Evidence for the Resurrection

The Book of Acts is High-Resolution Reportage

Biblical Reliability, Conversion of Paul, Evidence for the Resurrection, Undesigned Coincidences /

The cumulative force of the incidental agreements between Acts and these four epistles strongly supports the conclusion that Acts is high-resolution historical reportage. Taken cumulatively, undesigned coincidences provide powerful evidence for the reliability of Acts as an historical account and confirm that its author, Luke, was well informed, close up to the facts, and habitually scrupulous. This profile comports well with Luke’s own claim to have been Paul’s travelling companion for much of his journeys.

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The Evidential Value of John’s Gospel to the Case for Christianity

Artless Similarities, Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Canonicity, Christological Trilemma, Evidence for the Resurrection, Extrabiblical Corroboration, Gospel Authorship, Gospel Authorship, Undesigned Coincidences, Unexplained Allusions /

There is a vast array of evidences, both internal and external, that reveal that the fourth gospel is composed by an individual who is extremely well informed, close up to the facts, and habitually scrupulous. This lays the foundation for multiple lines of argument for the truth of Christianity.

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The Resurrection of Jesus: The Evidential Contribution of Luke-Acts

12 Comments / Bart Ehrman, Bible Contradictions, Biblical Reliability, Critics of Christianity, Evidence for the Resurrection, Extrabiblical Corroboration, Undesigned Coincidences /

Any discussion of the evidence for the resurrection must first ascertain what the original apostolic witnesses claimed and whether those claims are best explained by the resurrection, or by some alternative hypothesis.

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Early Church Persecution, and its Evidential Value

Biblical Reliability, Evidence for the Resurrection /

There is satisfactory evidence that many professing to be original witnesses of the Christian miracles, passed their lives in labours, dangers, and sufferings, voluntarily undergone in attestation of the accounts which they delivered, and solely in consequence of their belief of those accounts; and that they also submitted, from the same motives, to new rules of conduct.

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The Firstfruits Feast and the Case for the Resurrection

Biblical Reliability, Evidence for the Resurrection /

Given that Jesus was alleged, from the beginning, to have been raised on the Sunday following Passover, during the feast of firstfruits, this suggests that the choice of the Sunday as the day of the resurrection resulted from rational deliberation, or conscious design, whether on the part of human schemers or divine agency. It seems to militate fairly heavily against the hypothesis that the original apostles were honestly mistaken about Christ’s resurrection.

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The Argument from Martyrdom: A Response to Rabbi Tovia Singer

1 Comment / Biblical Reliability, Evidence for the Resurrection, Tovia Singer /

In a video published this week, provocatively titled “Why Would Paul Willingly Die for His Belief? Another Church Lie!”, Rabbi Singer makes a number of bizarre claims. One such statement is that “the notion that Paul was beheaded by Rome is complete nonsense. It’s an invention of the church, and it’s mentioned nowhere in the Christian Bible.”

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Bayesian Probability and the Resurrection: A Reply to Brian Blais

9 Comments / Evidence for the Resurrection, Messianic Prophecy, Miracles and Epistemology, Modern Miracles, Philosophy, Predictive Prophecy, Probability Theory /

This week, a two part series of essays was published by atheist physicist Dr. Brian Blais. These essays challenged some of my key contentions from the debate, particularly my employment of Bayesian epistemology. In this essay, I reply to Dr. Blais’ remarks.

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Extraordinary Claims and Evidence: A Review of Jonathan Pearce’s Book on the Resurrection (Part 1)

43 Comments / Book Reviews, Evidence for the Resurrection, Messianic Prophecy, Miracles and Epistemology, Modern Miracles, Philosophy, Predictive Prophecy, Probability Theory /

Since the resurrection is intended, in Christian theology, to function as an authenticating sign, it is highly predicted that Jesus’ resurrection will deviate from the normal course of nature. That the resurrection does, in fact, deviate from the normal course of nature should not be taken as a cause for concern.

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