The Resurrection of Jesus: Fact or Ancient Fiction? | N.T. Wright (Oxford) at UT Austin 

No resurrection, no Christian faith.

NT Wright, always articulate and inspiring.

If there is no resurrection for Jesus, there is no hope for us. Our whole salvation is based on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and without it, we have no hope.

Listening to N T Wright is like listening to Bach, good, holy and wholesome for the mind and spirit!

Christ Jesus is alive

This was an interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing.

Because of this music, my heart is glad. I had surgery two years ago that practically ruined my brain. almost made me question my sanity For almost 12 years, I have worked as a trader full-time. Because I've previously been approached for investing advice, my contact information is displayed on my profile. My life suddenly slowed down and was dull despite the fact that I am enthusiastic about what I do. Even how I recovered is beyond me. One day, I had the impression of seeing a bright light, and when I looked over at my partner, I saw that he was crying. Now that I'm back at work, I'm proud of myself. People seek guidance on how to assist them every day .

Jesus said , if you deny me I shall deny you in front of my father .

He came as a Savior. He will come back as a Judge.

My father used to say when he died he wanted to be buried as close to the cemetery gate as possible, because on Resurrection Day, he wanted to be the first one out.

Wow what a clear cut answer N.T. Wright truly is a great historian when it comes to Christian debates, arguments or clarifications. God bless you Mr Wright.

The resurrection defeated death.

"Chronological snobbery." Finally it's in words.

Actually, according to the New Testament, it happened twice: Once for Jesus Christ, and once for Lazarus before him.

Judging from the gospel of Mark, the earliest Christians did not assume Jesus had risen from the dead. There were stories that he had.

Brilliant man

That is one impressive guy there. A very cogent argument, and that argument, made by others, is one reason why I’ve become a believer.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead there is no reason for religion period !! All will be going to He'll!! I'm glad I'm uneducated,unlearned n ignorant , Jesus is very much alive n lives in all born again Belivers !!

Yes, He did die a horrible death. But he came out of His grave in three days. When Jesus when up to Heaven He sent His Holy Spirit down to us!

Fact! I know, not of anything I have proven scientifically or worldly, but by the spirit of God testifying to my heart and soul that Jesus died, was resurrected and lives today and that he will return to reign on earth.

Revelation of Jesus within our soul life proves and leads us to ascension to Jesus, proof enough I believe, glory comes to those who know him.

This is very good. When I heard this it made me think of Gamaliel's words near the end of Acts 5. If it wasn't from God it would all come to nothing. The early apostles would have everything to lose and nothing to gain. They wouldn't have been jailed, flogged and, in some cases, killed for something they knew wasn't true. Thus the swoon theory and hallucination theory were created.

They said it happened, so it must've happened. I don't think so.

Plato did actually write about a soldier who came back.

"Normal people don't come back from the dead.. " Lex Luther, Smallville.

I once asked a christian if Jesus REALLY rose. The response: Jesus rises every time someone converts to Christianity. Yeah ........... kinda killed the conversation pretty fast.

At an early age I decided to become a pastor not that I experienced anything. Now at 58 have had several encounters, but people can't believe them if shared. Jesus is real unless one's heart has been hardened.

Jesus Christ Our Lord, Rose from the dead after three days and will return to judge the living and the dead.

If Jesus looked different post resurrection such that he was unrecognizable to his own disciples, then the 500 people who saw him had no visual reason to believe that it was Jesus who was speaking to them. Also, there was no photography back in the day, so 500 people had nothing to compare this different looking person to. Also, if less than 100% of these people were totally convinced that the person speaking to them post crucifixion was Jesus, we would never know it because the only recording of event doesn't mention any unconvinced people. Why would it? There is no forensic reason to suspect that resurrection took place, only theological reasons. And that's fine I guess.

