Resurrection Of Jesus Proven

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS IS PROVEN

TYPES OF EVIDENCE IN EXISTENCE TODAY:

1) Non-Biblical Historical References

2) Archeological Evidence.

3) Logical Analysis.

4) Biblical Testimonies.

5) Resulting Historical Results.

6) Forensic Evidence.

NON-BIBLICAL HISTORICAL REFERENCES

NON-BIBLICAL HISTORICAL REFERENCE #1:

Name and Occupation: Cornelius Tacitus, Roman Historian

Highlights on Tacitus: A Roman historian who lived through the reign of over a half-dozen Roman emperors, Tacitus has been called "the greatest historian of ancient Rome."

DOB to Date of Death: A.D. 55 to A.D. 120

Attitude Towards Christianity: Hostile

What He Said: He confirmed that CHRISTUS (a common misspelling of Christ at the time) was executed by Pilate.

Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian and governor of Asia [Turkey] in A.D. 112. He was a personal friend of the historian Pliny the Younger. In his Annals, written after AD 64, he referred to Emperor Nero's persecution of the Christians. This attack was caused by Nero's false accusation that the Christians had burned the city of Rome. This monstrous lie was intended to cover the truth that the evil emperor himself had ordered the capital set on fire. Tacitus wrote:

"Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judæa, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their center and become popular. Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind." (Annals of Imperial Rome, XV 44).

Tacitus, as a Roman government official and historian with access to the government archives of Rome, confirmed many of the historical details in the Gospels, as well as the books of Acts and Romans. He confirmed that Jesus was executed as a criminal under the authority of Pontius Pilate (who ruled Judea under the reign of Emperor Tiberius). He also declared that the Christians, who began in Judea and were now spreading throughout the empire, derived their worship and religion from the person known as Christ. He verified the explosive growth of this new religion within 32 years of Jesus' crucifixion despite the fact that its founder suffered the death penalty as a criminal. Additionally, Tacitus confirms that the Christians were despised, hated, and falsely accused of crimes, yet they rapidly grew to become a "vast multitude" in Rome itself (Annals XV 44). The reason Tacitus and many other Romans hated the Christians is because of the Christians refusal to worship the pagan gods, and Emperor Nero himself.

Tacitus confirms the early belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ by saying that the extreme penalty exacted on Christ only held the superstition briefly.

NON-BIBLICAL HISTORICAL REFERENCE #2:

Name and Occupation: Flavius Josephus, Jewish Historian

DOB to Date of Death: 37 AD -- Died after 100 AD

Attitude Towards Christianity: Apathetic (could care less about them)

What He Said: He confirmed that Christ who performed miracles was executed by Pilate.

Highlights on Josephus: A Jewish historian of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD (the century in which Jesus Christ lived and died). He has been credited by many as recording some of the earliest history of Jesus Christ outside of the gospels.

Flavius Josephus belonged to the group of Jewish religious leaders--the Pharisees--responsible for Jesus' death.

He said:

"About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared."

Flavius Josephus joined the zealots who rebelled against Roman rule between 66 and 74 AD, becoming a leader of their forces in Galilee, and living through the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. He was captured by the Romans, and would have been executed, but he went over to their side and ended up becoming the Roman emperor's Adviser on Jewish Affairs. There has been some conjecture over the accuracy of this quote. These conjectures are based on late Arabic copies. There is no manuscript evidence for these conjectures. It is more likely that the late Arabic scribes would have a reason to alter this quote. In Josephus’ day it was not incongruent to be a Jew and believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Furthermore, Josephus was a known traitor of the Jews, so he is not beyond switching sides.

NON BIBLICAL REFERENCES #3

Jewish Claims:

The Jewish Talmud, compiled between 70 and 200 AD:

"On the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald went forth and cried, 'He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy. Anyone who can say anything in his favor, let him come forward and plead on his behalf.' But since nothing was brought forward in his favor he was hanged on the eve of the Passover.

According to Justin Martyr (150 A.D.):

He says Jews deny Jesus’ resurrection, repeating a charge from the Gospel of Matthew (28.13-15) and the apocryphal Gospel of Peter (8.29-31) that Jews claim Jesus’ tomb was empty because his disciples stole the body, not because he rose from the dead.

The Toledot Yeshu (1000 A.D.): The gardener stole the body because he did not want his lettuce field being trampled.

Gittin (19th Century) - Jesus was indeed raised, this verse states, but by evil forces and most certainly not by God.

Alfred Edersheim (20th Century): The theories of deception, delusion, and vision being thus impossible, and the a priori objection to the fact as involving a Miracle, being a petition principia, the historical student is shut up to the simple acceptance of the narrative.

