A Note from Our Editor: “Did Jesus Physically Rise from the Dead?” -- By: John Warwick Montgomery
Journal: Global Journal of Classical Theology
Volume: GJCT 16:2 (Sep 2019)
Article: A Note from Our Editor: “Did Jesus Physically Rise from the Dead?”
Author: John Warwick Montgomery
A Note from Our Editor: “Did Jesus Physically Rise from the Dead?”
Unbelievers have often said that Jesus could not have survived death on the cross. Let’s see if that’s so or not—and why the right answer to the question is of utmost importance.
Objections To A Physical Resurrection
Typical of those objecting to Jesus’ physical resurrection was a German theologian, Karl Venturini, who, early in the 19th century, said that Jesus had not really died on the cross, but had “swooned.” According to this “swoon theory,” the disciples thought that Jesus had been resurrected, but, really, he had just fainted and later woke up.
What do you think? My view is that if you can believe that, you shouldn’t have any problem believing in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, since such a “swoon” would have been more miraculous than the resurrection!
Why? Here are just a few reasons: (1) The Roman soldiers crucifying Jesus knew their business: they had conducted many, many crucifixions in that cruel time of history. (2) According to the accounts, the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear after taking the body down from the cross–to make sure that he was dead–and out came blood and water (lymph), showing that he was no longer living. (3) Would the disciples not have known the difference between a gloriously risen Christ and someone who had been subjected to torture for hours and nailed to a cross? (4) What would have happened to Jesus afterwards? Would he have hid himself away somewhere? Gone into retirement? In fact, Jesus was the last person to lie about himself or deceive others about himself. (By the way, you might like to read the most careful medical study of Jesus’ death, as published some years ago in the Journal of the American Medical Association, where the authors conclude that “Jesus was dead when taken down from the cross” [JAMA, Vol. 255, pp. 1455–63 (1986)].)
Let The Historical Records Make The Decision
Venturini is a very good (or very bad!) example of what happens when people do not pay attention to the firsthand, historical reports of Jesus’ life, ministry, and death. All we know about Jesus comes from the New Testament records, and if a person ignores them, he or she no longer does history. One substitutes speculation for history and the results are of no value whatsoever.
Suppose we were to do the same thing with other historical figures. A fine biblical theologian of the 19th century, Richard Whately—who had a great sense of humor—wrote a book titled, Historic Doubts relative to Napoleon Buonaparte. Skeptics had said that you couldn’t believe the New Testament accounts of Jesus because everyone has prejudices—either they lo...
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