That was a very scholarly historical contextualization of Christ's resurrection. I always found it interesting that when Martha told Jesus that she understood her brother would rise on the last day, the resurrection, Jesus said "I am the resurrection ..."

Along these same arguments, Thomas, doubting Thomas, traveled to Southern India and built seven churches. He was murdered during the construction of the eighth. The man who said he would not belief without physical evidence left the clearest trail, complete with stone structures.

For you will not abandon my soul to sheol or let your holy one see corruption- Our Lord Rose!!! Blessed be King Jesus!!

Well, I’m just waiting for one day to have a Christian giving non-typical Christian answer. Of course, he does nothing to answer the question about the skepticism that the interviewer ask him about. A story that was written decades after it actually happened by unknown people so it was a story that was passed on at least two or three times but evidently it’s completely accurate? Not even to mention all the extreme similarities. It has two stories told centuries before of dying and rising gods, that are almost exactly like the Christian story of Jesus. I swear it’s like religion just makes people stop critical, thinking, and just turn on tunnel, vision, and believe. I realize there’s certain good and religion, but there’s also a lot of bad and that’s definitely one of them.

Compassion to all believers. Worshiping a Master is akin to slavery. Unshackle yourself and live your brief existence in freedom. May you be at peace.

Wow. In a "First Things" article, Wright says something a little different, perhaps given a different audience. As I recall it, he says that it is faith and love that "believe" in these things, ie, the Resurrection. (So, "history" is not the "evidence"; the historical accounts are not reliable.) It left me the impression that He did not literally rise; but rather, the key thing is that we BELIEVE that "something happened."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Forgiveness. He Died on the cross to Show us How Important this is. “Forgive and you shall be Forgiven.” “From your Heart Forgive EveryOne.” That is the Way to Peace. He was resurrected to show us that we as Spirits do not die..just the body.

1:15AM, I awoke to find a young man in my room. The window was Un curtained and light from the street outside meant I had no need for a light. I asked him in words I will not write here, "What was he doing in my room?" He replied, "Sorry mate I've had too much to drink and I'm all confused." I told him to get out, the tone of my voice unfriendly. He left and I check to see if anything had been taken. I then opened my door and looked down the hall, he had obviously found his room. The next morning, I asked the hotel owner if all rooms had a common lock? He asked "why?" I told him about my early morning visitor. His face went pale, he sat down. I asked him if he was, OK? He said mate at 1:15AM this morning that bloke lay dead under the wheels of a truck 10 KS from here, I've been to the morgue to identify him. It was then that I realized I had to unlock my door to look down the hall. I'm glad I didn't try to grab him.

The Disciples were in sheer fear of their lives when Jesus was taken and crucified. Yet all died a martyrs death except for John. They had to have believed that Jesus was resurrected and was the messiah because they wouldn't have willingly gone to their deaths for a lie.

Meaning it would only happen both way's but not in one way

TRUE.

