What historical evidence supports the resurrection mentioned in Mark 14:28? Early, Independent, and Multiple Attestation 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 preserves a creedal formula that predates Paul’s writing (c. A.D. 55) by at least two decades, placing it within a few years of the crucifixion. It declares that Christ “was buried, that He was raised on the third day … and that He appeared.” This creed is independent of Mark and the other Gospels, providing a second, early witness. Acts 2:32; 3:15; 10:40 record the resurrection in speeches delivered in Jerusalem where the empty tomb could be inspected. Luke, Matthew, John, and the Hebrews echo further. Independent streams converging on the same event satisfy the historiographical criterion of multiple attestation. The Empty Tomb • Women as primary witnesses (Mark 16:1-8) contradict first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman norms that discounted female testimony, arguing against invention. • The tomb is publicly located (“Joseph of Arimathea,” a member of the Sanhedrin, Mark 15:43) allowing falsification had the body remained. • Enemy admission: Matthew 28:11-15 records the priestly claim that the body was stolen—an argument conceding the tomb was empty. Post-Resurrection Appearances Mark’s summary (“He will go ahead of you into Galilee”) anticipates group sightings (Matthew 28:16-17; John 21; 1 Corinthians 15:6 “more than five hundred at once”). Group appearances neutralize hallucination hypotheses; hallucinations are private, not shared by skeptics like Thomas (John 20:24-29) or Paul (Acts 9). Transformation of Eyewitnesses Peter, who denied Jesus hours after Mark 14:28, becomes the fearless preacher of Acts 2. James, once skeptical (Mark 3:21; John 7:5), emerges as the pillar of the Jerusalem church (Galatians 1:19). Behavioral science recognizes such sudden, enduring reversals as rare outside profound experiential catalysts. Rapid Proclamation and Martyrdom Christian preaching centered on resurrection from the very start (Acts 4:2). No legend-building interval exists. Extra-biblical sources—Clement of Rome (A.D. 95), Ignatius (c. 110), Polycarp (c. 110)—affirm that many original witnesses accepted martyrdom rather than recant. Non-Christian Testimony • Josephus, Antiquities 18.3.3 (c. A.D. 93) states, “He appeared to them alive again on the third day.” • Tacitus, Annals 15.44 (c. A.D. 115) speaks of “Christus … executed … yet the deadly superstition … broke out again.” • Pliny the Younger, Ephesians 10.96 (c. A.D. 112) notes believers “sing hymns to Christ as to a god.” • The Babylonian Talmud, Sanh 43a, records that Jesus was hanged on Passover eve, aligning with Gospel chronology. Archaeological Corroboration • First-century rolling-stone tombs around Jerusalem match the Gospel description. • The Nazareth Inscription (royal edict against grave-robbery) dated mid-first century implies imperial concern about a missing body proclaimed as divine resurrection. • Sediment core in the Ein Feshkha basin documents a Jerusalem quake around A.D. 31 ± 5 years, consistent with the crucifixion-resurrection seismic reports (Matthew 27:51; 28:2). Philosophical Coherence (Minimal-Facts Logic) Given five facts conceded by most critical scholars—death by crucifixion, disciples’ sincere belief in appearances, empty tomb, conversion of Paul, conversion of James—the resurrection hypothesis best explains the total data set with the fewest ad-hoc assumptions. Continuing Empirical Vindication Modern, medically documented healings in Jesus’ name (e.g., case reports cataloged by peer-reviewed studies cited in Keener, Miracles) provide ongoing, testable evidence that the risen Christ remains active, aligning with the Markan promise (Mark 16:20). Cosmic Plausibility Intelligent design research highlights irreducible biological complexity and finely tuned cosmological constants. If a Designer engineered life ex nihilo, reanimating a body is not only possible but expected within His sovereign agency. Purpose and Implication Mark 14:28 is neither isolated prediction nor poetic flourish; it is historically anchored, manuscript-secure, archaeologically plausible, philosophically rigorous, behaviorally transformative, and experientially validated. The evidence converges to confirm that Jesus rose, met His followers in Galilee, and still lives—calling all people everywhere to repent and believe. |
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