Hello everyone, it is time to notify all of you of new, exciting changes that the Lord has allowed The Zealot's Path to have. The blog has been revamped and is available at the new website www.thezealotspath.com. It has the new blog and other things that show this is more than just a blog now. I greatly appreciate all of the followers here, and I hope you all follow to the new site and continue to read the blog. The Zealot's Path still has the Facebook and Twitter account, so feel free to keep up with those as well.
Best,
Jason
The Zealot's Path
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Evidence for the Resurrection Part II
The second part of this series is one of the most compelling in the argument for the historicity of Christianity. The study of Jesus’ empty tomb has baffled skeptics for many reasons, but the interesting thing is that no skeptic can hold a firm, credible argument to discredit the Gospel accounts. Numerous attempts have been made to show how it’s impossible for a man to come back to life, yet there has never been a reasonable claim that natural science can sustain on the subject. I believe the reason is that it’s hard for the carnal mind to accept what it deems naturally impossible, so it’s willing to concoct ludicrous explanations to move away from the idea of the naturally impossible. Those natural suggestions all fall to pieces when they confront the facts that God gives us concerning the resurrection of Jesus.
Was the location of Jesus’ burial known?
This is a very important question to address. In order for people to claim that the tomb was empty, they would have to know where that tomb was. The first point to understand is that Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea. It was at one time questioned whether or not Joseph was fictional. This can be dismissed quickly. If Joseph was an invention, why would anyone choose this character to be a member of the Sanhedrin? It would make no sense for those that were trying to convince others of a lie to make that character a member of the group that tried and executed Jesus.
Another point that is worth being stated briefly is the old tradition that Paul quotes in I Corinthians 15:3-5. I Corinthians was written around 55 A.D. , so this tradition must be less than two decades later than Jesus’ burial. Therefore, those that started this tradition about the Resurrection must have known the location of the tomb or the tradition would have been challenged early in the beginning.
The last point to understand is that there are no other conflicting stories about the location of Jesus’ burial. No legend exists as to what happened to Jesus after His death. All we have is the undisputed consensus that Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in his very own tomb.
Was the tomb really empty?
When investigating this question from a purely historical and logical stand point, we must conclude that it was empty and that what happened is what the Apostles said happened: Christ rose from the dead. No other explanation can support the evidence.
The biggest piece of evidence for this is that the Jews and Romans stated that the body was stolen. The impossibility of Jesus’ body being stolen will be covered shortly, but what this claim says is that they admitted that the tomb was empty. They did not attempt to place another body inside deceitfully, nor did they claim that it was the wrong tomb. They said that it was missing. It was gone. Now there is testimony of an opposing side’s knowledge of the empty tomb.
Another interesting fact to mention is the credibility of the women who first found the empty tomb. In Jewish culture, women had no credibility. Their testimonies would not be given any consideration for accuracy or relevance. Therefore, why would anyone who was trying to convince the masses of any specific deceitful invention choose the least respected person to be an eyewitness? This would be completely illogical.
What are other suggestions as to why the tomb was empty?
There have been scores of different theories as to what happened, but these two were the most popular:
The first is the claim that the body was stolen. This would not work for a few reasons. First, the tomb was guarded by a “guard.” Many scholars believe this was a Roman Guard which consisted of anywhere between 40 to 60 soldiers. It would have been impossible to for the apostles to sneak around them, move a massive stone without making a sound, grab the body, and dispose of it without anyone seeing or noticing anything. This sounds extremely unlikely. Also, it goes without saying that after the arrest and crucifixion, the apostles were in fear for their lives and hid. To accept this is to assume that they suddenly gained strength and courage to attempt a suicide mission to steal a dead body. This theory has been widely dismissed by scholars.
Another theory that is ridiculous yet carried interesting weight with skeptics in the past is the Swoon Theory. This asserts that Jesus only appeared to be dead on the cross, and he escaped the tomb without being noticed. This also has been rejected widely by scholars. Consider what this says: Jesus somehow made it through an execution which has a success rate of 100%, wasn’t smothered by the heavy burial linens and unwrapped himself from it, rolled the heavy stone away and crept by the guards, found the Apostles, and somehow was able to inspire them with his horribly beaten, malnourished body to go and die terrible deaths for the sake of His resurrection. We can all see why this theory fell short.
