Six ‘ETs’ of Evidence for the Credibility of the Gospels

Simon Greenleaf was an acclaimed professor of the Harvard Law School and the author of the authoritative standards for determining the credibility and admissibility of witnesses and evidence in the American court system.

While there is some dispute on the question, it appears that Greenleaf set out at one point early in his life to disprove the credibility of the Gospels’ claim that Jesus was resurrected by applying those same legal standards.

How do you explain the empty tomb of Jesus Christ? (Photo illustration by Pisit Heng on Unsplash)

But he instead became a steadfast believer and advocate because he realized after assessing the evidence that it without question supported “beyond a reasonable doubt” the claim that Jesus Christ was resurrected on the third day after His death.

Thus, Greenleaf described the Resurrection “one of the best-established facts of history.”

Dr. Frank Turek of cross-examined.org credits Greenleaf’s analysis and, based in part on it, offers in his “I Still Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” the following six illustrations from the evidence of why the Gospels are reliable and credible accounts:

Early Testimony: The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. None of the four Gospels mention this catastrophe for the Jewish people that Jesus had predicted prior to His death on the cross. Thus, it’s reasonable to conclude the Gospels were written before 70 AD and within the lifetimes of witnesses to the Resurrection mentioned by Paul at I Corinthians 15.

Eyewitness Testimony: Apostles knew there were people alive who were present at the time of the crucifixion, burial and Resurrection, who could call them out for misrepresenting facts. Also, the Gospel of John contains 59 historically verifiable details that could not have been invented.

Embarrassing Testimony: The Gospels include many embarrassing details about the Apostles’ cowardice when Jesus was arrested and their inability prior to the arrest to remember things He previously taught them. Also, the four Gospels have women being first to see the empty tomb despite the fact women were not generally considered credible witnesses at the time.

Excruciating Testimony: All of the Apostles, save one, died for their claim that Jesus was resurrected, and it was not long after the Day of Pentecost that the first of many terrible persecutions against Christians began. People don’t willingly die for what they know to be a lie. Following Christ often meant facing excommunication from the Synagogue, beatings, torture and execution.

Expected Testimony: The Old Testament contains multiple predictions of the coming Messiah and numerous details of His life. See, *for example, that He would be from the kingly line of David (Jeremiah 23:5), He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and would be the Servant Sacrifice who would be crucified (Isaiah 53).

Extra-Biblical Testimony: Multiple ancient authors mention Jesus in some detail, including Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian, Thallus, Seutonius, Pliny the Younger and the Jewish Talmud.

Greenleaf put his analysis on paper in “Testimony of the Evangelists,” which included this summary observation:

“All Christianity asks of men on this subject, is that they would be consistent with themselves; that they would treat the evidence of other things;; and that they would try and judge its actors and witnesses, as they deal with their fellow men, when testifying to human affairs and actions, in human tribunals.

Simon Greenleaf (Public Domain – PD-US)

“Let the the witnesses be compared with themselves, with each other, and with surrounding facts and circumstances; and let their testimony be sifted, as if were given in a court of justice, on the side of the adverse party, the witness being subjected to a rigorous cross-examination. The result, it is confidently believed, will be an undoubting conviction of their integrity, ability, and truth.

“In the course of such an examination, the undesigned coincidences will multiply upon us at every step in the witnesses and of the reality of the occurrences which they relate will increase, until it acquires, for all practical purposes, the value and force of demonstration.”


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