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever Hebrews 13:8“ I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” revelation 1;8 It has been 4 days since Lazarus died. Jesus came to the family of Mary and Martha, who were the family of Lazarus. Then Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Marta said to Jesus "Yes, Lord,” , “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:21-27) What can we learn from this? Most of today's generation is divided into two groups: those who believe in resurrection and death in the future and those who say there is no resurrection. One thing we need to know is that what people say is their own opinion, but what Jesus said is 100% correct, appropriate and trustworthy. The reason Jesus did rise Lazarus from the grave was to answer those who have questions about the resurrection of the dead and when the Lord heard of Lazarus' illness, He delayed until Lazarus died. This message is also for us today. In this day and age, Jesus is the resurrection and the life that answers for those who doubt the existence of the resurrection. Martha believes that the resurrection of the dead is after the end of the world. That is by looking ahead to many generations, But the Lord Jesus brought the future world before Martha and showed it to her and said to her: I am the life and the resurrection. The resurrection of the dead is Jesus Christ because He is the Lord who established the thing called "death". When we read the account of creation, the first man transgressed God 'slaw. For this reason, the Lord set the law of death "death on life" because God is the law maker and law giver. During Christ Jesus' earthly time, Lazarus was raised from physical death by the power of the Lord. Now, many people are dead in their spiritual life. What is needed is to believe and know that Jesus Christ is the "resurrection and the life." After whoever believed in Christ he will resurrected them from the spiritual dead. The Bible says: "To know Christ is eternal life (John 17:3) and the day of salvation is now, not after many generations. "Christ came to earth to" RE-SET the first human race" from a temporary "seed" to an eternal "seed", we need the seed of Christ, because he has a living seed of life. Martha believes that her dead brother will rise from the dead in the future and that she will rise also from the dead on the last day, but what the Lord Jesus said to us ? There is no future in him, he is resurrection and life. Because GOD IS "NOW AND NEW" When the prophet Moses saw God appearing in the burning furnace, raised his voice and asked God, who are you? And God said to Moses, "I am who I am." Exodus 3:14 this means that everything is now.. Regardless of time, we are all in a slow or gradual process of change. For those who believe in Christ, the future is now, there is no tomorrow. Because Jesus Christ is " NOW" . Martha believed that Lazarus would rise from the dead, but her faith was that Lazarus would rise from the dead in the future, but the Lord Jesus changed Martha's faith from the belief that from future to now, what is Martha's point of view? . When we believe in Christ right now, the Lord will raise us from spiritual death. Here is what the Lord said: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; (John 11, 25) What it means is whoever believes in Christ now, he will be resurrected from the spiritual death. Believing means seeing a new thing in the spiritual realm.

Jesus brings us comfort. Jesus brings us joy and hope, knowing that He removed all of our sins at Calvary. If you need some teaching on the matter, the you tube channel, 'faith cometh by hearing' has a fine teaching series titled, 'change of mind' which helped me understand the matter.

Everything about Christianity hangs on the FACT of the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. To those who do receive and believe will follow HIM!

We worship a living God not one that is buried. He has risen!

Consider, too, Paul’s account was of 500 men… along with 500 men would doubtless come 500 wives… 500 couples in that day would have 5 or more children… we could be looking at 6000 people or more as women & children didn’t count… I would also point out that hallucinations are not communicable conditions…

5 Thomas asked him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus assured them, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" John 8:32 repent my brothers and sisters, only Jesus Christ saves.

Air brushed out? But the gospels were after Paul, so how were they airbrushed with time passing? It seems opposite to me.

There were several others that were supposedly raised fro the dead in the Bible and it was fairly common in other religions,

The shroud and Suderium DO confirm the resurrection.

Just last night we watched a u tube film probably made by southern baptist churches in the US some time ago called the case for Christ. We about a reporter who declared himself an atheist. But had a wife who became Christian through friendship with a friend. He tried to prove there was no resurrection instead he could only prove the opposite and became a Christian.

"Ooooh! Ooooh!" . "I know the answer! It's FICTION."

In the end it is a matter of faith not fact or fiction, which, considering the context, is the way it ought to be.

I saw him when I had my near death experience. I have pictures of me with angels

If you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth.

Real as LIFE...

("Physical,") transformation based on if ("spirit,") was transformed at the ("same time."

The supernatural shroud of Turin is proof of the resurrection

If Jesus had brothers born from the same mother, he wouldn't have asked John ("the disciple whom he loved") to look after his mother like a son; his brothers would have looked after her after his death. So, the word brothers eithter stands for stepbrothers, born from Joseph in a previous marriage, or cousins (other possible meaning of adelphos), or brothers in faith. Jhon 20.26 Jesus therefore seeing his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by, says to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. 27 Then he says to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

God said it. Nuff said.

We’ll never know…

Well it looks like The Trolls have shown up.

