Proving The Resurrection By the Minimal Facts Approach

[Jenny A]

If you have any opposing arguments you wish to make regarding any of the material I have presented, please make your case in response to the appropriate post(s):

Post 1 - My OP
Post 65 - Fact 1: Jesus died by crucifixion
Post 148 - Fact 2: Jesus' disciples believed that He rose and appeared to them
Post 283 - Fact 3: Paul, the enemy of the Church, was suddenly converted
Post 460 - Fact 4: James, the skeptical brother of Jesus, was suddenly converted.
Coming Soon - Fact 5: Jesus' tomb was found to be empty

Thanks.

Jesus died by crucifixion  He certainly was crucified, but he was determined dead after a fairly short time for a crucifixion.  It's possible, though unlikely he wasn't dead.  But the likelihood of his not being dead is considerably higher that that he rose from the dead. Many people have been pronounced dead and woken up in the morgue.  http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree...kolkiewicz

Jesus' disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them.  Your evidence is primarily Paul in I Corinthians 15. 

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

I don't think "received" means anything like spoken to in this context.  That he "received" the information does not mean he had it from the apostles lips.  In fact, he makes it clear in Galatians that for three years after his conversion the only apostles he saw were Peter and James:

Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.

Galatians 1:18-20

As he wrote Galatians after Corinthians, I don't see how Corinthians can be used to claim he talked to the disciples personally.  He must mean something else.  Second hand news is all he could have had.  Further, Paul said Jesus appeared to the twelve, a rather odd statement in light of Judas don't you think?  Obviously, he did speak to Judas who is supposed have killed himself.

For the rest you refer to the oral tradition of the church, which only slightly better than nothing.

The earliest gospel Mark noticeably neglects to include any appearance of Jesus to anyone.  Clement was born too late, about the year Jesus died, and Irenaeus is even later. 

Verdict, certainly possible, not not rock solid by any means.

But supposing they did believe they'd seen Jesus resurrected?  A ridiculous number of people think they've abducted by aliens.  Simple eyewitness testimony is insufficient to prove such a claim.  And in this case, not only can we not cross-examine the disciples about their experience, but we only have third, fourth, or more news of it.

Paul, the enemy of the Church, was suddenly converted  This really comes down to who cares?  Many people suddenly convert to all sorts of religions all the time.  This has essentially no probative value.

James, the skeptical brother of Jesus, was suddenly converted.  See above.  Second, you only have Mark saying his family were skeptical at one early point; and John who is so late and describes a Jesus rather differently than the one described in the synoptic gospels.   Any later martyrdom, is of little if any probative value.  People do die willingly for false things.  If you don't think so, I suggest you because a follower of Islam immediately as we seem to have a slew of recent suicide bombers for the faith.