Many critics of the Bible and people who are usually not very favorable toward Christianity in general oftentimes claim that those things written in the Bible are only imagination which cannot be confirmed . Especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the major points being questioned because such a thing is said to be impossible according to all human experience and scientific knowledge. Thus it is concluded that the Bible at best gives someone's phantasies in this matter, but certainly not truth. Then it is argued that this whole matter is not very well attested to and that it is not really confirmed by anyone. But, is this really the case? Are those critics perhaps right with their suspicions and claims?
It is indeed quite remarkable that the assumption that the resurrection of Jesus Christ (just as other events which are recorded in the Bible) are not very well attestet to (at least not in a satisfactory manner) is really absolutely false. Mostly this argument is based on the fact that there is only one source, the Bible, and no other sources which have records of these events. But then often people have not considered that the Bible really is not one book of one particular writer, but rather with the Bible we have several books of different writers and from even different time periods in history for our study.
The critics oftentimes also purposely overlook that all the other records about events from the ancient times of Rome and Greece, which they seemingly have no problem to trust and to believe and whose testimony they never question, are really also only recorded in perhaps one source and that the available text is not even a copy of the original text bur only a remote quotation by someone else in another work. Also, some such sources have come down to us in only very few examples so that the recognition of their authenticity is based on very few manuscripts. Now, this is completely different when it comes to the Bible, for there are several old manuscripts which even contain almost the complete Bible, and many, many manuscripts which contain whole books or extensive parts thereof. It is then very remarkable that despite the enormous amount of manuscripts with handwritten copies of the text, the texts of the Biblical records are almost completely in absolute harmony with each other and give the same wording in all.
When it comes to the matter of determining how well something is attested to, primary and secondary witnesses are called for and their testimony is taken into consideration. Primary witnesses are reports by eye witnesses; those really carry the greatest weight when trying to determine what actually happened. Furthermore it is important whether or not the witness of several eye witnesses agrees with each other and with other indications or whether they are contradictory.
Now, if we apply these measures to our study and investigation of the question how well the resurrection of Jesus Christ is attested to, we will fairly quickly arrive at a result which may prove to be quite surprising to many readers.
Before entering a more detailed study of the records about the resurrection of Jesus, I would like to mention a few more general points which have to do with the afore mentioned criteria for determining the authenticity of an event.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not only recorded in only one book of the Bible, nor is it only mentioned by one Biblical writer … it is mentioned by several. The four gospels, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, all have records about this event, in addition there is another work of Luke, the Book of Acts, and several epistles by the apostle Paul and some other writings of the New Testament. These writings all were composed in differetn places, at different times, and they do mention different further witnesses and events, and yet their testimonies are in agreement and thus attest to and actually confirm the resurrection in a manner which many other events from the same ancient time period cannot claim for themselves.
We want to look at a few places and collect the various facts mentioned there.
Matthew 28:5-10:
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Matthew mentions one angel and several women who confirmed that Jesus was no longer in the grave on that first day of the week, but rather that he was alive. The women actually meet Jessu, talk to him, embrace his feet. And, they receive the command to tell the other disciples something which is also mentioned in other records as well.
Matthew 28:16-18:
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Here now, further witnesses are mentioned which saw Jesus a little time later on on a mountain in Galilee and who met with him there. These were eleven of the twelve apostles whom Jesus had chosen. It is remarkable that Matthew does mention that some of them doubted, a small detail which however does give even more credence to the words of Matthew, rather than taking away anything from his credibility.
Mark 16:4-8:
And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
Again in Mark 16, womean and one angel are mentioned as witnesses who knew of the resurrection of Jesus and who also attested to it and confirmed it.
Mark 16:9-15:
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,1 out of whom he had cast seven devils.
And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
This section again mentions several immediate witnesses who had seen the risen Jesus and who had been together with him after his resurrection: Mary Magdalene, then two other disciples who were walking in the countryside, and finally again the eleven aspotles.
Exactly these witnesses are also mentioned in the other gospels, which is the reason that it may not be all that important if this section at the end of the gospel of Mark was not really part of the original text.2
Luke 24:4-11:
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words,
And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
This record mentions also several women and their experiences at the empty grave, and we read of two angels who confirmed to the women that Jesus had indeed been risen. In their words the angels make reference to Jesus' own words when he had already declared these things ahead of time and had told the disciples about it. Again, we also are told about the rather unbelieving attitude of the disciples toward the women's report.
Luke 24:12:
Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Here now Peter is singled out and we are told that he himself went to the grave after the report of the women and that he too saw the empty grave with his own eyes.
Luke 24:13-15.24.33-35:
And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
…
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
…
And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
This is the record about the two disciples who were on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus on that day and to whom Jesus came and who then later on identified him without a shadow of a doubt as the risen Jesus Christ. In the course of the conversation they mentioned that some of the disciples had gone to the grave after the women had given their report and they found it exactly so as the women had told them.
When they then returne to Jerusalem, the eleven were already talking about Jesus having really risen and that Simon Peter also had seen him.
Luke 24:36-43:
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.