There are other outlandish theories but like these two, they all fall short. The only conclusion that we can reach when examining the evidence is that Jesus rose from the dead. No other explanations hold the historical and logical capacity. And so we say, “He is risen.”
Was the location of Jesus’ burial known?
This is a very important question to address. In order for people to claim that the tomb was empty, they would have to know where that tomb was. The first point to understand is that Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea. It was at one time questioned whether or not Joseph was fictional. This can be dismissed quickly. If Joseph was an invention, why would anyone choose this character to be a member of the Sanhedrin? It would make no sense for those that were trying to convince others of a lie to make that character a member of the group that tried and executed Jesus.
Another point that is worth being stated briefly is the old tradition that Paul quotes in I Corinthians 15:3-5. I Corinthians was written around 55 A.D. , so this tradition must be less than two decades later than Jesus’ burial. Therefore, those that started this tradition about the Resurrection must have known the location of the tomb or the tradition would have been challenged early in the beginning.
The last point to understand is that there are no other conflicting stories about the location of Jesus’ burial. No legend exists as to what happened to Jesus after His death. All we have is the undisputed consensus that Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in his very own tomb.
Was the tomb really empty?
When investigating this question from a purely historical and logical stand point, we must conclude that it was empty and that what happened is what the Apostles said happened: Christ rose from the dead. No other explanation can support the evidence.
The biggest piece of evidence for this is that the Jews and Romans stated that the body was stolen. The impossibility of Jesus’ body being stolen will be covered shortly, but what this claim says is that they admitted that the tomb was empty. They did not attempt to place another body inside deceitfully, nor did they claim that it was the wrong tomb. They said that it was missing. It was gone. Now there is testimony of an opposing side’s knowledge of the empty tomb.
Another interesting fact to mention is the credibility of the women who first found the empty tomb. In Jewish culture, women had no credibility. Their testimonies would not be given any consideration for accuracy or relevance. Therefore, why would anyone who was trying to convince the masses of any specific deceitful invention choose the least respected person to be an eyewitness? This would be completely illogical.
What are other suggestions as to why the tomb was empty?
There have been scores of different theories as to what happened, but these two were the most popular:
The first is the claim that the body was stolen. This would not work for a few reasons. First, the tomb was guarded by a “guard.” Many scholars believe this was a Roman Guard which consisted of anywhere between 40 to 60 soldiers. It would have been impossible to for the apostles to sneak around them, move a massive stone without making a sound, grab the body, and dispose of it without anyone seeing or noticing anything. This sounds extremely unlikely. Also, it goes without saying that after the arrest and crucifixion, the apostles were in fear for their lives and hid. To accept this is to assume that they suddenly gained strength and courage to attempt a suicide mission to steal a dead body. This theory has been widely dismissed by scholars.
Another theory that is ridiculous yet carried interesting weight with skeptics in the past is the Swoon Theory. This asserts that Jesus only appeared to be dead on the cross, and he escaped the tomb without being noticed. This also has been rejected widely by scholars. Consider what this says: Jesus somehow made it through an execution which has a success rate of 100%, wasn’t smothered by the heavy burial linens and unwrapped himself from it, rolled the heavy stone away and crept by the guards, found the Apostles, and somehow was able to inspire them with his horribly beaten, malnourished body to go and die terrible deaths for the sake of His resurrection. We can all see why this theory fell short.
There are other outlandish theories but like these two, they all fall short. The only conclusion that we can reach when examining the evidence is that Jesus rose from the dead. No other explanations hold the historical and logical capacity. And so we say, “He is risen.”
