EXPLAIN THIS: Core Gospel Claims Were Made Soon After Jesus Death, Resurrection, Not Decades Later as Myths and Fables

It is among the most common claims of skeptics who reject the literal resurrection of Jesus. It was all made up, they argue, many decades later by church leaders who relied upon unverified rumors, their imaginations, and pagan myths to invent what we know today as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In fact, as philosopher Gary Habermas explains in his recently published “Evidence for the Historical Jesus,” it was not decades after Jesus’ death, but weeks following the crucifixion when the basic claims of the Gospel, including especially the resurrection, were expressed as articles of faith (no pun intended) among the growing movement of Christians.

Habermas points to the timeline of events, as evidenced by New Testament passages, especially I Corinthians 15,  that most critics and believing scholars agree were written by Paul around 55 AD, to remind his readers what he had told them four years before.

Timeline of Facts:

If we assume Jesus’ crucifixion occurred in 30 AD, then there are only 21 years separating the two events. Here’s the key passage from Paul, I Corinthians 15:1-6, which relates what he was preaching to them and anybody else who would listen in 51 AD:

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12.  Then he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.”

In other words, Paul had been preaching the Gospel for some time before he wrote that passage in 55 AD. But there is more to the timeline, as Habermas explains, that puts the core claims of the Gospel being spread even earlier, including Paul’s famous encounter on the road to Damascus where he claimed to have met the resurrected Jesus.

Facts are Stubborn Things:

Scholars on both sides generally agree that the encounter came one to three years after the resurrection, meaning it took place somewhere around 31-33 AD. We know Paul then went to Jerusalem in 35 AD to talk with Peter and James, the brother of Jesus, to ensure they were all preaching the same Gospel. And, as Paul explains in the opening chapters of Galatians, he returned 14 years later to confer again with Peter, James and John.

But note that Peter had been proclaiming the resurrected Jesus since the Day of Pentecost, which likely occurred six or seven weeks after His ascension. Thus, the timeline looks like this, based on what Habermas calls the “minimal facts” that virtually all scholars of all persuasions accept:

• 30 AD – Jesus is crucified dead, buried and resurrected.
• Within weeks, Peter proclaims that Jesus is alive at the day of Pentecost.
• 32 AD – Paul claims to have met Jesus on the road to Damascus,  becomes His greatest missionary, to the Gentiles.
• 35 AD – Paul journeys to Jerusalem to confer with Peter and James.
• 49 AD – Paul returns to Jerusalem, confers with Peter, James and John.
• 51 AD – Paul preaches the Gospel to the Corinthians and many others.
• 55 AD – Paul writes I Corinthians.

In other words, it’s reasonable to conclude, based upon generally accepted historical evidence, that the core claims of the Gospel, including most importantly the resurrection, were being proclaimed within weeks of Jesus’ death.

And that means it’s unreasonable to believe that Christianity was created long after Jesus died by church leaders. So now what will you now do with this?

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Want to Know More?

Watch Habermas discuss these and related issues with Dr Joe Mulvihill of the Chi Alpha campus ministry on this 10:49 video.

Which One Are You?

There are five sorts of folks reading HillFaith, including people of faith, those without faith but who are open to considering the case for Christ, agnostics, atheists and skeptics.

People of Faith:

If you already are blessed with personal faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, HillFaith helps provide you with that “ready defense” that Peter says Christians are to always have. Remember to provide that ready defense with humility and compassion, not judgement and anger.

Atheist and Agnostic:

If you are among those who have a searching faith or a skeptical faith, consider yourself a spiritual agnostic, searching agnostic, apathetic agnostic or even a hopeful agnostic, then HillFaith is here to provide you with solid facts and logic to assist you in clarifying your conclusions and the life-decision you will make based upon those conclusions.

The Ethical Skeptic:

Finally, if you are an atheist of any flavor, be it spiritual atheist, a thinking atheist, a Jesus skeptic, paid-up member of the Skeptic Society, or a former atheist who is not now sure now what you think about these matters, HillFaith can be a source of a wealth of insight and reason to help you on your journey.

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