And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
And he took it, and did eat before them.
This is a record about an appearance of the lord Jesus to the eleven apostles who were assembled and gathered for a meal. Some important details are mentioned here which again add to the credibility of the record as a whole. These witnesses not only see Jesus with their own eyes, they see some very distinct marks in his hands and feet by which they identified him without doubt as being the same Jesus with whom they had been previously. From Jesus' words here it is evident, that he was standing in front of them as a risen person, a human being, because he expressly states that he had flesh and bones; this is further made clear in that he also could eat before their eyes.
John 20:1-10:
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
This section from John 20 mentions at first Mary Magdalene, then Peter and another disciple, who all went to the grave quite early on that day in order to see the grave; when they got there, the grave was empty and yet the grave clothes were still undisturbed inside the grave, but no body was any longer inside! The grave was empty; he who had been enbalmed in the grave clothes was no longer there. These events here obviously happened prior to some of the other events in which Peter was mentioned as being involved, as we learned already from the other gospels.
John 20:11-18:
But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
This most likely is the record about the very first appearance of the risen Jesus to any man or woman, and it was Mary Magdalene who saw him first and also spoke with him. Here again, some important details are given which affirm the credibility of this record.
John 20:19-20:
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
John also mentions that Jesus appeared to the assmbeled disciples or apostles that evening and how he spoke with them. This were the eleven aspotles, and in the following verses we then learn who from among the twelve apostles wasnot present that evening.
John 20:24-29:
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
While the other gospel records did not mention the name of the one of the twelve apostles who was not present that evening, we are even given his name here. Then John records that all twelve apostles saw the risen lord 8 days afterwards, and Thomas was even given the opportunity to not only see Jesus' hands and feet but also to touch him.
John 21:1-4:
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise showed he himself.
There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
John mentions another event and names a few more witnesses who were present at this appearance of Jesus at the sea of Tiberias (lake Genezareth).
Acts 1:3.7-9:
To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
…
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Acts records that Jesus showed himself as alive by many infallible proofs during a period of 40 days after his resurrection. Finally, he again was assembled together with those apostles whom he had chosen (the twelve) to whom he now gave further instructions as to what they were to do in the coming days when a great event would take place. Part of Jesus' words was an announcement that the apostles would be witnesses unto him by means of the power of holy spirit which was to come upon them, and they then would be witnesses unto him unto the uttermost parts of the earth. This information will become quite important later on in our study.
1 Corinthians 15:3-7:
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
The apostle Paul is explaining to the believers at Corinth a few essential points about the resurrection from the dead, and in doing so he also mentions the resurrection of Jesus and speaks about several witnesses of his resurrection.
Jesus was seen of Peter (Cephas is another name of Simon Peter), he was seen of the twelve, and also he was seen at a larger gathering of more than 500 brethren at one time! Remarkable is that Paul emphasizes the truth of his statement by pointing out that most of those witnesses are still alive at the time of the writing of this epistle and that therefore this point could be validated and checked out. Some of these witnesses had passed away in the meantime, but the by far greater number was alive and could therefore testify to Paul's words if somebody was to question the accuracy of Paul's words.
In addition we are also told the name of another immediate witness who had not been mentioned until now in the other records: James, the half brother of Jesus.
Aside from these different records from various Biblical books, in which we are given the names of a larger number of eye witnesses and in which also details reagrding those things which these witnesses experienced are reported, there are still other passages which contain another type of witness of the Scripture itself. Even in the writings of the Old Testament there were hints to the resurrection of Jesus, and what then actually happened and transpired was in complete accordance with those prophecies and the testimony of the Scriptures from centuries before.
Paul spoke of this in a teaching about this topic which is recorded in 1 Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4:
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Jesus' death and his resurrection had been mentioned and attested to in some form in the Scriptures (i.e. in the Old Testament scriptures). These then happened in fulfillment and according to what the Scriptures already had proclaimed and prophesied beforehand.
Another hint to exactly this type of witness of the SCriptures can be found in Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:22-32:
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Peter points to a passage from the book of Psalms which already speaks of the resurrection of the Messiah. He shows that these words of David could not be speaking about David himself, for his grave was still with them on that very day. David spoke of resurrection, and he spoek of a resurrection whic hwould have to happen fairly soon after the death of the person even before corruption could really set in. This was exactly what happened in the case of Jesus Christ! After three days and three nights in the grave, God raised him from the dead.
Jesus' death as well as his resurrection had already been witnessed and attested to in Scripture. All then happened in accordance with those things which the prophets had prophesied during the time of the Old Testament.
In addition to all these already mentioned witnesses, we will now consider a further witness which will even more decisively attest to the resurrection of our lord Jesus Christ than was already done by the other witnesses.
Jesus himself had mentioned in his last words to the disciples shortly before his ascension to heaven, that there would be an event occurring in the very near future by which the apostles were also to become witnesses unto him.
Acts 1:5,8:
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
…
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The apostles were to be baptized with holy spirit, and they would receive the power of holy spirit and they then were to become witnesses unto him by means of this power and the this witness, even unto the uttermost parts ofthe earth.