The Jewish claims confirm several of the facts of the Gospel accounts. The Talmud confirms that Jesus died on the cross.

The claim that Jesus’ body was stolen by his disciples confirms that there was an empty tomb and that the body was not availably dead for them to parade around and use to prove that Jesus’ prophecy did not come to pass. The claim of Jesus’ body being stolen by his disciples is highly unlikely. They only had 2 swords and would have had to fight off 16 battle hardened Roman soldiers. The soldiers, even if they were asleep, would not have remained so while a 2 ton stone was rolling uphill right next to them.

The idea that the gardener moved the body is even more ridiculous. We know that a Roman guard was placed to guard the tomb because they were bribed for their testimony to the Governor, which would have been Pilate. Furthermore, the Jews were not allowed to maintain their own military during roman occupation. This is evidenced also by the fact that the Romans had to do the crucifixion and Roman guards stood watch over the crucifixion. The gardener would have had to fight off the 16 Roman guards and moved the stone all by himself. Even if it were the case that he did so with approval, the 16 Roman guards would have been there and they would have paraded the body around on the 4th day to prove that his prophesy did not come true.

The other 2 Jewish theories support resurrection.

ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE:

Excavation of the tomb of Jesus proves that the gospel narrative about Jewish burial practices are accurate. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/jesus-christ-tomb-burial-church-holy-sepulchre/

There is also archeological evidence of some of the works that Jesus did.Jesus raised Lazarus to life, who has been credited with 2 tombs. http://baumgarp.wixsite.com/paulsworld/jesus-raised-lazarus

The Shroud of Turin is also a viable possible archeological artifact. In 1988 a piece was dated to be from the 12the century A.D., but the sample was taken from the repair material when it suffered from a fire. http://www.shroud.com/

LOGICAL EVIDENCE:

Critics try refuting resurrection of Jesus with legal arguments convert to Christianity. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/515b212de4b08026971fe25d/t/5356b343e4b078fcf096e5a2/1398190915125/Resurrection+Skeptic+to+Believer.pdf

Every possible alternative theory of explanation is untenable. See how the alternate theories get defeated.

Resuscitation Theory

The Theory Defined

Jesus did not really die, He only swooned, and therefore the disciples saw only a revived or resuscitated Christ. Christ was nailed to a cross and suffered from shock, pain and loss of blood. But instead of actually dying, He only fainted (swooned) from exhaustion. When He was placed in the tomb, He was still alive and the disciples, mistaking Him for dead, buried Him alive. After several hours, He revived in the coolness of the tomb, arose, and departed.

The Refutation

This theory completely ignores the evidences of His death and would require a greater miracle than the resurrection. According to this theory:

The cool damp air of the tomb, instead of killing Him, healed Him. He split out of His garments, pushed the stone away, fought off the guards and shortly thereafter appeared to His disciples as the Lord of life (McDowell, p. 98).

Hallucination Theory

The Theory Defined

This theory says all of Christ’s post-resurrection appearances were really only supposed appearances because actually the people only had hallucinations. In this way, all the post-resurrection appearances can be dismissed.

The Refutation

How could so many people have hallucinations--especially 500 at one time? Furthermore, the appearances happened under different conditions and were spread out over different times. And, don’t forget, the disciples were reluctant to believe in the resurrection in the first place! Also, people hostile to Christianity saw the visions and were converted. See Saul’s experience in Acts 9.

Impersonation Theory

The Theory Defined

This is the view that the appearances were not really Christ at all, but someone impersonating Him. This, the opponents say, is evident because in some cases they did not recognize Him at first (or at all).

The Refutation

1. The disciples were reluctant to believe in the resurrection, were doubtful and would have been hard to convince unless it was really Him, as was the case with Thomas.

2. It would have been impossible to impersonate Christ’s wounds. This was Christ’s proof to Thomas that it was really Him (cf. John 20:24f).

3. At times their inability to recognize Him was a phenomenon of His glorified body brought about by His own purposes as in Luke 24:16, “But their eyes were restricted that they should not recognize Him.”

4. These men had traveled with the Lord for three years and it is incredible that anyone could have gotten away with an impersonation particularly due to their reluctance to believe.

5. They were meeting in locked chambers in some instances, and He suddenly appeared in His glorified body. No one could impersonate such a miraculous act other than the resurrected Christ.

Spiritual Resurrection Theory

The Theory Defined

This is the view that Christ’s resurrection was not a real physical resurrection. Proponents of this theory assert that Christ’s body remained in the grave and His real resurrection was spiritual in nature. It was only told this way to illustrate the truth of spiritual resurrection.

