Christianity & Atheism
The Resurrection: The Evidence and the Alternatives
The resurrection is the center of Christian faith and its sharpest historical claim. Christians argue from facts most scholars grant, Jesus' death by crucifixion, an extremely early creed listing eyewitnesses, the disciples' sincere belief that they saw him alive, and the conversion of skeptics like Paul, that resurrection is the best explanation. Skeptics offer alternatives: hallucination, legend, cognitive dissonance. Here is each, fairly, so you can weigh them.
The facts most scholars grant
Historians who study this (across the belief spectrum) tend to agree on a core set of data: Jesus was crucified and died; his followers soon proclaimed him risen; and this proclamation appears in a creed Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 15, which scholars, including skeptics like Ehrman, date to within just a few years of the crucifixion, far too early for legend to explain.
Add the disciples' transformation from frightened followers into bold witnesses willing to die, and the conversions of skeptics, Paul the persecutor, and James the brother of Jesus.
The skeptical alternatives, taken seriously
Each deserves a fair hearing. The hallucination hypothesis: the appearances were grief-induced visions, though group hallucinations are not well attested. The legend hypothesis: the story grew over time, though the creed is very early. Cognitive dissonance: the disciples reinterpreted failure, though this does not obviously produce claims of a physically risen body. The wrong-tomb or stolen-body theories have their own difficulties. Skeptics rightly press these; Christians answer them.
An honest word
This is a historical argument, not a proof. Christians hold that resurrection best explains the whole set of facts together; skeptics weigh the alternatives more heavily. The honest move is to read the earliest sources and the scholarship and decide for yourself.
Historical and philosophical sources are named in the text (e.g. Tacitus, Josephus, Bart Ehrman, Gary Habermas, Alvin Plantinga, John Hick). We aim to cite atheist and skeptical scholars accurately and in their own terms. Bible: King James Version.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the evidence for the resurrection?
- The main lines are: Jesus' death by crucifixion; the extremely early creed in 1 Corinthians 15 (dated within a few years of the crucifixion) listing eyewitnesses; the disciples' transformation and willingness to die; and the conversion of skeptics like Paul and James. Christians argue resurrection best explains all of these together.
- How early is the 1 Corinthians 15 creed?
- Most scholars, including skeptics, date the creed Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 to within about two to eight years of the crucifixion, far too early to be explained as later legend.
- What are the alternatives to the resurrection?
- Skeptics propose hallucinations, legendary development, cognitive dissonance, or a mistaken or emptied tomb. Each is taken seriously in the debate; Christians argue none accounts for the full set of facts as well as resurrection does.
Come and see, on your own terms
The most honest way to weigh Christianity is to examine the historical evidence and read the earliest sources yourself. The Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the four, is a good place for a skeptic to begin, no belief required to read it.
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