The receiving of the power of the holy spirit was also a witness for Jesus, and especially so a witness of his resurrection. Now, how were his words fulfilled? Where can we see or read that this actually then did happen?
Acts 2:32-36:
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Peter explained how Jesus' words were fulfilled only a few days after he had spoken to them. The outpouring of the holy spirit had become possible because Jesus had been exalted by God and had been received up into heaven, and now he could receive the promised holy spirit from the Father and pour it out as it then was seen and heard. There could not have been an outpouring of the holy spirit if Jesus had not been exalted and had not been received up into heaven. But, he could not have been taken up in to heaven, if he still had been in the grave, as the mention about David's grave shows. David could not have ascended into heaven because he was as of yet still i nthe grave, just as Peter had taught only a few moments ago.
Jesus Christ, David's "Lord", had been raised from the dead and had been received up into heaven, and of this the apostles now were witnesses by means of what they now did with the power of the holy spirit. What those present saw and what they heard (i.e. the speaking in tongues) was an undeniable witness and confirmation that exactly this Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified, had been raised from the dead by God and had been appointed and made both Lord and Christ.
Perhaps one could ask why it seems so utterly important that Jesus rose from the dead. What is it about the resurrection of the dead? Was it not enough that he just gave his life for us?
Romans 1:1-4:
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
In verses 3 and 4 Paul shows that it was particularly the resurrection from the dead which was the decisive event by which Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God. By the resurrection Jesus Christ was declared to be both lord and Christ. Just as David had already prophesied, so it was the resurrection fro mthe dead, the redemption from the grave, which caused him to speak about "my Lord."
Acts 17:30-31:
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
In his speech on the Aeropag at Athens, Paul mentioned a most remarkable truth about the meaning and importance of the resurrection of Jesus. As we just saw, Jesus had been declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection, i.e. he had been made both Lord and Christ. As Lord he is also appointed judge over all the world. And, once again, the resurrection from the dead is central topic of discussion.
God has given assurance unto all men in that He raised Christ from the dead! God confirmed, gave assurance, that Jesus is Lord and therefore a man who will eventually judge the world in righteousness. This assurance of God was the resurrection from the dead!
We can discover how important the resurrection of Jesus from the dead truly is and why it was and really has to be at the center of each sermon and the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. No other event from the life of Jesus is of such bearing regarding the whole events as is his resurrection from the dead. And it is before this background that we detect that it is of great importance that his event is truly well attested to.
If we think about this for a moment, it surely is clear to all of us that in a court of law at times sentences are pronounced with very little hard evidence or at times solely on certain indications. The testimony of just one eyewitness is often sufficient, and at times even a lot less than that is enough, to declare something as having been proven. If we use such a procedure and such measures which we are somewhat familiar with in regards to the case of the resurection of Jesus, a remarkable picture emerges.
There are several written records, some of them having been written by eyewitnesses themselves, some of them having been written by persons directly acquainted with eyewitnesses who even mentioned further eyewitnesses in their testimony. In these records there are not just some general claims made and set forth, rather illuminating details about certain events linked to the resurrection of Jesus are given which lead unanimously to the conclusion that what is mentioned here indeed must also have happened. Those eyewitnesses mentioned were for the most part all still alive at the time of the earliest writings and could have been called upon if the integrity and accuracy of the testimony would have ever been called in question.
Also, even in Scriptures form the Old Testament there are already prophecies about this event which then came to pass in the exact manner as described. The Scriptures which have proven themselves to be reliable in all other regards do give truth in this matter also.
Furthermore this event was connected to another event in its immediate context, and this event is even a greater witness perhaps than even the record of eyewitnesses could be. This event was the outpouring of the gift of holy spirit which Jesus had already mentioned and which also affirmed his resurrection from the dead, as well as his exaltation and his declaration to be the Son of God and also his ascension into heaven to be seated at the right hand of God.
This witness is now a witness which all believers on Christ can have in their own lives, because all those who believe on Christ receive the gift of holy spirit as a token of their inheritance and as a witness of the sonship as sons of God (cp. Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).
The resurrection of Jesus – not well attested to? by no means! The opposite is true! If the commonly used criteria for the investigation of a case are allowed to remain in effect and if we'd use the means availabel, we would quickly have a unanimous picture that this event indeed did really take place. With each indication this conclusion becomes more and more assured. Finally there remains not much or no alternative solution and it can objectively declared that there really isn't a single event form the ancient Roman times which is attested to and confirmed to such a degree as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The only alternative to this position would be to deny the resurrection, and that really is what all those do who declare that this event never happened and who claim that there never was a resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
We Christians ought to become more bold than ever, asking God to grant us even more boldness wherewith we may proclaim the good news of Christ and his resurrection from the dead with joy!
1 Verse 9 should really be punctuated as follows: "Now when Jesus was risen, early the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene …
2 In some important manuscripts verses 9-20 are missing altogether, and it seems -- based on the existing manuscript evidence -- that this section most likely was not part of the original text of the gospel of Mark, and that it was added at a later time as copies of the text were made.