Jesus Christ rose from the dead

This debate is for a graduate level class assignment. Please only accept this debate if you are willing to take any arguments seriously and respectfully and have enough time to participate in all three rounds. Thank you! ----------------------------------------------- If Jesus Christ rose from the dead he first would have lived. The argument of Jesus historically is one that is very rarely objected to. Most agree (even critics) that Jesus of Nazareth lived on earth at some point and that he is a historical figure. The best most thorough source for information regarding Jesus' life is in fact the New Testament of the Bible, or more precisely the Gospels within the NT of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Though many skeptics see the Bible essentially as one book, it is important to keep in mind that the Bible is actually a resource from many different writers. There are also other resources separate from the Bible who mentions Jesus as historically real whether they held to his divinity. Josephus, a Jewish historian who was not a follower of Jesus recorded these words: "Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats....He was [the] Christ...he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him." The first-century Roman Tacitus, who is considered one of the more accurate historians of the ancient world, mentioned superstitious Christians who suffered under Pilate and who followed a man named Chrestus or, "Christ." Pliny the Younger wrote of Christians who were very ethical and refers to the Lord's Supper. Mara Bar-Serapion stated that Jesus was a wise man and was thought to be king of Israel but was put to death by Jews. Even the Gnostic writings which are not excepted by most modern Christians speak of Jesus and his life. All of this is exceptional evidence even secularly and if Jesus lived and was put to death, as most sources confer, he either rose from the dead or he effectively remained dead. Because of sources like the Bible and the alternative resources listed above, it is evident that Jesus really did live and he really did think that he was God's Son (or at least he said he was). The early Christians who followed Jesus recorded him as saying things like; "follow me," (Mark 1:17) I am the [only] way," (John 14:6) "I Am," (John 11:25) "No one comes to God except through me," (John 6:44) and many more similar. Since the Bible stats the Jesus was God, he died for the world, and he rose from the dead, these events would have to be true in order for Jesus to be Go., I submit that if the final statement is true (Jesus rose from the dead) the other two are also true. The resurrection not only shows that Jesus did what he said he would do, but it shows that he was who he said he was. In the NT Paul also realized that Jesus had to be raised from the dead or everything else was useless (I Cor. 15:14). So ultimately, If Jesus didn't rise from the dead then the New Testament of the Bible is not true and Christianity is also untrue. Here is some of the information we know about Jesus generally without referencing the Bible. (These are taken from Gary Habermas' book, The Risen Jesus and Future Hope. 2003) 1.Jesus died by Roman Crucifixion 2.He was buried 3.The disciples were discouraged having lost hope 4.Jesus' tomb was found empty at some point after his death (or at least there was some controversy over the whereabouts of his body) 5.The disciples claimed to have experienced that they believed were actually appearances of Jesus. 6.These experiences changed the disciples to the point where they were willing to die for Jesus. This probably where the Christian church as we know it began. 7.The disciples publically testified to having seen Jesus 8.Their whole message centered around the apparent death and resurrection of Jesus 9.Jesus' brother James was a former skeptic but had been converted after Jesus' death. 10.A few years later Saul of Tarsus was also converted and his name was changed to Paul. He had been a persecutor of Christians and eventually wrote most of the New Testament. We see a general progression here; Jesus' death brought discouragement but soon thereafter we see hope, changes of heart, a whole religion and all of this at a very early point at the turn of the 1st millennium. James the very brother of Jesus who had not believed in Jesus' deity during his life was converted after he believed Jesus rose from the dead. Paul was a man who was very religious and followed the law of the Pharisees extremely zealous. Paul even admitted to holding the coats as the first Christian martyr Stephen was stoned to death. Paul recorded that Jesus actually appeared to him on his was to Damascus and there he was converted and became the most well known apostle of Jesus. We even know that some of the first Christians feared Paul after he was initially converted. Paul called himself the Chief of sinners because of his actions. The fact that Paul was converted to the Christian faith is not denied. Atheistic philosopher Michael Martin states: "However, we have only one contemporary eyewitness account of a postresurrection appearance of Jesus, namely Paul's." Similarly Jesus Seminar member Roy Hoover explained that "Paul's testimony is the earliest and the most historically reliable evidence about the resurrection of Jesus that we have." Paul also met with other early church leaders including Peter. He approved of their message as we see in New Testament writings and Paul also conferred with many that Jesus was alive after his death and the early apostles and teacher were in unison about the death and resurrection of Jesus – including many who had previously been skeptics. Additionally the tomb in which Jesus was buried was later discovered to be empty. Though this does not prove Jesus rose from the dead it strengthens the argument. If the body was stolen, it shows that the Roman guards failed to protect the tomb. The Gospels are unanimous claiming that women were the first to the tomb of Jesus. This is a powerful argument since it is unlikely anyone would have fabricated this story because the testimony of women at the time of the early first century was not allowed in court on crucial matters. And to top it off, the disciples preached the gospel of Christ in the very town where he was buried; this would have been easy to prove wrong. All the Roman's had to do was drag his body into the street and Christianity would have effectively ended at week one. Since the disciples had fled and were discouraged after the death of Christ, it is logical to agree that there was an event that changed their attitudes after Jesus' death. There was great preaching, evangelism, and teachings that followed their despair; something big happened. Almost no historian disputes the fact that the disciples were transformed at a time after Jesus' death. Biblical and non-Biblical sources alike attest that after the death of Jesus there were a number of followers who were led by men who believed they witnessed Jesus alive after his death. So many have tried to explain the belief of these men and women as simply hallucinations but logically mass hallucinations are all but impossible. Habermas explains that, the resurrection of Jesus was the center of early Christian belief and this points to its reality. It was investigated by believer and non-believers alike and because countless men and women followed Jesus along with the additionally arguments above, we have excellent historical evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.