The Refutation

Note what William Craig says in his book entitled, Knowing the Truth About the Resurrection, Our Response to the Empty Tomb:

“We need to see clearly that there can be positive theological implications of the resurrection only insofar as its historical reality is affirmed. While many theologians may find such a conviction hopelessly antiquated, the man in the street knows better. His common sense tells him that there is no reason why a dead man should be decisive for his existence today, and I agree with him. Once doctrinal teachings are detached from their historical realities, we have entered the arena of myth. And there is simply no good reason to prefer Christian myths over other myths or, for that matter, secular philosophies. The resurrection is only real for our lives today if it is a real event of history.” (Introduction, p. xiii)

A physical body did disappear from the tomb. If it was only a spiritual resurrection, then what happened to the body? History shows there was a body there and it disappeared. The enemies of Christ were never able to produce the body nor disprove the resurrection.

The resurrection accounts are not presented in parabolic or symbolic language, but as hard fact. John 20 is full of what Greek grammarians call vivid historical present tenses to stress the historical reality of the Gospel message.

The record states He was touched and handled, that He had a body, and that He even ate with the disciples (Luke 24:30, 41f; John 21:12f).

First Corinthians 15 teaches us that Christ not only arose, but that He arose bodily. He possessed a glorified body which had unique capacities. First Corinthians 15:44 calls it a spiritual body, but it was nevertheless a physical body as well. Note the following facts about the body of Christ:

He could appear in different forms (Mark16:12).
He could eat though it was not needed for sustenance (Luke 24:30).
He could appear and disappear and could pass through solid objects (John 20:19, 26).
He could pass in a moment from one place to another (Luke 24:31).

Philippians 3:21 shows that His body was glorious and unique, but nevertheless, still a body according to which our bodies will one day be fashioned. So, it was spiritual, glorified, and yet a physical body of flesh and bone.

Theft Theory

The Theory Defined

The disciples stole the body and claimed that He rose from the dead.

Matthew 28:11-15 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 “And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

The Refutation

The Linen Wrappings and Empty Tomb

Again, such a theory ignores the evidence of the linen wrappings and the empty tomb. If someone had stolen the body, they would have either taken the body and left the wrappings scattered or piled in a heap, but only resurrection could account for the position of the linen wrappings with the body absent.

Probabilities

Further, there is the question of the probability of who COULD and WOULD steal the body under the circumstances.

1. The Romans would not; they were there to guard it with their lives by Roman law. They had sealed the tomb and were there to protect it against theft. The religious leaders had provided their own refutation against such a theory.

2. The women could not for they could not have removed the stone and were wondering who would remove it for them when they went early Sunday morning to finish burial preparations (cf. Mark16:3-4).

3. The disciples would not because they were perplexed and scattered, huddled together in hidden rooms. Two had even left town and were on their way to Emmaus.

4. The Jewish crowd would not and had actually requested a Roman guard to protect the tomb against theft (Mat. 27:63-66). This last point is very significant because the presence of the Roman soldiers and the Roman seal over the door made the possibility of the religious leaders’ claims of theft a thousand times more difficult if not impossible.

The likelihood of these timid, scared Galilean disciples stealing the body of Jesus out from under the noses of a guard of highly disciplined and skilled Roman soldiers while they all slept (an offense punishable by death) is ridiculous.

Unknown Tomb Theory

The Theory Defined

One of the earliest theories present to explain everything away is that the disciples did not know where the tomb was located and could not have found the empty grave. This theory depends on the belief that those who were crucified were tossed into a common pit and were not allowed to be buried.

The Refutation

This theory also disregards totally the straightforward historical narrative about the events surrounding Christ’s burial and the post-resurrection scene. The Gospel record indicates that Joseph of Arimathea took the body to his own private tomb--not a public mass burial ground. According to Scripture, the body of Christ was prepared for burial according to the burial customs of the Jews; the women sat opposite the tomb and watched. Not only did Joseph of Arimathea and the women know where the tomb was, so did the Romans--they placed a guard there. (McDowell, pp. 77-78).

The Hidden Body Theory

The Theory Defined

When Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus, he actually hid Jesus’ body somewhere else at that time, leaving no body in the tomb. The next day, when the tomb was sealed, the body was not actually there. The women came on the day after the Sabbath to do more body preparation. The guards opened the tomb for them only to find out the body was not there. This is a recent theory.

The Refutation

The guards were under the direction of the Chief Priests and Pharisees. They would not seal the tomb without being sure that the body of Jesus was in fact there. The fact that the Chief Priests and Pharisees were so concerned at putting this whole story to bed means that it was likely that some of them were watching the tomb already. The disciples were in disarray. They fled the immediate area. The fact that the guards were bribed to say that they fell asleep, (and this story was circulated by some of the Jews for a few hundred years), proves that they were certain the body was there to begin with. The women had watched the body of Jesus get placed in the tomb. They were intent on going there to do more preparations. They were surprised that Jesus’ body was not there.

