II. The Historicity of Jesus’ Birth and Life

            Van Voorst recorded that, “Far more learned books and articles have been written about Jesus than about any other person, and the “quest for the historical Jesus” is one of the largest enduring enterprises in humanities scholarship. Yet the quantity and intensity of the academic study of Jesus suggest that interest in him if far more that historical and scholarly.”[3] That’s a very true and profound statement because it makes sense when you look at the nature of the biblical Jesus, and how he has influenced the course of history. From my study of the Bible, I agree with Wright when he looks at the Bible and draws a conclusion that, “According to the New Testament, Jesus himself—the human being, the man from Galilee who died on a cross—is the full, definitive revelation of who the One True God is and what he is up to.”[4] This is a huge truth claim of the historicity of Jesus as it even designates humanity, a geographical location, and an event to his supposed life. As one of the historical documents, the Bible has a lot of information about Jesus both before and after his birth that affirms his historicity. Hundreds of years before his birth, it was prophetically revealed from which person he was going to descend (Jeremiah 23:5; cf. Matt. 1:1), the place of his birth (Micah 5:2; cf. Matt. 2:6; Luke 2:11), his name (Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matt 1:21), and his nature (Isaiah 9:6-7; cf. John 1:1, 14; Tit. 2:13).

            One may wonder how that should be plausible heavy evidence for us to believe in Christ when it’s only the Bible quoted. The fact is that the main geographical locations and historical figures existence mentioned by the Bible in and around the narrative of the birth and growth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth has been discovered and proven true and accurate by archeology. “Through the wealth of data uncovered by historical and archaeological research, we can measure the Bible’s historical accuracy. In every case where its claims can thus be tested, the Bible proves to be accurate and reliable.”[5] Another top apologist argued that “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And, by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical description has often led to amazing discoveries.”[6] Even as we admit that there are no many historical records about the birth and growth of Jesus Christ outside the Bible, We note that the great Jewish historian called Flavius Josephus identified James as the brother of Jesus, the so-called Christ, in his writing.[7] Therefore, at this moment, we can lest be assured that Jesus Christ is not a mythical or legendary character of the Bible, but a historical figure. He was a human born, lived, and taught on this earth.

III. Jesus’ Claims About Himself

            The fact that evidence establishes that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the historical figure, and archeology affirms the historicity and accuracy of the Bible; we can restfully and confidently appeal to our biblical knowledge of what it says about this Jesus and his teachings. The McDowells acknowledge the fact that “Many people want to regard Jesus not as God but as a good, moral man or as an exceptionally wise prophet who spoke many profound truths. Scholars often pass off that conclusion as the only acceptable one that people can reach by the intellectual process. Many people simply nod their heads in agreement and never trouble themselves to see the fallacy of such reasoning.”[8] But then we can only discover how fallacious such a conclusion is when we look at what Jesus of Nazareth taught and claimed about himself. It is very clear from the Bible that, “Jesus claimed to be God, and to him, it was of fundamental importance that men and women believed him to be who he was. Either we believe him, or we don’t. He didn’t leave us any wiggle room for in-between, watered-down alternatives.”[9]

            Someone will still question this conclusion. It’s not wrong to question to get answers that would clarify one’s misunderstanding or lack of some knowledge towards understanding an important truth claim so that you reach a verdict. This is how it looks like in the Bible: there is this claim or case that Jesus Christ makes about His Identity, and then there are several witnesses who testify to solidify the truthfulness of this identity. Therefore, we will begin with looking at some profound statements that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, intentionally makes to communicate the truth of his identity; that He is God in the flesh. Then we will summon the available witnesses who will provide us with their testimonies with regards to the case that Jesus Christ makes about his Identity.

