From Grave to Gospel: Examining the Historical Claims of Jesus’ Resurrection

A. Monch
Jun 15
6 min read

At the center of Christianity are the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be just one of many religions. But did Jesus actually die as the Bible describes? Is Jesus a myth? Did the apostles lie to gain power or fame? Or was someone else crucified in His place? For instance, Muslims believe Jesus was not crucified and did not die on the cross; instead, God raised him to heaven and another person was crucified in His place.[1] Nevertheless, the New Testament is clear that Jesus died on the cross and that, beforehand, He was tortured. This is reinforced by the eyewitness accounts provided in the Gospels, which independently confirm the brutality of His treatment and death. The Gospels state: “Pilate then had Jesus flogged. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put a purple robe on him. Then they said, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they struck him with their hands” (John 19:1–3). All four Gospels independently report that He was, at minimum, flogged, beaten, and crucified.[2]

Eyewitness Gospel accounts are supported by what we know of Roman execution practices. In fact, these accounts are corroborated by non-biblical sources, which further validate the historical accuracy of the Gospels. But these accounts were written by human authors, so could they have exaggerated what was done to Jesus? Non‑biblical sources also confirm that such treatment was typical of Roman executions. Josephus,

in The Jewish War (Bellum Judaicum, c. AD 75–79), explains that criminals “were first whipped, and then tormented with all sorts of tortures, before they died, and were then crucified before the wall of the city.” [3] Flogging was sometimes so severe that some criminals did not make it to the cross; the Roman flagrum had a wooden handle, leather thongs, and metal balls, hooks, or sharp bone fragments tied to the thongs to make the flogging even more gruesome.

After enduring such severe flogging, Jesus was made to bear His cross. However, due to the extent of His injuries, He must have been too weak to carry it alone, leading to Simon of Cyrene assisting Him. [4] After Jesus hung on the cross and died, John explains:

“Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day” (the day on which Jews made final preparations so nothing would violate Sabbath rest), “that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:31–33).

The fact that blood and water came out when His side was pierced is important eyewitness testimony. The pierced side releasing blood and watery fluid is consistent with pleural effusion or hemothorax, which can result from chest trauma or cardiac rupture—conditions compatible with severe flogging and crucifixion.[5] Besides the Gospel accounts, Bart Ehrman, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (who does not believe Jesus is God), wrote that “[t]he crucifixion of Jesus by the Romans is one of the most secure facts we have about his life.”[6]

There was no mistaking that Jesus was dead; there were no coroners or formal services to remove the body. His followers and family handled His cold, stiff body, and rigor mortis, which typically sets in within two to six hours, supports that He was dead when taken down. Matthew reports that “[w]hen Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in His new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed” (Matthew 27:59–60). I see no doubt that Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus’s family, and His followers believed He was dead. The Messiah they were counting on was dead, and Jesus’ disciples fled, scattered, or hid after His arrest and death. By all intents and purposes, the story should have ended there, with the death and burial of Jesus marking the conclusion of His earthly ministry.

Holy Women at Christ' s Tomb - Annibale Carracci - Date: c.1590 - Public Domain

Yet remarkably, the narrative then shifts sharply, as multiple witnesses claim to have encountered the risen Jesus. This aspect is crucial, as it emphasizes the transformational impact of the resurrection on those who witnessed it. At dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb and found Jesus was not there. An angel told the women, “[d]o not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:5-6). And then “. . . as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me” (Matthew 28:9-10). All four Gospels report that women were the first at the tomb and among the first to encounter the risen Jesus or the angelic announcement.[7] It is notable that women were the first witnesses because, at that time, women’s testimony was generally not valued. In Antiquities 4.8.15 Josephus writes that legal testimony requires at least two (preferably three) credible witnesses and adds, “But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex.” If someone had fabricated the resurrection story, they would most likely not have chosen women as the first witnesses to report such a grand event.

Perhaps the story did not end there because of how many witnesses saw Jesus after the resurrection. Paul states that Jesus “... rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that, He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then, last of all, He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:4-8). Paul was not always a follower of Jesus, he was a fervent persecutor of Christians, zealously hunting down and imprisoning believers in an effort to suppress the burgeoning movement. His transformation began on the road to Damascus, where he encountered a vision of the resurrected Jesus, leading to his dramatic conversion and subsequent commitment to spreading the Gospel as one of Christianity's most influential apostles. This raises an important question: why would Paul, once a vehement persecutor of Christians, write so passionately about his faith and the resurrection if there was no significant event that prompted his transformation?

To further demonstrate the credibility of these accounts, J. Warner Wallace emphasizes the legitimacy of the writings regarding the witnesses: “If the Gospels were written early (during the time the eyewitnesses lived), it is reasonable to expect the witnesses would fact-check the content of their testimony as it was being told to others.” [8] Wallace also explains that he “... was able to identify several chains of custody revealing what the apostles observed and taught.” For instance, John was making disciples such as Ignatius and Polycarp, who then taught others like Irenaeus, who taught Hippolytus, and so on. [9] We have these writings and can determine if there is any deviation in these writings from what the Gospels say.

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio (c.1602)

In conclusion, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are pivotal events at the heart of Christianity,

supported by a wealth of historical, eyewitness accounts and non-biblical references. The consistency across the Gospels in describing Jesus's brutal treatment and definitive death serves to strengthen the claim of His resurrection. The credible nature of the witnesses, including the surprising choice of women to first discover the empty tomb, further undermines any notion of fabrication, as such a detail would have been unlikely in an ancient context where women's testimonies were undervalued.

Notably, Paul’s transformative journey from a fanatical persecutor to a devoted disciple underscores the profound impact of the resurrection, prompting him to write passionately about his encounter with the risen Christ. His insistence on the reality of the resurrection, supported by the testimonies of so many others, challenges us to consider the implications of these events. Ultimately, the resurrection of Jesus is not merely a religious claim but a historical event that invites each individual to explore the profound questions of faith and the possibility of renewal in their own lives.