Chapter 12 Discussion

Here are some responses to my chapter 12 discussion questions. If you haven't looked at them yet scroll down to the previous post and think about them before you read my responses.

1. The details of the empty tomb in the four Gospel accounts vary somewhat. They vary in sequence of events, how many angels were present, what women were present, etc. Does this mean the story should be suspect? Actually, lawyers will tell you that if different accounts agree too much even in the minor details that they are suspect because they feel the people have collaborated with each other. The basic facts are the same in all accounts of the women going to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body, they find it empty and report back to the Apostles.

2. Jesus being buried by a religious leader like Joseph of Arimathea seems highly unlikely, should I believe this part of the story? Since Jesus confronted the leaders, this does seem surprising but we do see that Nicodemus became a follower of Christ so it should not be ruled out. Actually, since all four Gospel accounts state this that gives it incredible clout.

3. Many crucified victims were left to be preyed upon by scavengers such as vultures and wild dogs or they were buried in mass graves. Is this a possible explanation why Jesus' grave cannot be found? There is too much evidence from authentic manuscripts to believe he was just abandoned on the cross. Besides, the Shroud of Turin - even if it is not Jesus' burial cloth - at the very least shows an example of one crucified victim that was buried.

4. What does the fact that the Gospels record that the first witnesses to an empty tomb were women such as Mary Magdalene tell us about the story? Women in the first century were not considered to be credible witnesses by Jewish men. If the Gospel accounts were fabricated you would expect them to ignore the women and have Peter, James and John be the first witnesses to the empty tomb.

5. What do the Jewish rebuttals to the resurrection tell us about the tomb? The Jewish story to refute the resurrection claimed that the body of Christ was stolen by the Apostles. This actually confirms that the tomb was in fact empty.

The next chapter looks at evidence for the resurrection itself.