            In the Gospel according to John, we find Jesus Christ making multiple “I AM” statements that call for our special attention.  These statements are some of the most significant unique pieces of evidence of Jesus’ testimony about His deity, and John 8:58 lays a very good foundation. Arguing with the religious authorities, Jesus said that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. But the religious leaders objected to this argument based on His incarnation age that He did not even see Abraham. To their shocking, “Jesus answered them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’” (John 8:58). Morris argues about the use of I am in 8:58 that, “A mode of being which has a definite beginning is contrasted with the eternal one. ‘I am’ must have the fullest significance it can bear. It is, as we have already had occasion to notice (see on vv. 24, 28) in the style of deity.”[10] Therefore, this utterance can relate with that of Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43:10 because it communicates the eternity and self-existence of Jesus as in the prologue of the Gospel according to John (1:1). In the context of John 8, where Jesus claims to be the only mediator, it also communicates the truth of Hebrew 13:8 that our Mediator is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, I am statements must make more sense.

I am the bread of life (6:48). In the entire dialogue with the Jews in Chapter 6, Jesus has come to the culmination of His teaching. “Again Jesus posits what can be regarded as the main theme of the entire discourse (or dialogue), namely that he is the life-giving bread, and now in contrast with what the Jews considered that bread to be: the manna given by Moses…By contrast, the bread that Jesus is and gives to eat has an effect not bounded by death but continuing into eternal life.”[11] Christ‘s physical sacrifice on the cross is life-giving to those who partake of this food through believing Him and His atonement for their forgiveness of sin.

I am the Light of the World… (8:12; 9:5). It is through Jesus that grace and truth have come to all men (1:9, 16). But many have rejected the Light because their ways are evil. Like David (Psalm 119:11, 105), only those who love righteousness are the ones who embrace this Light. Andreas said, “John uses the contrast between literal light and darkness to illustrate the moral contrast between spiritual life and spiritual death: ‘to walk in darkness’ means to fail to see the moral implications of one‘s sin, while ‘to walk in the light’ connotes life lived in full view of the reality of one‘s sinfulness and need for salvation (cf. 12:35–36).”[12] Therefore, by claiming to be the light, Christ claims perfect morality which can only be attributed to God.

I am the Door (10:90). Jesus is the only mediator for our eternal salvation. Indeed, in His service is the good pasture for His sheep because He has come that we may have life in abundance. I am the Good Shepherd. “The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” (10:11). He has indeed given His life for His flock. Hence David testifies that the Lord is my Shepherd… in Psalm 23. This also claims the perfection and righteousness that’s exactly like God’s because no one can stand before Him to represent us but someone righteous like Him.

I am the Resurrection and the Life (11:25). Jesus does not simply say that He will give resurrection and life, but that He is the resurrection and the life. I am the True Vine (15:1). This metaphor in its context teaches that Jesus is the source of abundant and fruitful spiritual life. Only those in constant fellowship with Him can access this life. Therefore, since it’s only God who gives and sustains life, Christ claimed to be God in these statements.

I am the Way the Truth and the Life (14:6). The reason I have closed with this statement is that it stands as the summary of all the mentioned I am statements of Jesus. He understood that the Human greatest need was reconciliation with God, and He is the only way. No one would access any spiritual blessing or benefit from God except through Jesus Christ. Only God can be the life, the light, and the truth; no one else. God is the ultimate representation of the truth.

Justifying His working on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (5:16-17). This is one of the great pieces of evidence in the Gospel of John that Jesus is God. The response of the Jews below shows that they understood what Jesus meant. “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also saying that God was His Father, and making Himself equal with God” (5:18). In all this, Christ claims a special and unique identity of oneness with the Father.

