Easter: Fact or Fiction?

Easter is a celebration of an event that millions of Christians believe occurred: the physical resurrection of Jesus three days after his crucifixion. However, there are many who believe that the resurrection did not actually occur, but was rather a hoax or a legend that grew over time.

Jewish and Roman sources – both hostile to the upstart Christian movement – admit that Jesus’ tomb was empty after his burial. So the question is, how did Jesus’ body leave the tomb? Here is a brief look at some of the possibilities, as well as the common Christian responses.

They Went to the Wrong Tomb

This theory asserts that the women who went to Jesus’ tomb that first Easter morning made a very simple mistake: they went to the wrong tomb. Seeing it empty, they assumed Jesus must have been raised to life. They raced to tell the disciples, who told the world and started a religion.

Christian Response:

If the women simply went to the wrong tomb, the Jews and Romans wasted a lot of time arresting, beating and executing Christians in an attempt to stop the spread of Christianity. All they would have had to do was produce Jesus’ body from the actual tomb.

Jesus Didn’t Really Die

This explanation, commonly known as the “Swoon Theory,” suggests that Jesus was not actually dead when he was taken down from the cross. Rather, he lost consciousness due to blood loss and later revived inside the tomb. He left the tomb and appeared to the disciples, who were only too happy to believe that their leader had been brought back to life.

Christian Response:

If Jesus somehow survived the lashing, the crucifixion, andthe subsequent stabbing with a spear, he would have been too weak and injured to unwrap himself from the burial cloths, let alone roll away a huge stone from the entrance of the tomb. Also, once he somehow managed to walk to meet his disciples with holes in his feet, how could a half-dead man inspire the disciples to go and preach that he had been miraculously resurrected?

They Hallucinated

If the disciples believed that they really did see Jesus alive after his death and burial, one possibility is that they hallucinated. The man they had given up everything to follow was suddenly convicted and executed. They wanted so desperately for him to be alive again that they had vivid hallucinations that he was.

Christian Response:

Hallucinations are rare, and the idea that so many different people could have the same hallucination is unsupported by psychology. And the empty tomb was not a hallucination.

The Disciples Stole the Body

This explanation has been around for as long as the resurrection story. The Jewish leaders at the time made this claim. Jesus’ disciples, humiliated and angered by his public execution, pulled off the biggest hoax in the history of the world. They stole the body during the night and hid it well. Then they were free to claim that Jesus had risen from the dead and that they had actually seen him alive. They preached that his “resurrection” proved he was the Messiah of prophecy; and with an empty tomb to support their story, thousands of people were soon converting to Christianity.

Christian Response:

When Jesus was arrested, his disciples all deserted him in fear. What would make these frightened men take on the Roman guards who were posted at the tomb? Also, with the exception of John (who was exiled), every disciple was killed for preaching that Jesus was the Christ and had been raised to life. They died gruesome, torturous deaths, yet not one recanted. People will die for something they believe is true, but it is impossible that they would all have willingly died for something they knew to be a lie.

It is a Legend

The story of Jesus being raised to life is a myth that gained popularity over time. Inspired by existing stories in pagan traditions, the claim that Jesus had resurrected began to be spread generations after his death.

Christian Response:

Claims of Jesus’ resurrection occur too soon after the fact for it to be a legend. The earliest texts reporting the resurrection are within 30 years of the event, when plenty of people who witnessed the crucifixion would have still been alive and able to refute the claim of a resurrection if it were false.

This is a brief and unscientific summary. There are experts and scholars on both sides of the debate. If the resurrection was a hoax, then one of the world’s major monotheistic religions is entirely based on a lie. If the resurrection actually happened, then Jesus must have been who he claimed to be: the Son of God. Weigh the evidence and decide for yourself.