Some religious leaders of the first century apparently used a similar tactic in recounting the resurrection of Jesus. Influenced by pagan religions that minimized the reality of the physical world, they claimed that Jesus rose in a spiritual sense, not bodily. To the apostle Paul, this idea was heresy. He wrote to the Corinthians about the importance of accurate historical evidence. Most of those eyewitnesses were still alive and could testify that Jesus' resurrection body was as real as the one He had before He died, though it possessed new powers.
Historical accuracy is crucial to the truthfulness of the Christian faith.
The literal bodily resurrection supports Jesus' deity, the sufficiency of His atoning death, and the hope of eternal life. Faith in Jesus is a faith in the Truth, the Truth that is rooted in history. It tells of the Savior, God's Son. To know Christ is to know the truth.