IV. The Witnesses to His Claims

            It is not wise to just listen to a testimony of one person, more especially if that person is testifying some truth claim about him\herself. Interestingly, even the Bible recognizes this step in observing justice. Deuteronomy 19:15 says, “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established” (ESV 2011). Therefore, justice is best saved when there are other witnesses to testify to the matter at hand. Even Jesus himself said, “If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true”(John 5:31-32 [ESV 2011]). Among the four biographies of Jesus Christ in the Bible, the Gospel according to John takes an approach that does a tremendous job on the matter of Jesus’ identity. Hence of our focus will begin from the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John and then to witnesses elsewhere. The Gospel according to John presents many witnesses that are summoned to testify about Jesus and His mission. Though some of these don‘t directly validate the deity of Jesus, they implicitly validate it by establishing the authenticity of His claims and teaching. These witnesses are as follows:

John the Baptist: This is the man who was prophesied by prophets Isaiah (Isa. 40:3-5) and Malachi (Mal. 3:1; 4:5) in the Old Testament that he was going to come in preparation for the way of the Messiah. John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the light of all men (Jn. 1:7-8); twice elsewhere that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29, 36). He also testified that the Spirit descended upon Jesus (Jn. 1:33), and that He is the Son of God (Jn. 1:34). Eventually, Jesus affirmed John‘s testimony (Jn. 5:33-35).

The Scriptures: The Scriptural testimony argument is predicated on the fact that the Bible has been proven to be an accurate historical resource by professional historians and confirmed by professional archeologists. Hence Nathanael, one of the twelve men who became the disciple of Jesus knew that Scriptures testified about Jesus, and he attested to this fact the first time he met Jesus (Jn. 1:45). Interestingly enough, Jesus frequently confronted the religious leaders with this fact. He said to them, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (Jn. 5:39-40, 46-47 [ESV 2011]).

Prophecy: This would sound like going back to the Scriptural testimony argument, but prophesy stands as an independent witness based on its power of accuracy and the staggering probability of its fulfillment in the life of Jesus Christ which can’t be done by any ordinary man but God alone. Apostle John reasoned that some things happened in the life of Jesus Christ for the fulfillment of the prophecies, such as in John 19: 36. As already alluded to on page 2 under the Historicity of Jesus’ birth and life, there are so many Old Testament prophesies fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ that were beyond His control as an ordinary man. It is discovered that “Using the science of probability, we find the chances of just forty-eight of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person to be only 1 in 10¹⁵⁷.”[13] Only God can do that.

God the Father (Jn. 5:37; 8:18); God testified to John the Baptist about the identity of Jesus by showing him a sign (Jn. 1:6, 33-34). Even apostle John himself is aware of God‘s audible voice that declared Jesus as His only begotten Son in whom He is well pleased during Jesus‘ baptism by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:17), and at His transfiguration on the mountain (Matt. 17:5). Elsewhere John affirms the truth that the Father has testified about Jesus as His Son; “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that He has borne concerning his Son” (1 Jn. 5:9 [ESV 2011]). The Father addresses the Son as God, “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions…’” (Heb. 1:8-9 [ESV 2011]).

The disciples of Jesus Christ: The followers of Jesus are a witness to His claims through their testimonies in writing (the New Testament) and changed lives on the display (the Church from First Century to date). The message and works of Jesus were an agent of change in people‘s lives since the beginning of His ministry (4: 39; 9:25, 38, 12:17). His biography and the movement He left bears witness to the truth of His claims. Therefore, the fact that God, Scriptures, people around Him, and His works all bear witness of Him means that His claim is true. With the establishment of the validity of Jesus’ claim about His identity, it’s clear how fallacious people are when they claim that Jesus was just a good moral teacher, but not God. It is very clear that Jesus repeatedly claimed to be God, and wanted people to understand this truth. Therefore, it’s impossible to call Him a good teacher if He was not God because He would be a toxic deceptive teacher who pointed people to Himself when He couldn’t save them. After all, He didn’t even know Himself. C.S. Lewis said:

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.[14]

V. The Historical Facts of Jesus’ Resurrection Account

            Having established a lot of truths about Jesus’ life and identity, one may expect that everyone would in a snapshot just jump into acceptance of Jesus’ resurrection because He is God. But because of the miraculous nature of the event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, many find it difficult to accept the resurrection as a historical event. When we think about the reality of death and how it has wrecked our families beyond our control, it’s an imaginal thought to accept that at least one person defeated death in the history of this world. Therefore, many people hopelessly don’t even bother to look at the evidence of the First Century Empty Tomb Scandal. Amazingly, all the four biographies of Jesus Christ in the New Testament include the story of His resurrection from the dead. I think evidence shouldn’t be ignored because it will always lead us to a crucial position where we will need to make a decision.

