2. A Look at Some Evidence for Jesus and the Resurrection
If Christ Is Not Risen
A Look at Some Evidence for Jesus and the Resurrection
Part 2
1 Cor 15:12-19

3. Review
Last lesson looked at some external evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
No historical documents of the 1st or 2nd century tried to deny His life or death
Several, including Jewish and Roman historians as well as other writers, mention his death under Pilate at the hands of the Jews
Some even mention He ws crucified
We also looked at writings that supported the notable events of His death
The 3 hours of darkness and the earthquake
A Greek historian, Phlegon, mentions both in relationship to the period AD 29-33
A Roman historian, Thallus, mentions only the darkness

4. A look at maps
Earthquake and Darkness in Bithynia
Darkness in Rome

5. Manuscripts
Of course, the overwhelming majority of what we know about Jesus is found in the New Testament
These are the writings of men who experienced the events first-hand or had access to the witnesses
Some want to dismiss their writing because we don't have the original writings (autographs)
What we have are copies of the originals or copies of copies
Is that a reasonable basis for ignoring those manuscripts?
Actually we have almost no original autographs of any ancient writing

6. Manuscript Evidence for Ancient Writings
Author Written Earliest Copy # of Original lang mnscrpts
Caesar 50 BC AD
Tacitus AD AD
Livy AD AD
Thucydides 400 BC AD
Suetonius AD AD
Plato BC AD
Homer BC BC
New Tstmnt AD AD ,000+
Comparing the 643 manuscripts, the Homer manuscripts have 95% agreement
Comparing the 24,000+ manuscripts, the New Testament manuscripts have 99.5% agreement

7. Internal evidence Luke 1:1-4
Luke claimed to be an accurate historian
Sir William Ramsay, Scottish archaeologist, held 9 doctorates and 3 Oxford fellowships
He set out to prove that Luke was a “hopelessly inaccurate” historian and writer
After decades of research, digs, and travel, he wrote:
“Further study showed that the book could bear the most minute scrutiny as an authority for the facts of the Aegean world, and that it was written with such judgment, skill, art and perception of truth as to be a model of historical statement …. I set out to look for truth on the borderland where Greece and Asia meet, and found it there [in Acts]. You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian's and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment...”.'

8. Internal evidence
1 John 1:1-4
John says what he wrote were things he knew first- hand -- seen heard and touched
2 Pet 1:12-21
Wrote so they would have a reminder of his personal eyewitness to Jesus' life
Including hearing the voice of the Father
Wrote because he knew he would soon die
Also reminded them of another set of proofs – the prophecies of the Messiah/Christ.'

9. Prophetic evidence More than 300 prophecies of the Messiah/Christ
Luke 24:44
Jesus claimed to have fulfilled ALL of them
Mathematician, Peter W. Stoner, in Science Speaks calculated the chance of one man fulfilling just 8 prophecies by random chance
Birthplace, tribe, lineage, means of death, place of burial, etc
The odds?
1 in 1 x 1017 = 100,000,000,000,000,000
1 in 100 quadrillion

10. 100 quadrillion? Stoner explained the odds this way
Take 100 quadrillion silver dollars
Mark one of them and mix the whole pile
Lay out the silver dollars each touching the next
It would cover the entire state of Texas
Two feet deep
Now ask a blind man to randomly find the marked silver dollar with only 1 guess
And that is only 8 prophecies
For the over 300 specific prophecies?
1 in 84 x (84 followed by 123 zeros)

11. Prophecies fulfilled Born of a virgin (Isa 7:14; Mt 1:23)
Descended from Abraham (Gen 12:3; Acts 3:25)
Descended from Judah (Gen 49:10; Mt 1:1-18)
Descended from David (2 Sam 7:12; Mt 1:6)
Born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2; Mt 2:1)
Prophet like Moses (Dt 18:15-19; Acts 3:22-23)
Not answering charges (Is 53:7; Mt 27:12-14)
Crucified (Ps 22; Is 53; Mt 27)
No broken bones (Ps 34:20; Jn 19:36)
Burial with the rich (Is 53:9; Mt 27:57-60)

12. Internal evidence and Logic
1 Cor 15:3-8
There were witnesses, more than 500
Including Paul himself
1 Cor 15:12-19
If Christ was not risen, then the 500+ witnesses were all liars (v15)
Since these 500+ were willing to die (some already had died like James) for what they believed
If Christ wasn't risen, they must have all been crazy and to be pitied (v19)
Paul affirms he would not die for a lie (1 Cor 15:30-32)
It doesn't make sense, it is illogical, to believe people were all crazy liars about the exact same thing

13. Conclusion Jesus Christ lived and died Do you? Isa 53:2-12
Acts 8:30-35
Philip began with the prophecy and explained to him about Jesus
How He died for the sins of man as the prophecy said
How He rose again according to the prophecy
Acts 8:36-39
And the eunuch knew what he needed to do to take advantage of Christ's sacrifice
Do you?