follows] is exactly what would have happened if the story of Jesus were false. If the tomb were not empty, detractors could have […]

Is the resurrection story of Jesus taken from the myth of Horus or Isis?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: People say that the story of Jesus’ resurrection is a copy cat from the Egyptian myth about the gods Horus and Isis. Is this claim credible? Answer: I have heard this charge many times. It is a very common point of discussion on the internet. At ARS we sponsored a public debate on this […]

What about the hypothesis that the resurrection appearances were a hallucination?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: What do you think about the hypothesis that the resurrection was all based on hallucination, or mere subjective visions? Is this a strong theory? What is the best way to defeat this theory? Answer: Here are the undisputed facts: 1. Jesus was crucified by the Romans under Pontius PIlate in Jerusalem. 2. His tomb […]

What is the evidence that Jesus was a real person and that his story was not fabricated?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Jesus is the pillar of Christian faith, I want to know, what are some evidences that show that he existed and not just fabricated? Answer: It has been argued that hardly anyone in the ancient world is more well attested to than Jesus of Nazareth. Within one hundred years of his life, at least […]

Did any Roman writers mention the idea that Jesus’ body was stolen?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, History, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Is there any evidence in Roman records of Jesus’ body being stolen? There is an account of the body being stolen in Jewish records, but what about Roman records? Answer: The answer is no. There are no ancient Roman records of Jesus’ body being stolen. We have the Roman Tacitus reporting in the very early second century that he was […]

How do I study with a Hindu who believes in Jesus and in Ganesh?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Hello Dr. Oakes, I am studying the bible with a friend of mine that is Hindu. He is not very devout in his faith (he grew up in America most of his life and has never really grown into his beliefs). He was introduced to Jesus about a year and a half ago as […]

Can science be used to evaluate the occurrence of miracles? Would accepting that miracles are real impede scientific progress? What criteria can be used to evaluate miracles?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Miracles, Q & A, Resurrection of Jesus, Science and the Bible, Supernatural .

Question: If miracles are to be considered divine singularities, is the scientific method appropriate for evaluating the occurrence of miracles? Does recognizing the occurrence of miracles halt scientific progress since doing so would require recognizing the miracle as a divine singularity instead of a repeatable regularity, and also result in the scientist’s giving up being […]

How do I explain the parallels between Mithraism and Christianity? Is the deity of Jesus a later invention of the church?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

QUESTION: I have been a devout follower of Jesus Christ for 22 years. Recently, I have been questioning the validity of Christianity. The Freemasons tell their members that they have made up Christianity and all world religions as a way to better society. When I look at the ancient Sun God worship Mithraism and other forms […]

Ehrman says that the 500 eyewitnesses to the resurrection is a mass hallucination, with many historical analogies. What is your response to this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Resurrection of Jesus .

QUESTION: My son recently announced that he is an atheist. I have been a Christian all of my life, so this was not happy news for me. Since this announcement, I have been searching the internet to get a better understanding of what the “other side” says. I have listened to the “new atheists” and […]

Can you respond to claims about evolutionary psychology and a doubt I am having about the resurrection?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Resurrection of Jesus, Science and the Bible .

Question: The past few days I have been wrestling with my faith. I have been experiencing symptoms of severe anxiety and depression such as excessive sleep, not eating or drinking, nervous breakdowns, etc. The things that have been bothering me the past few days have to do with evolutionary psychology and the resurrection of Christ. 1. Evolutionary Psychology- I […]

Does Zoroastrianism predate Christianity and is the idea that Christianity borrowed the resurrection of Jesus from the religion believable?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Do you have any good sources to find the truth out about Zoroaster and the claims that it predates Christianity and we stole a lot of our claims from them including a resurrected Lord? If you could in brief give an answer as well, I would appreciate your time. Answer: First of all, there […]

How do you convince a person who believes in tangible facts that there is life after death?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Philosophy, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: How do you convince someone that, through Jesus, there’s life after death? Especially if the person is a character who believes in tangible facts and figures?” Looking forward to hearing from you soon, Answer: It is very difficult to make a “logical” case that life continues after death. Certainly we cannot use physical/scientific arguments to […]

I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that GOD and his son are ONE GOD.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Challenge: I CHALLENGE you to prove to me that GOD and his son are ONE GOD. This is something you can NEVER do. Be a man and accept my CHALLENGE. HOW CAN GOD AND HIS SON BE ONE GOD? Response: I am sorry, but I get the very strong sense that you simply want to […]

Could hallucinations from some sort of a drug explain the witnesses to the resurrection? How would you respond?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Resurrection of Jesus .

QUESTION: John I was wondering if anyone has ever suggested a hypothesis based on drug hallucination for the resurrection? I know there’s a hallucination hypothesis but has anyone ever brought up drug hallucination like psilocybin mushroom hallucination? And if someone has how would you respond to that hypothesis? Thanks John! Answer: Hello from Conakry, Guinea; […]

If Jesus was killed Friday afternoon and rose very early Sunday, how could he have been in the grave "three days and three nights?"

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

QUESTION: Just to understand: The Bible says Jesus spent three days and three nights in the tomb” However, if he died on Friday, it only spent two nights and two days in the tomb. Could you explain please? Anne: I have already answered this question at the site. I am copying and pasting for you. […]

What do you know about the Ebionites and the Nazarenes?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Resurrection of Jesus .