My thoughts, this fella is very philosophical and long-winded to try and make his point and he has a good memory for remembering scriptures but he has no understanding. For the scriptures read for the righteous one will live by means of faith And not with a long-winded speech of philosophical words. Faith follows the thing heard and Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no one can come to the father except through me.

That women were "airbrushed" out of the account already makes it specious. On the other hand, does it matter if this was a corporeal resurrection and why isn't it enough that they didn't choose a new leader and Christ rising and walking again actually occurred through the disciples who came out of hiding and took up the mission and continued forth "into all nations?" That's what Christ actually wanted, not that anybody would believe He came out of a tomb himself. But that the faith He proclaimed would survive and circle the world. It makes no difference if His body rose and walked around. It makes an enormous difference if, seeing Him murdered his disciples didn't just cower and disappear. They revived Christ's spirit in themselves.

Correct?

Jesus is real, and His return will not be pleasant for nonbelievers.

“Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool.” - Voltaire

Because if his, ("spirit,") was mortal (his soul that is) then that would have to be given eternal life too.

Because the spirit would also have to be affected too.

I have received several arrogantly negative replies to my statement of affirmation of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. Amazingly, those who comment act as though they are forensic experts, photographic analysts, physicians and chemists. None of you appear to know any facts about the relic other than sound bites and snippets from detractors. None of you have addressed why there is no pigment on the shroud, why it, unlike a photograph is 3D, why there is no sign of decay on the body, which occurs in about 42 hours of death. None of you have explained why after dousing it with water the image is not diluted or altered, nor have you explained why the body appears to be in motion. None of you have explained why pollen and minerals found in the area of Jerusalem are present in the cloth. Nor have you explained how a medieval forger was clever enough to implant such material or to place Roman coins of the period on the eyes and to find linen matching the type available in the area at the time of Christ when that particular linen was not available in Europe during the medieval period. There are many other unexplained attributes that I have not listed here for the sake of time and space. I think Barrie Schwortz, the original project photographic expert that spent 17 years attempting to explain away the image, is better informed than any of you that have posted your, pseudo intellectual comments to my statements. You are of course, free to believe what you will. But the evidence from the shroud isn't a half eaten cookie Christmas morning to convince one of the genuineness of Santa Claus nor it it the half baked science of "Climate Change" aka Global Warming. So spew your vitriol, it will not change reality.

In those days there were many resurrections, also Jesus caused some. After the development of science, the stories about it have become more rare.

So now the spirit of Jesus wouldn't have been given eternal life if it was already eternal. Correct?

Meher Baba is correct in his assertion that Joshua/Yeshua/Jesus/HeyZeus/Jeebus/GlipGorp/TBD entered a state of Nirvikalpa while on the cross and then moved to India after returning to its body three days later! Collectively, humanity's ignorance/ego prevents objective truth from being properly interpreted!

I love 💕 Jesus but I fear religion.

"...the ancients knew people don't rise from the dead." Yet the ancients (Greeks and Romans) wrote mythologies that included resurrection tales. So the real question is what separates the gospels from these other mythologies and the answer to that is NOTHING. The gospels, starting with Mark bear all the trademarks and ancient mythologies. The gospels are not histories; they are mythology, demonstrably so. All religions start with sincerely held beliefs. So though Mr. Wright himself cannot figure out how xianity commenced unless everyone believed jesus rose from the dead (therefore he rose from the dead) I'd bet real money that he'd deny the sincerely held beliefs of Muslims, Mormons and other sects and cults regarding their sincerely, universally held beliefs. Jesus, if he existed at all, did not rise from the dead and therefore xianity, like all faiths, is false. Get over it.

I regard these stories not as straightforward events that you could capture on video. Rather, using the language of time and space, they seek to express something on the edge of the ineffable, namely, the mystery of Christ’s continuing presence in the lives of Christian as both companion and lord.

Corinth is 3,000 km (by land) from Jerusalem. It does not seem reasonable to expect a Corinth church member (someone who already believes) to travel to Jerusalem to investigate Paul’s claims of the 500. Nor does Paul provide names, dates, or places of this event for anyone to investigate.

