Moreland 6 Flashcards
Should the NT be treated as a single witness to the resurrection? (p. 160)
no, it should not
there are several different witnesses mentioned in the New Testament
Why is it significant that the preaching of the resurrection began merely a few weeks after
the event? (p. 161)
people would have wondered if there was a larger delay
Why is it significant that fifty or so tombs of famous religious figures were venerated, yet
Jesus’ tomb was not among them? (161)
Jesus’ body was not in the tomb
Why was the empty tomb not mentioned in early Christian preaching? (162)
empty tomb was common ground between believers and unbelievers
What was the main debate regarding Jesus body? (163)
main debate was over why the tomb was empty
What was the prominent Jewish explanation for the empty tomb? (163)
the disciples stole him from the tomb
found in Matthew 28:11-15
Do other burial stories exist? (165)
no conflicting accounts are found even in Jewish writings
How has archaeology confirmed some of the details of the burial accounts? (166f.)
Jesus’ tomb has characteristics of the tombs of wealthy or prominent people
confirmed the accuracy of the account of Jesus tomb
How does the presence of women in the gospel accounts increase their credibility as early
accounts? (168; note how it makes the disciples look, the worthlessness of a woman’s
testimony at the time, the presence of Mary Magdalene in the narrative)
if someone were making up an account, women would not be the first witnesses instead of the disciples, makes them look cowardly
women are named specifically
three lists of women are incorporated into Mark’s account
How do the difficulties harmonizing the accounts increase their credibility? (169)
conflict of testimony is a mark of sincerity
How likely is it that the disciples stole the body? Explain. How is the theory regarded by
scholars? (171f.)
it is entirely impossible
no NT scholar believes this to be possible
disciples had nothing to gain with starting a new religion, and lost a lot through that
the disciples were Jewish theists, would have been lying against God for them
the picture of Jesus was not in keeping with current conceptions of what the Messiah would be like
the resurrection narratives have signs of historicity
why did one dicsiple not snitch
How do the accounts of Christ’s post-resurrection appearances help validate them? (173)
he appeared multiple times to both individuals and groups
took place within a set period of forty days
some who saw Him did not believe at first
How did Jewish views of the resurrection not fit the account given by the gospels? How
does this help the apologetic case for the resurrection? (175).
the Jewish people were
looking for a different kind of resurrection
the Apostles would not have made up an account
of the resurrection like the one that appears in the NT
What is the problem with the theory that the resurrection involved hallucinations? (176f.)
disciples would not have been in the state of mind necessary for hallucinations (high strung, highly imaginative, and nervous)
it is a feature of hallucinations that they do not receive an interpretation
hallucinations are linked in an individual’s subconscious to his past beliefs and experiences
unlikely that 2 or more people would have the same hallucination
usually happen at particular places over a long period of time
How is the transformation of the disciples significant? (178)
were scared and frightened
betrayed and denied Jesus
suddenly became confident, convinced of salvation, and able to work with much more success