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Evidence of the Resurrection Part I
The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christian faith. Without the belief in this, there is nothing else to grab onto. All hope is in His resurrection. Unfortunately, this is the hardest thing to accept for so many people. All they see is that this “religion” is attempting to convince them that a man died and came back to life. With a carnal, worldly mindset, this is ridiculous. How can anyone believe this? For all Christians, it does boil down to faith through the Spirit. We know he lives because of what is in us. But to others who have heard conflicting explanations of different religions, how do we show them that our belief in Christ stands above all else as truth? Fortunately for us, God has given us many overwhelming proofs to His glory. More specifically, we have a wealth of evidence on the resurrection of Jesus. Sadly, many Christians have no clue of these evidences. If many of us were to find ourselves in a situation where we had to defend the resurrection, we would probably fall flat. For the next four weeks, I will concentrate on four powerful proofs for Jesus’ existence, death, and resurrection. I pray this series will either strengthen many people’s faiths or stir the searching soul to listen to the Spirit call.
Before the crucifixion can even be considered, the big question about Jesus’ existence arises. Did he really exist? If so, did he really die on a cross? What evidence do we have outside the Bible? All Christians should be able to answer these questions to some extent. This entry will focus on the essentials of the proofs, but there are many more resources to be found.
Did Jesus really exist?
In short, yes. It is clear that the Gospels focus on all of this and the vast majority of biblical scholars accept the Gospels as historically reliable, but can we find any evidence beyond them? Again, yes. There are scores of places to find the mention of Jesus. The most important are the Samarian historian Thallus, the Romans Tacitus and Suetonius, the Syrian Lucian, and the Jewish Pharisee Josephus. Keep in mind that I am not stating that all of these sources exalt Jesus as God. In fact, these authors are absolute enemies of Jesus. On historical grounds, when His enemies cannot deny His existence, it brings historical reliability.
Josephus is considered by many to be the most important. He was a Pharisee and Jewish historian. In his work Testimonium Flavianum, Josephus attests to Jesus’ existence, His death, and His post-mortem appearances. Even in the Roman Empire, Tacitus recorded in his Annals that Nero persecuted Christians as scapegoats to the fire of Rome. He goes on to describe who the Christians were and who Jesus was. This shows that there is great evidence for Jesus outside the gospels. Much more could be said on this, but bringing forth an argument for the non-existence of Jesus takes much more faith considering the evidence.
Did Jesus really die on a Cross?
Along with the evidence of Jesus’ existence, the mention of his death is also prevalent. Jesus was crucified and died. To some, it may be a shock to find out that crucifixion was a real form of execution. It was unlike anything we have seen in movies or heard about in history books. Firing squads, the gallows, the guillotine, and the electric chair are all humane forms of execution compared to crucifixion. The accused would be beaten to near death and then nailed hands and feet to a cross. Asphyxiation was the usual cause of death due to the weight of the hanging body on the lungs. The person would suffocate until he would pull up on the hanging nails in the wrists to take in a breath for the lungs. After a while, the Roman guards would break the legs of the accused to bring on unstoppable suffocation. The one variation to this that we know is that Jesus was stabbed with a spear instead.
Another convincing point is historians agree that the Romans were professionals at execution. This was mainly due to the belief that they would be killed instead if the accused did not die. With these points, it is clear that Jesus’ crucifixion caused His death. History shows that there was no way to come down from the cross alive.
These first points are crucial. Before the evidence for the resurrection can even be considered, we must show that Jesus actually existed and died. These points are important, but it is what they lead to that matters. If anyone would like a list of resources, citations, and guidance in further readings, please email. I pray that when we are confronted with a discussion that involves defending our faith, we can focus of the evidences that God has given us to use. For those that read with skepticism, let your hearts open up to the truth and the facts that surround it.
Before the crucifixion can even be considered, the big question about Jesus’ existence arises. Did he really exist? If so, did he really die on a cross? What evidence do we have outside the Bible? All Christians should be able to answer these questions to some extent. This entry will focus on the essentials of the proofs, but there are many more resources to be found.
Did Jesus really exist?
