Historical evidence
that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose on the 3rd day
The ancient times were an oral tradition society that memorised and passed down events through oral tradition.
The fact that we even get the Gospels written, so close to the events, is pretty impressive, if not a miracle.
Wes Huff's video on the subject can be found here
How do we know people in ancient times existed? Let's compare:
(356 BC-323 BC)
Alexander the Great
Had 4 biographers:
Marcus Velleius Paterculus
(19 BC-31 AD)
Cornelius Tacitus
(54-120 AD)
Suetonius
(69 AD – after 122 AD)
Cassius Dio
(164 AD-c. 229 AD)
His 4 biographers wrote more than 350 years after Alexander's death, and they are still considered trustworthy sources.
Jesus Christ
(c. 6 to 4 BC–30 or 33 AD)
Matthew
(eyewitness
and one of the
12 apostles)
Mark
(was not a witness, but talked to the witnesses)
Luke
(was not a witness, but talked to the witnesses)
John
(eyewitness and one
of the 12 apostles)
Had 4 biographers:
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written approximately 30 years after the events.
Tiberius
(42 BC-37 AD)
Had 4 biographers:
Marcus Velleius Paterculus
(19 BC-31 AD)
Cornelius Tacitus
(54-120 AD)
Suetonius
(69 AD – after 122 AD)
Cassius Dio
(164 AD-c. 229 AD)
The most important person, from antiquity, contemporary to Jesus, was the Roman emperor Tiberius.
We know of his existence from his 4 biographers who wrote approximately 80 years after the events (with the exception of Marcus Velleius Paterculus, who lived at the same time as Tiberius).
non-christian sources
Roman and Jewish accounts
of Jesus being a real, historical person
A Syriac Stoic philosopher, talking about the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD, mentions how the jews had their kingdom taken from them, because they killed their wise king (wise king being Jesus Christ).
Mara Bar Serapion - 73 AD
1
A Jewish historian wrote about the condemnation to death, by stoning, of a certain: "brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James (James the Just)."
Josephus - 93-94 AD (TESTIMONIUM FLAVIANUM/Jewish Antiquities, XX, 9, 1)
2
A Roman historian and politician, very hostile to Christianity, mentions the crucifixion of Christ at the hands of Pontius Pilate: "The founder of this sect [the Christians], Christ, had suffered the supreme. penalty during the reign of Tiberius, by order of the procurator Pontius Pilate.
Momentarily repressed, the fatal superstition broke out not only in Judea, the origin of this evil, but in Rome itself."
Tacitus - c. 116 AD (ANNALS, XV, 44)
3
A Roman governor, of Bithynia et Pontus, wrote a letter to Trojan in 112 AD, to ask for counsel in the matter of dealing with the practices of the early Christians: "It is my custom, Sir, to refer to you in all cases where I do not feel sure, for who can better direct my doubts or inform my ignorance? I have never been present at any legal examination of the Christians, and I do not know, therefore, what are the usual penalties passed upon them, or the limits of those penalties, or how searching an inquiry should be made. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians and called upon the gods in the usual formula, reciting the words after me, those who offered incense and wine before your image, which I had given orders to be brought forward for this purpose, together with the statues of the deities - all such I considered should be discharged, especially as they cursed the name of Christ, which it is said, those who are really Christians could not be induced to do. But they declared that the sum of their guilt or their error only amounted to this, that on a stated day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak and to recite a hymn among themselves to Christ, as though he were a god."
Pliny the Younger - 112 AD
4
"There are at least 15 different historical sources that attest to Christ's crucifixion within 100 years of his death (between 30 AD and 130 AD).
42 sources dating to less than 150 years after Jesus' death that mention his existence, 9 of which are non-Christian. In comparison, regarding Julius Caesar, only 5 sources report his military operations." (Bart Denton Ehrman)
Or read from authors who spend decades researching this topic and came up with the conclusion that Jesus is a real person.
proof for
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Yes, He died. There's no evidence of anyone ever surviving a Roman crucifixion.
The Journal of the American Medical Association says this: "Clearly, the weight of the evidence indicates that Jesus was dead even before the wound to his side was inflicted." Most probably by asphyxiation, due to the design of the cross, meant to inflict the most pain possible, in the most gruesome way.
1
Josephus - 93-94 AD (TESTIMONIUM FLAVIANUM/Jewish Antiquities)
"At this time, there lived a wise man called Jesus, and his conduct was irreproachable, and he was known as a virtuous man. And many among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who have become his disciples did not abandon their loyalty to him.
They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion, and that he was alive. Consequently, they believed that he was the Messiah, of whom the Prophets had told wonders."
2
The empty tomb
Matthew 27-28
The Jewish priests (after Jesus died on the cross) asked Pontius Pilate to seal the tomb, so no one could steal Jesus' body. Pilate gave them the "Koustodia" - a highly specialized, highly trained unit of 16 Roman guards who never failed their task (the penalty for breaking the seal would have been death, also by crucifixion).
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 27-28, the seal was broken by an angel, whose sight made the Roman soldiers faint.
After the events, terrified for their lives, the soldiers told the Jewish priests what had happened, that Jesus had resurrected, and accepted money from the priests to say the disciples stole the body, while they were all asleep. The Jewish priests had also promised to protect them against punishment for "sleeping" and not protecting the tomb.
3
The Shroud of Turin
From thousands of burial clothes, none have body images, but this one has. The image was created because of radiation produced from a dead, crucified body underneath.
The crucified body has all the marks that Jesus suffered from in His crucifixion. The radiation appears to come out from the body and onto the cloth, only affecting the surface fibers. Whatever made the mark is very shallow - so it's not paint, powder, dye. It cannot be faked. (Gary Habermas)
4
The Fate of the Apostles
How reliable are the resurrection accounts? The willingness of the apostles to die for their faith is a popular argument in resurrection studies, because Christianity is a resurrection religion. The event itself turned the world upside down religiously.
All of the 12 Apostles met their deaths in the most brutal ways, for their belief (the only one who died of old age was John), such as crucifixion, beheading, stoning, spearing, stabbing, or skinning alive.
5
The irrefutable evidence of NDEs
More than 200 million people (across America/Europe/England) report having had a Hell or Heaven NDE. In these near-death experiences, people meet Jesus, not Buddha, not Allah, not Shiva, not Ishtar.
So, there is empirical evidence, take for example, the works of Bruce Grayson (a non-believer) or John Burke (a Christian) who've invested a lot of time into this, collecting testimonies and gathering data.
6
bible eyewitnesses to
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Women at the tomb (Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Salome)
-
Peter (Simon Peter)
-
Two Disciples: Encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus
-
The Apostles/Eleven Disciples: Appeared to the group, including Thomas, in the upper room and later in Galilee
-
James (Brother of Jesus): Saw the resurrected Christ
-
Apostle Paul (in 1 Corinthians 15:8) wrote that the resurrected Jesus appeared to him
Over 500 People saw the resurrected Jesus at once
Paul mentions a large group that saw Jesus at one time, most of whom were still living when he wrote (in 1 Corinthians 15:6).