Being Accompanied by Jesus Christ

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No matter what religious beliefs or lack there of one holds, history is separated by the birth and events that surround one man; and that man is Jesus of Nazareth. If there is one controversial event that surrounds this historical figure, it is his resurrection that is argued the most. In most scholarly circles, it is accepted that Jesus of Nazareth was born around the first century, while living gathered a religious following, and was crucified by the Romans. It is his resurrection, though that separates secular and believing biblical experts. This paper will discuss the historical validity of the resurrection of Jesus by looking at biblical validity, the evidence surrounding the resurrection, and expert opinions from both sides as whether or not in today’s age it is reasonable to be believed in.
If one is to debate the historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, then one most first examine that which the resurrection account is found in. The largest account of the resurrection can be found the first five books of the New Testament, which are the Gospels. The word gospel comes from the Greek word meaning, “good news” or a message that brings salvation (Gunn, 2013). Mark, which is the first gospel that was written, was influenced by Paul’s usage of the term and used it to describe Jesus’ ministry, works, death and resurrection. The other gospel books followed in suit. The question remains though, are these first century manuscripts historically reliable? The answer to this question is yes but to the extent of their validity depends on whom you ask.
It is true and held by most reputable scholars and historians the New Testament is the best proven book in ancient history, both in terms of the number of manuscripts and the nearness o...

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...ead. This is a fact that is almost universally acknowledged among New Testament scholars today. Even Gert Lüdemann, perhaps the most prominent current critic of the resurrection, admits, "It may be taken as historically certain that Peter and the disciples had experiences after Jesus’s death in which Jesus appeared to them as the risen Christ."18
Finally, fact #4: The original disciples believed that Jesus was risen from the dead despite their having every reason not to. Despite having every predisposition to the contrary, it is an undeniable fact of history that the original disciples believed in, proclaimed, and were willing to go to their deaths for the fact of Jesus’s resurrection. C. F. D. Moule of Cambridge University concludes that we have here a belief which nothing in terms of prior historical influences can account for—apart from the resurrection itself.19

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