QUESTION: What do you know about the Ebionites and the Nazarenes? I know that both were a minor sect alongside Gentile Christianity and that the Ebionites denied the majority of the deity claims made about Christ. I wanted to also ask did they both believe that Jesus physically rose from the dead? Thanks. Answer: I […]

Can you harmonize the various and seemingly contradictory post-resurrection accounts in the gospels?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Resurrection of Jesus, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: I was wondering how would you harmonize the resurrection narrative accounts? I found an essay written by a theologian to be the best one so far (click here to view it) however I wanted to see what your take on the accounts were. Thanks! Answer: I do not believe I can improve on the […]

Question from TheAtheist

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Creation, General, Resurrection of Jesus, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Comment: I would like to address the question in your webpage concerning a friend that is being persuaded by people like Hitchens and Dawkins. I hope that you pointed out to this person these unarguable facts. No one has ever seen God. Not one prayer that has been prayed has come true by divine intervention. […]

How do we know Babylonian Talmud 43a is actually about Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I am struggling with my beliefs regarding the life and crucifixion of Jesus. I dearly want to believe in this, but need some evidence for my beliefs. I read a lot about a passage from The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a), also your reply to someone’s question. If I read answers from Jewish rabbis that […]

How is Jesus different from Marshall Applewhite or Jim Jones? (part of a long question from someone not so skeptical as it sounds)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Miracles, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I wonder if I could have the privilege of picking your brain. I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus as a real figure in history recently – and the fact that He is the head of the church, and it has led me to question what about Jesus’ ministry sets him apart from all other […]

Is the "moon turning to blood" in Acts symbolic or an actual event? Might it be a lunar eclipse? How is this related to the three hours of darkness?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Miracles, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I’ve been doing some research on extra Biblical evidences as I continue studying the Bible with Chinese people. In my search I came across something about the moon turning to blood. Every time I study out that section in Acts 2, I’m not really sure whether that’s going to happen in the future, or […]

How do you counter claims that the different gospel accounts of the resurrection are "hopelessly contradictory"?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I’ve heard a lot of skeptics claim that the accounts of Christ’s Resurrection in the Gospels of Matthew (28:1-10), Mark (16:1-11), Luke (24:1-12), and John (20:1-18) are hopelessly contradictory and it is impossible to accurately harmonize them. I recall hearing a claim that thereare 25 alleged contradictions or discrepancies between them, though I’m not […]

If Mark 16:9-20 was not in the original Mark, might the other post-resurrection accounts also be added later to the other gospels?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus, Versions of the Bible .

Question: I have recently been looking through my Bible and have noticed that the gospel of Mark stops at 16:8 with the quote (Early manuscripts end at 16:8) I have researched this and indeed the earliest manuscripts we know of stop at 16:8 . The only problem I have with this is that I know […]

Might the disciples have burned the body of Jesus and later claimed he resurrected?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I have a quick question about Jesus’s resurrection. Is it possible that Jesus’ body was cremated? How would you respond to this claim (I did not make this claim; this is from some random person who came onto my youtube channel and spouted this claim: "Probablyÿ the only reason his ministry lasted to present […]

How do I respond to Muslim co-workers who say that Islam is the last and final religion and that Jesus is already passed?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I am part of the Dubai inter-cultural fellowship here in Dubai. Some of my co-workers who are Muslim ask me how can I explain that their religion is the last & final one. They say Jesus is already passed. They say Islam is the last & final religion. How can you answer this claim? I told them that […]

What is the significance of the Gabriel Stone? What will be its affect on Christianity?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Can you please explain the Gabriel stone? How will this affect Christianity? Answer: This is a good question. The "Gabriel Stone" has now been around for a while and it is a good time to begin thinking about its significance. I have learned from experience that when a new find comes out it is […]

With a Friday crucifixion and a Sunday resurrection, how do we get three days and three nights?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: I had heard about some debates on whether Jesus was crucified on a Thursday or on a Friday. Tradition teaches that it was a Friday, and we see that tradition in the day called Good Friday. Jesus did say that He would be buried for three days and nights. Those who propose He was […]

What is the evidence for the martyrdom of the apostles, which is often used to support the believability of the resurrection?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: One of the popular evidences for the resurrection of Jesus is the martyrdom of his disciples. It is claimed that eleven of Jesus’ twelve disciples went to their deaths defending their faith. It is later concluded that no one would die for something knowing it is a lie. I agree completely. However, this […]

What is the biblical meaning of Easter? Should we celebrate it?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: From the Bible’s point of view, what is the meaning of Easter? Should we celebrate it? Answer: From the biblical perspective Easter has no meaning. In other words, the particular celebration on a set day of the year of the resurrection of Jesus is not mentioned or even hinted at in the Bible. Having said that, […]

Can we believe the eyewitnesses to the resurrection are reliable? Might they have subconsciously convinced themselves that Jesus was raised or might they have conspired to lie?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Resurrection of Jesus .

Note: There are so many questions here that the question and answers are interspersed. Hopefully, this will make sense.,John Oakes,Eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable. There’s some elements of psychology that prove that a false memory can be planted in someone’s mind by repeated reinforcement. Police witnesses can produce varying accounts of what happened in certain circumstances […]