Resurrection Allegations Flashcards
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Beginning
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, this trial is an inconvenience, it’s an annoyance, at best it’s an April fool’s joke. The defense is arguing an impossibility, no, an absurdity. Defying modern day medicine, ignoring psychiatric advances, and relying on ancient legends consisting of numerous contradictions, the defense claims that the resurrection is a reliable, factual, historic event. Not only is the defense lacking in substantial evidence to hold to their belief, the very admittance of such a belief -a man being raised from the dead- raises the question of the defense’s mental stability. In conclusion, the resurrection, although a nice fairytale is not factual, not reasonable and simply not true. Thank you.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I plan to, step by step, dispute the claims that the resurrection is merely a fairytale, a non-factual, unreasonable belief. I plan to convince you of its validity by examining the overwhelming evidence that supports the reality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
Objection. Your Honor, the evidence to be presented by the defense is based on the unreliable gospel accounts written by Jesus’ followers.
Your Honor, the gospel accounts are reliable. No one doubts that Homer wrote the Iliad. We have 165 copies of this story, the earliest dating back to 1100 years after Homer wrote it. 165 copies. 1100 years after it was written.
We’re not here to argue Homer’s Iliad.
We Have over 5,000 copies of the New Testament, the earliest dating to < 30 years after Jesus’s death. We don’t question the Iliad, but we question the Gospels?
Even if I was to concede to the reliability of the gospels, the four of them are filled with contradictions.
I would argue that the core of their message is the same. The secondary details vary, because they are written by four different witnesses. If they were identical we would assume one copied the other.
Thank you, Your Honor. Overwhelming evidence supports the reality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We know there were over 500 people who saw Jesus alive after his death.
Objection. Are we sure he was dead?
A resurrection is impossible without a dead body.
My point exactly.
If we’re going to debate the validity of the resurrection, I need proof that Jesus was actually dead.
You think someone could actually survive a Roman flogging and then a crucifixion?
There wasn’t a corner at the scene of the crucifixion to declare someone dead.
These Roman soldiers were trained killers. If a criminal escaped alive, they would have been put to death themselves.
Maybe he passed out. Maybe he appeared dead.
Your Honor, I would like to submit to you this piece of evidence, number 13. This is the Journal of the American Medical Association. It clearly states that according to the description of Jesus’ death on the cross, found in the gospel records, it should be concluded, according to modern day medicine, that Jesus was dead when he was taken off the cross. Any theories suggesting otherwise contradicts modern day medical knowledge.
Withdrawn.
Only a resurrected Jesus could have accounted for the colossal movement that began only weeks after the crucifixion. The disciples were scattered, fearful men when Jesus was crucified. Only weeks later, they’re spreading a worldwide movement, not running from the law, but actually willing to die for their beliefs.
Objection. I have to object again. This movement is started by men who were already followers of Jesus.
Jesus brother James wasn’t one of the original disciples. He didn’t believe Jesus was the messiah until after the resurrection. In the years to come he Became a leader in the Christian church as well as one of the biblical writers.
That’s one account of Jesus’s brother-
Saul of Tarsus is another example. He persecuted christians, then later became one of their leaders. Something happened to him. Something changed the disciples, James and Saul. A dead leader on a cross couldn’t do that. Your honor, these are Claims I plan to adress through further evidence and testimony.
History, medical knowledge, logic and reason-all of these are on the side of the resurrection. Culture claims otherwise, but once the evidence is presented and truly studied, it is only to be concluded that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a certainty. That is what I plan to prove to you throughout the course of this trial. Thank you.
Thank you. At the same time.
Thank yous at the same time.
Kid, I’m worried about you. When we come back from lunch. Here testimony, give our final arguments, that jury is going to Go into deliberation. You know they’re going to side with me.
They might. But it won’t change the fact that the resurrection is true.
Not according to this court it won’t be.