In short, yes. It is clear that the Gospels focus on all of this and the vast majority of biblical scholars accept the Gospels as historically reliable, but can we find any evidence beyond them? Again, yes. There are scores of places to find the mention of Jesus. The most important are the Samarian historian Thallus, the Romans Tacitus and Suetonius, the Syrian Lucian, and the Jewish Pharisee Josephus. Keep in mind that I am not stating that all of these sources exalt Jesus as God. In fact, these authors are absolute enemies of Jesus. On historical grounds, when His enemies cannot deny His existence, it brings historical reliability.
Josephus is considered by many to be the most important. He was a Pharisee and Jewish historian. In his work Testimonium Flavianum, Josephus attests to Jesus’ existence, His death, and His post-mortem appearances. Even in the Roman Empire, Tacitus recorded in his Annals that Nero persecuted Christians as scapegoats to the fire of Rome. He goes on to describe who the Christians were and who Jesus was. This shows that there is great evidence for Jesus outside the gospels. Much more could be said on this, but bringing forth an argument for the non-existence of Jesus takes much more faith considering the evidence.
Did Jesus really die on a Cross?
Along with the evidence of Jesus’ existence, the mention of his death is also prevalent. Jesus was crucified and died. To some, it may be a shock to find out that crucifixion was a real form of execution. It was unlike anything we have seen in movies or heard about in history books. Firing squads, the gallows, the guillotine, and the electric chair are all humane forms of execution compared to crucifixion. The accused would be beaten to near death and then nailed hands and feet to a cross. Asphyxiation was the usual cause of death due to the weight of the hanging body on the lungs. The person would suffocate until he would pull up on the hanging nails in the wrists to take in a breath for the lungs. After a while, the Roman guards would break the legs of the accused to bring on unstoppable suffocation. The one variation to this that we know is that Jesus was stabbed with a spear instead.
Another convincing point is historians agree that the Romans were professionals at execution. This was mainly due to the belief that they would be killed instead if the accused did not die. With these points, it is clear that Jesus’ crucifixion caused His death. History shows that there was no way to come down from the cross alive.
These first points are crucial. Before the evidence for the resurrection can even be considered, we must show that Jesus actually existed and died. These points are important, but it is what they lead to that matters. If anyone would like a list of resources, citations, and guidance in further readings, please email. I pray that when we are confronted with a discussion that involves defending our faith, we can focus of the evidences that God has given us to use. For those that read with skepticism, let your hearts open up to the truth and the facts that surround it.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Was Jesus Just a Great Moral Teacher?
Back in November, I sent out a call for questions to address here on the blog. With all that has happened I have been a bit detached from the ones I received. I planned on addressing them starting now, but an unexpected occurrence caught my eye in the grocery store checkout last week. I can’t remember the name of the magazine although it was one of the leading brands. What I do remember is that it read in the vein of “100 people gone too soon.” While waiting in the fairly short line, I decided to skim through it. One of the first pages I came across included Jesus. I had to read it of course, expecting a butchering of His true purpose. All it stated was that Jesus was an eccentric young man that challenged the Jewish and Roman culture with his teachings of love and sacrifice and of how he died because of his challenge to the status quo. The central précis of the piece was that he was a great teacher that humanity lost too soon.
This entry will have me referring back to my third blog from April of last year. If you are unfamiliar with it, I suggest finding it in the archives. With this situation, Christians should be well equipped to answer any questions concerning this or simply be able to correct misconceptions among those who are unfamiliar with Christianity. Before I begin, I think one of the best replies to the article described above is from C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity:
This passage is definitely full of important points. The first thing to address is what many unbelievers consider to be true about Jesus. If any one person wants to take a serious approach to history, it is undeniable that Jesus of Nazareth existed; therefore, that fact can’t be denied. What many pluralists try to do is put Jesus on a pedestal with Mohammed, Buddha, and many others as a great moral teacher. The article first mentioned does this. It admits there was a Jesus of Nazareth, but it denies His deity. Lewis addressed this perfectly. He is not just a great teacher and by the world’s standards, He is actually anything but. Chiefly, He claimed to be God. Just as Lewis stated, a person can either see him as crazy, the Devil, or what He says He is, but putting Him on a lowly level of a “great teacher” is ridiculous.
