data/hypotheses.json…Key facts and supporting reasons
Source: reasonablefaith.org
Burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea
After the crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.
- Paul’s early tradition (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) mentions that Jesus “was buried.”
- The burial account is part of the early source material used by Mark.
- Joseph of Arimathea was on the Jewish council that condemned Jesus, so inventing him as someone who gives Jesus a proper burial would be unlikely.
- There is no competing burial story.
The Empty Tomb
On the Sunday following the Crucifixion, the tomb of Jesus was found empty by a group of women followers.
- The empty tomb story is part of the old passion tradition in Mark.
- Paul’s tradition implies a vacant tomb (buried then raised).
- The story is relatively simple and lacks legendary embellishment compared to apocryphal stories.
- Women as the discoverers is significant, because women’s testimony was less valued in that culture — a detail harder to invent.
- Early opponents of Christianity admitted the tomb was empty and claimed disciples stole the body.
Post-Mortem Appearances
On multiple occasions, different individuals and groups experienced appearances of Jesus alive after his death.
- Paul’s early summary (1 Corinthians 15:3–8) records a sequence of appearances: to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve, then to more than five hundred brethren at once (many of whom Paul implies were still alive when he wrote), then to James, then to all the apostles, and finally to Paul himself.
- Gospel tradition gives multiple, independent attestations of appearances.
- The transformation of people who had been skeptical (for example Jesus’ brother James) after having seen him.
The Origin of the Disciples’ Belief in the Resurrection
The original disciples came to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, even though they had strong reasons to the contrary.
- Their leader was dead; Jewish expectations did not include a suffering Messiah who dies.
- The crucifixion made them look like they were following a heretic.
- Jewish belief in resurrection was of a future general resurrection, not an individual resurrection to glory before the end of the world.
Yet, despite these strong obstacles, they were willing to suffer (and in some cases die) for their belief.
Historical Context Used in the Comparison
Jesus’ life, ministry, and claims to divine authority provide a specific context in which resurrection would serve as divine vindication. The guided path combines that historical context with independently supported theism. Both settings assign High plausibility on the historical context. The Open setting assigns Medium assumption burden because God's existence remains an additional supposition. These assessments depend on the premises accepted in this comparison; the supporting quotations and references can be inspected at the chart’s plausibility point.