Did Jesus Really Die?

            Perhaps before arguing about the resurrection, there is a need for everyone to be sure if Jesus Christ died in the first place. All the four Gospels from the New Testament have a narration that confirms that Jesus Christ was sentenced to death by crucifixion by Pilate the Prefect of Judea, and was crucified, died on the cross, and buried (Matt. 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19). Complementing each other, the Gospels states that Jesus Christ at some point on the cross gave up His spirit and breathed His last. Many argue for the possibility that Jesus survived the cross and got resuscitated during the night while in the tomb. But was it possible for Jesus to survive the cross?  

            There is enough evidence to attest to the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross before His burial. To understand the described circumstances that led to the death of Jesus according to the New Testament, a leading Journalist Lee Strobel went to consult Dr. Metherell, an expert on the matter. Dr. Metherell explained that expecting the agony of the cross, Jesus could have experienced a high degree of psychological stress that could have resulted in him suffering from hematidrosis. That’s a condition where someone’s capillaries burst open and their sweats carry some blood with them.[15] He went on to explain that the terrible flogging by the Roman Soldiers could result in Him suffering from Hypovolemic Shock. That’s losing a large amount of blood fluid from the body which results in heart racing, low blood pressure, kidney failure, and dehydration increasing one’s thirsty.[16]  That just explains Jesus’ failure to carry His cross and asking for water on the cross. It also explains why Jesus was the earliest to die on the cross before the two thieves crucified with him. Dr. Metherell went on to say that Hypovolemic Shock could cause Pericardial Effusion (the accumulation of fluids around the heart membrane) and Pleural Effusion (the accumulation of fluids around the lungs). This too explains why water and blood came out of Jesus’s side when He was pierced by the Roman Soldier to make sure that He was dead before being taken off the cross.Metherell explained that “Crucifixion is essentially an agonizing slow death by asphyxiation” He continues to say that this causes failure to inhale enough oxygen that a person suffers respiratory acidosis which triggers an irregular heartbeat resulting in cardiac arrest as the final cause of death.[17]

Therefore, it’s rational like John Dominic Crossan to argue that the death of Jesus by crucifixion “is as sure as anything historical can ever be.”[18] Historically we have in the record that Tacitus the Roman Historian in explaining Emperor Nero’s Scandal of burning the City for his agenda and accusing it on Christians was able to mention the death of Jesus that, “…Christ, was put to death by the procurator, Pontius Pilate, while Tiberius was emperor…”[19] Based on such evidence, explaining resurrection by swoon theory is impossible because the evidence says the opposite. Jesus Christ had died.

Did Jesus Resurrect from the Dead?

            Whatever one believes about Christ and his resurrection, everyone has to admit that something significant happened on that morning—significant enough to alter the course of history, even to the point of changing the calendar from B.C. to A.D.[20] “The earliest Christians saw Jesus’ resurrection as both the vindication of his claims and the harbinger of our resurrection to eternal life. If Jesus rose from the dead, then his claims are vindicated and our Christian hope is sure; if Jesus did not rise, our faith is futile and we fall back into despair.”[21] This is an outstanding summary of how the resurrection of Jesus Christ has always been viewed in the Christian circle. They believed in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Yet, even after arguing about the authenticity of Jesus’ historicity and identity claims, many still find it hard to comprehend and believe the reality of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Therefore, they would rather end the story with His death because the resurrection is mind-blowing.

