Welcome Burns Church of Christ April 2009

New Life! Exploring the reality and implications of Christ’s resurrection Stephen B. Cantrell, DDS, MD

The resurrection of Christ n Why discuss these things? n The marriage theory n The swoon theory n The hoax theory n The hallucination theory

The resurrection of Christ n Why discuss these things? n The marriage theory n The swoon theory n The hoax theory n The hallucination theory

Why discuss these things? n Is this really productive? (There will always be scoffers – Acts 17:32, 2 Peter 3:3-4) n We must be ready to explain – 1 Peter 3:15 n If this isn’t true, our faith is worthless!

The importance of Christ’s resurrection n It was the final and ultimate proof that He was God, just as He claimed n It was predicted to happen by the prophets and Jesus himself n It was incontrovertible evidence n The New Testament internally depends entirely upon it n Without it, we are truly pathetic – 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-19

The resurrection of Christ n Why discuss these things? n The marriage theory n The swoon theory n The hoax theory n The hallucination theory

The marriage theory n Proponents: Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln, Dan Brown n Theory: Jesus never went to the cross, but married Mary Magdalene and raised a family instead. Variation: He went to the cross, but Pilate was bribed to take Him down early on. n Status: Thoroughly debunked and proven to be based on multiple forged sources. Not accepted by any serious scholar but ever popular for thriller books and movies.

The resurrection of Christ n Why discuss these things? n The marriage theory n The swoon theory n The hoax theory n The hallucination theory

The “swoon” theory n Proponents: Karl Friedrich Bahrdt (1780), Heinrich Paulus (1802), others n Theory: Jesus suffered severely on the cross, appearing to be dead. He was taken down and later revived in the tomb. Variation: Luke the physician was in on the plan and gave Him drugs to simulate death.

The “swoon” theory - problems n It ignores the realities of what was done and defies all logic. n It assumes incompetence of Roman executioners. n It assumes inattention of the Jews who wanted Him dead. n It ignores the narrative in John 19: and the medical detail provided.

The “swoon” theory

Status: rejected as implausible by even the most ardent resurrection deniers.

The resurrection of Christ n Why discuss these things? n The marriage theory n The swoon theory n The hoax theory n The hallucination theory

The hoax theory n Proponents: chief priests and elders, Roman guards, early Jews (Matthew 28:1-15) n Theory: His disciples came during the night and stole His body, burying it in secret.

The hoax theory - problems n The laughable premise of actually pulling this caper off – stealing the body, burying it in secret n The lack of motive n The lack of coordination of the disciples n The martyr deaths without a single renunciation (Acts 26:11) n The eyewitnesses and common knowledge of the historicity of the event (Acts 26:16, 1 Corinthians 15:5-8)

The hoax theory Status: rejected as implausible by even the most ardent resurrection deniers.

The resurrection of Christ n Why discuss these things? n The marriage theory n The swoon theory n The hoax theory n The hallucination theory

The hallucination theory n Proponents: Prof. Dr. Gerd Luedemann, others n Theory: Jesus died on the cross and was honorably buried just as the Bible reports. He rotted in the grave, but Peter and Paul hallucinated seeing Him and were able to convince many others.

The hallucination theory - problems n Not plausible historically n No basis for it other than author’s conjecture n Cannot explain the diversity of appearances and their agreement without dissent n Cannot explain Paul’s suffering instead of a privileged life (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

The resurrection of Christ is one of the best documented events in all of history, and it doesn’t even represent hard work for a God who created the universe and controls its physics at will.

What does it mean to you? 2 Peter 3:11-14, Titus 2: Corinthians 2:9

Let it be real to you. Let it be the basis for your hope and the assurance of all His promises. Let the New Life change the way you live here and now.