Eyewitness Testimony

Dr. Blehm spends the bulk of the lesson sharing the strength of the eyewitness testimony to Jesus’ resurrection. Not only was the tomb empty, but a significant number of individuals believed they saw Jesus after that Easter morning. Many of them, it would seem, believed so strongly that they had seen the risen Jesus that they were willing to die for it.

Blehm argues that there are two key witnesses to history. One is archaeological. The other comes from traditions that have been preserved in written or oral form. In this regard, Dr. Blehm gives three key indicators that historical traditions are valid. 

Early Testimony

If we are to put on the hat of someone questioning the resurrection, we cannot assume that any of the Gospel writers themselves were eyewitnesses. It is, of course, traditional to think that Matthew and John were eyewitnesses, but these traditions have been disputed. Traditionally, Mark is said to draw on Peter’s witness, and Luke indicates he gathered testimony (Luke 1:1-4), but in historical argument we cannot simply assume these traditions are historical. That would be circular thinking (assuming your conclusion in your argument).

As Dr. Blehm indicates, the earliest and strongest historical evidence for the resurrection comes from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. At first, it may seem counterintuitive to think that Paul’s witness would come before the Gospel witness. Aren’t the Gospels about Jesus? Yes, but it is not likely that any of the Gospels were actually written until after Paul had died. What a book is about and when a book was written are two quite different things. After all, you or I could write a book about Jesus. So most scholars would date the earliest Gospel, Mark, to around AD 70.

However, most scholars would date 1 Corinthians to the mid-50s. That is, this letter dates to a time no more than 25 years after the events. The principal witnesses were still alive. In fact, Paul mentions the living Peter in 1 Corinthians 9:6. He knows James, who was Jesus’ brother, as well as John (Gal. 2:9). These leaders did not always see eye to eye with Paul, but there is absolutely no evidence that they disagreed on the core datum of the resurrection. 

Paul’s letters assume the bodily resurrection of Jesus, especially in 1 Corinthians 15. Paul debates with the Corinthians about bodily resurrection, but there is absolutely no trace of him debating with Peter, James, or John, the core eyewitnesses. Paul defines an apostle as a witness to the resurrected Jesus (1 Cor. 9:1). And he points to there being a number of apostles.

The core testimony is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8:

Dr. Blehm points out the formulaic nature of this tradition, arguing that it was likely formulated as a kind of creedal tradition within three to eight years of Jesus’ resurrection. Paul often emphasizes in his writings that he receives revelation directly from the Lord (e.g., Gal. 1:11-12). Indeed, he places himself among the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection here.

However, here he clearly indicates that he is passing along extensive eyewitness testimony to Jesus’ resurrection. The testimony appears in two layers. First, there were the Twelve and individuals who were associated with Jesus’ earthly ministry, with Peter as the lead-off hitter (cf. Luke 24:34). This includes a crowd of five hundred. By pointing out that most are still alive, Paul, in effect, says, “Check my references.” It has a ring of historicity.

The second layer are the apostles, beginning with Jesus’ brother James. This layer includes Junia, a woman that Paul includes among the apostles in Romans 16:7. These apostles had seen the risen Jesus and understood themselves to be sent by him to witness to his victorious resurrection and, therefore, his Lordship.

You can doubt that all these people saw what they thought they saw. But it is very difficult to contest that they thought they saw it. A lot of people thought they saw Jesus alive after he had died on the cross. This was not just a single appearance either but multiple appearances over a short period of time in multiple locations. A skeptic has to deny all of these.

And again, many of these individuals were willing to die for what they saw. According to solid tradition, both Peter and Paul died in Rome for their faith (cf. John 21:18-19; Acts 20:38). James, the son of Zebedee would die for his faith (Acts 12:2). Strong tradition suggests that Jesus’ brother James was also martyred around the year AD 62. It is hard to believe that so many people would be willing to die for a memory that was not rock solid in their minds! 

If a person doesn’t believe that resurrections can happen, he or she will obviously come up with another explanation. But if you are open to the possibility, the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead is very strong indeed. If resurrections can happen, this is the most likely resurrection of all time.