            Before weighing the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must note that the most complete biography of Jesus of Nazareth is found in the Bible. Therefore, there is a need to restate and reinforce the truth of the authenticity of the New Testament. Bultmann argued that it’s no longer effective to argue for the resurrection today simply by refuting theories as to who stole the body or that Jesus did not die. They are no longer the issue. The issue is whether the gospel narratives are historically credible accounts or unhistorical legends.[22] As already alluded to in this document, various professional historians and archeologists highly recognized in their fields have testified to the proven historical accuracy of the Bible on the stories and geographical locations it has mentioned therein. Many biblical scholars have also employed all the rules of textual criticism that have led them to a single conclusion. Gottfried Less concludes that there is better testimony for the authenticity of the New Testament books than for any classical work of antiquity.[23] Finally, Jacob Vernet charges that to repudiate the textual purity of the Gospels would be to reverse all the rules of criticism and to reject all the works of antiquity since the text of those works is less certain than that of the Gospels.[24]

VI. Evidence that Establishes the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

            Certification of Jesus’ death: According to the New Testament eye-witness testimony which is very reliable and accurate, it is recorded that before removing the body of Jesus from the cross, Pilate asked the Roman Centurion if Jesus was dead. To make sure that He was dead, His side was pierced by a spear from which water and blood came out as already explained (Matthew. 27:58; Mark 15:43-45; Luke 23:52; John. 19:34). The body of Jesus was taken off the cross by permission from Pilate after it was certified by the Centurion that Jesus was dead.

            The Tomb of Jesus of Nazareth was Highly Secured: With the hatred that the religious leaders had against Jesus, and knowing the resurrection claims He made; they asking for an intensified security on the tomb of Jesus that Pilate deployed the guard to watch over the tomb, enclosed the entrance of the tomb with a large stone, and sealed it with a Roman Seal (Matt. 27:62-66). Don Stewart argues that “These precautions made the religious rulers feel secure that the excitement around Jesus would soon go away. Jesus lay dead in the tomb, His frightened disciples had scattered and gone into hiding.”[25] The security at His tomb means that no man could come to his aid, moreover, he was dead. The Roman guard had sixteen men of which if anyone dozed off, or anything went wrong, the entire guard would be executed. Tempering with a Roman Seal by itself was treasonous punishable by death. Therefore, no man could have even tried to steal the body of Jesus because even if tried, they would never be successful but die. This disproves any effort of trying to explain the resurrection of Jesus with a theft theory because the evidence proves otherwise. 

            The Empty tomb: Early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to visit the tomb of Jesus, but discovered that the tomb was empty (Matt. 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-7; Jn. 20:1-7). An angel told them that Jesus Christ resurrected and they went back and called some of Jesus’ disciples who found the tomb empty too. Many efforts have been made to suggest that women went to the wrong tomb. But that just doesn’t add up to the evidence available because the women knew the tomb of Jesus to begin with; they also called the other disciples who witnessed the empty tomb discovery; no religious leaders including those who hated Jesus went to point at the Tomb of Jesus and end the propaganda. All this disproves the wrong tomb theory.

            The Physical Appearance of Jesus after the Resurrection: The First Epistle to the Corinthians 15:3-9 provides a better testimony that after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to many, even to a group of five hundred brethren at the same time, and finally appeared to Paul. McDowell wrote, “C. H. Dodd has observed, “There can hardly be any purpose in mentioning the fact that most of the five hundred are still alive, unless Paul is saying, in effect, ‘the witnesses are there to be questioned.” while Dr. Geisler concluded that the appearance to the 500 “has the ring of truth about it.” William Lane Craig claims that “it is nearly indisputable that this appearance took place.”[26] Paul never could have claimed that Jesus appeared to 500 witnesses so soon after the event if the event had not occurred. This tells us that the resurrection story could never be legendary or a result of hallucinations because at the moment Paul was writing this piece to his audience, many first-hand witnesses of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances were still alive that people could consult from. Hallucinations are impossible also because Jesus ate with his disciples (John 21: 9-12; Luke 24: 40-43), and they touched His body (Luke 24:36-39). “Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature, only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. That’s a big problem for the hallucination theory since there are repeated accounts of Jesus appearing to multiple people who reported the same thing”[27]