And one might suppose that those women, and indeed all the women who met Jesus, would have loved him. Even fell in love with him. How powerful an effect would that have been in the growth of early Christianity?

Voltaire would now have called this man a fool.

And what evidence do we have outside bible for resurrection? Nothing.

WHY did Jesus on the cross ask 'Father, why hast thou forsaken me?'

People in those days were not surprised that 'hero's' walked among the living before they rose to 'heaven'. It was a literary trope in Hellenistic literature. The translation fable was a typical mark of storytelling about hero's. They faced adversity, a horrible death and rose from the dead to walk among the living before they exhalted to heaven. Many hero's like Alexander the Great, Roman Emperors, etcetera, were all seen, by witnesses, to have risen. People didn't ask themselves wether resurrection really happened or not. They expected no less that their hero's performed miracles, had divine powers, were resurrected, etcetera. In that sense, the gospels don't differ from any contemporary hero tale. It followed the same literary form and used the same tropes. In any case, that's no proof Jesus was factually resurrected.

I don't understand how anyone could say people 2000 years ago knew about hallucinations and knew about hallucinations etc, when even up until a hundred or two hundred years ago people were burning witches because they believed they were supernatural practices etc. It's easy to say this now with hindsight.

Buddhist proverb : '' Believe nothing without at least equal evidence ''. Where is the equal evidence for the resurrection -- an extraordinary, supernatural claim?

He did , risen by his father

Remember, all the Apostles went to their death while never refuting the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Do you think they would have died for a myth?

People come back from death only in mythology, in history no one, not one.

The miracle here is a supposed 500 different individuals experienced a resurrected jesus, but we have zero first hand or second hand writings from said people. crazy!

The NT contains many references to people resurrecting from the dead or people thinking that it was possible. Yes, Jesus was exhalted after he died. The whole christianity is bilt on flase premises.

Reverend Jesse Duplantis: 'But yet.....i wasn't affected......'

"That doesn't happen" (rising from the dead). It certainly did when the Father brought His Son (returned Him to earth for a time as He showed Himself to not only the disciples, but others, too). And He ascended imto Heaven where He's seated at God's right hand..Alleluia.

Actually, Peter was the leader of the church after Christ’s ascension, not James, unless I missed something. Also, one of the gospels mentions that the saints also resurrected the day Jesus resurrected and showed themselves to many believers. Sunday aft - March 19, 2023. Wphu Frngtn frwy adrs.

Jesus lives!

...so I'm led to believe...

Although the first witness was a woman, the other apostles also witnessed. Otherwise why would they die for a false belief? That would be ridiculous!

Very unlikely that any person could be recognised by 500 at the same time. 500 people require quite a bit of space to be accommodated together, so only a small number could be close enough to recognise a single person. Most, if not all of the other claimed sightings have the person not recognising Jesus even when intimately close. Mary for example. Now Tom Wright is a very good bible scholar and excellent communicator, able to start from his preferred conclusion then construct a compelling argument that leads to that preferred conclusion. But when things don't suit his narrative line, he'll effectively change things, obscure them by language changes. For example when addressing the attempted genocide of people by the Israelites, Wright uses the term, "when God was preparing the land". This completely leads the listener away from what was actually reported in the Bible towards a benign non violent situation. Okay I'm not talking about a possible reserection here, just alerting people that Wright can and does use his considerable skills and knowledge to paint pictures he wants you to accept. Quite possibly I think he is most often being honest, but he does use language intentionally sometimes to obscure things. So when listening to or reading Wright, Test all things and hold to what is true.

Absolute fact.

But if in one way......

Don't forget the dead saints that were raised from their graves in Matthew 27:52. Many people saw them as well according to the Bible.

according to what scriptures ?the Question is why did he rise from the dead ?

Awesome!