A great way in leading people into a better understanding of Jesus is referring directly to the Bible. Apart of the synoptic gospels, John is a great place that records Jesus’ divine claims. Principally, the Bible is the only source of Jesus’ biography. If a person wants to accept His great “moral” teachings, then that person would commit a major logical fallacy by dismissing His divine claims. A person can’t pick one and not the other.
Another part in helping others understand Jesus, and what I consider to be the most important, is to tell them the Good News. Explain what Jesus’ purpose was and what He actually did. Instead of letting people believe that He was just a good teacher that died too soon, explain that Jesus died for our sins so that we could be with Him forever in paradise. Do not fall into the trap of a watered down gospel, explaining that he will fill the empty hole in a person’s life and make them feel good. That is a good spiritual outcome of acceptance but should not be the reason to turn to him. The Bible teaches a different gospel, a gospel that says that we must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as our only savior. Look at such verses as Mark 1:4 and Matthew 4:17. These do not mention anything about a great fulfillment in life or wonderful lessons that teach us how to live in this world, but it tells us what is needed for the salvation of our souls.
When death finally comes, will we think of the great lessons people have taught us? Will we think of the great accomplishments, money, and achievements we have had? Use this week to meditate on your life. Think of the lessons Jesus has taught and understand that they are what they are only by his saving grace in us. Pray and think of how Jesus is more than just a teacher; He is the Savior. He is God.
This entry will have me referring back to my third blog from April of last year. If you are unfamiliar with it, I suggest finding it in the archives. With this situation, Christians should be well equipped to answer any questions concerning this or simply be able to correct misconceptions among those who are unfamiliar with Christianity. Before I begin, I think one of the best replies to the article described above is from C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity:
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 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 with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
This passage is definitely full of important points. The first thing to address is what many unbelievers consider to be true about Jesus. If any one person wants to take a serious approach to history, it is undeniable that Jesus of Nazareth existed; therefore, that fact can’t be denied. What many pluralists try to do is put Jesus on a pedestal with Mohammed, Buddha, and many others as a great moral teacher. The article first mentioned does this. It admits there was a Jesus of Nazareth, but it denies His deity. Lewis addressed this perfectly. He is not just a great teacher and by the world’s standards, He is actually anything but. Chiefly, He claimed to be God. Just as Lewis stated, a person can either see him as crazy, the Devil, or what He says He is, but putting Him on a lowly level of a “great teacher” is ridiculous.
A great way in leading people into a better understanding of Jesus is referring directly to the Bible. Apart of the synoptic gospels, John is a great place that records Jesus’ divine claims. Principally, the Bible is the only source of Jesus’ biography. If a person wants to accept His great “moral” teachings, then that person would commit a major logical fallacy by dismissing His divine claims. A person can’t pick one and not the other.
Another part in helping others understand Jesus, and what I consider to be the most important, is to tell them the Good News. Explain what Jesus’ purpose was and what He actually did. Instead of letting people believe that He was just a good teacher that died too soon, explain that Jesus died for our sins so that we could be with Him forever in paradise. Do not fall into the trap of a watered down gospel, explaining that he will fill the empty hole in a person’s life and make them feel good. That is a good spiritual outcome of acceptance but should not be the reason to turn to him. The Bible teaches a different gospel, a gospel that says that we must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as our only savior. Look at such verses as Mark 1:4 and Matthew 4:17. These do not mention anything about a great fulfillment in life or wonderful lessons that teach us how to live in this world, but it tells us what is needed for the salvation of our souls.
When death finally comes, will we think of the great lessons people have taught us? Will we think of the great accomplishments, money, and achievements we have had? Use this week to meditate on your life. Think of the lessons Jesus has taught and understand that they are what they are only by his saving grace in us. Pray and think of how Jesus is more than just a teacher; He is the Savior. He is God.
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