Conclusion About The Historical Refutations of Jesus’ Resurrection

Not one historical refutation challenges the details of the Gospel narratives. There is no refutation of the body being in the tomb to begin with. There is no refutation that Jesus was dead to begin with. There is no claim that the body of Jesus was found. There is no refutation of the many sightings of the risen Jesus.

The fact that there is a refutation including the story that Roman guards fell asleep proved that the guard was on watch and that they are sure that the body of Jesus was in the tomb. This early refutation also proves that the body of Jesus was suddenly missing. The disciples would not have been able to roll the stone away without waking the guards. The disciples would not have been able to overtake the guards.

None of the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection are refuted in early history. Jesus appeared to all the disciples at the same time. Hallucinations never happen simultaneously to multiple people at the same time. Jesus appeared to 500 people at the same time. Jesus’ resurrection body was physical. He could be touched and he could eat. Jesus’ resurrection body was supernatural. He could appear and disappear at will. Jesus even appeared to those that were hostile to him, and those witnesses attested to the appearance.

The only logical possibility is to accept the Biblical narrative.

BIBLICAL TESTIMONIES

The Crucifixion and Resurrection According to the Gospels

1) Jesus anointed at Bethany 6 days before Passover.

John 12:1-11

Matthew 26:6-13

Mark 14:1-9

2) Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly 5 days before the Passover.

John 12:12-19

3) Jesus predicts his death.

John 12:20-36

4) Jesus scolds the Jews for their unbelief.

John 12:37-50

5) Judas Agrees to betray Jesus

Luke 22:1-6

Mark 14:10-11

Matthew 26:14-16

6) Jesus says that he will be handed over to be crucified 2 days before the Passover.

Matthew 26:1-2

7) The disciples prepare for the Passover, the Last Supper.

Mark 14:12-26

Matthew 26:17-30

Luke 22:7-38

John 13:1 to 14:31

8) Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Jesus' Prayer, Jesus' Betrayal.

Mark 14:27-52

Matthew 26:31-56

Luke 22:39-62

John 15:1 to John 18:18

9) Jesus tried before Pilate, Herod, Chief Priests, and Teachers of The Law.

Luke 22:63 to Luke 23:25

John 18:19 to John 19:16

Matthew 26:57 to Matthew 27:31

Mark 14:53 to 15:20

10) Jesus Crucified

John 19:17-37

Luke 23:26-49

Matthew 27:32-56

Mark 15:21-41

11) Jesus Buried

John 19:38-42

Matthew 27:57-66

Luke 23-50-56

Mark 15:42-47

12) Jesus' Resurrection

Mark 16:1-20

Matthew 28:1-20

Luke 24:1-53

John 20:1 John 21:25

Acts 1:1-11

Acts 9:1-19

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

The essential facts given by the gospels pertinent to the resurrection of Jesus are as follows:

1) Jesus' disciples only had 2 swords.

2) One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. It was Passover day when Jesus died.

(This is important because it certifies he is already dead).

3) Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

(They double checked that Jesus was dead).

4) Joseph of Arimathea, accompanied by Nicodemus, took Jesus’ body, and the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

5) At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

6) Joseph of Arimathea rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

7) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb when the stone was rolled over it.

8) It was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath when Jesus was buried.

9) The women that followed Joseph of Arimathea to the tomb went home to prepare more spices for his burial.

10) The tomb was hewn out of solid rock.

11) The tomb was never yet used, so there were no other bodies in it.

12) The day after the burial, the Chief Priests and Pharisees convinced Pilate to send a guard to the tomb to guard it. Pilate sent a guard and had them seal the tomb. In Matthew 27:65, the word used is ‘koustodian.’ This would be a 16 member force with very strict rules. If one member fell asleep, they would all be executed.

13) Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb very early in the morning on the 1st day after the Sabbath to finish preparing Jesus' body.

14) When the women arrived at the tomb, they found the stone was already rolled away.

15) As they entered the tomb, the women saw a young man, or angel, who told them Jesus has risen.

16) The disciples did not believe the report of the women that Jesus had risen at first.

17) Peter ran to the tomb and noticed it was empty with the burial linen strips lying on the ground without the body, as well as the cloth that was wrapped around his head.

18) John ran to the tomb and noticed it was empty with the burial linen strips lying on the ground without the body, as well as the cloth that was wrapped around his head.

19) Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene inside the tomb after Peter and John had left.

20) The guards went and told the Chief Priests what happened. The Chief Priests bribed the guards to say that the disciples came and stole Jesus' body while they slept.

21) Jesus appeared to 2 of the disciples as they walked to a village.

22) Jesus appeared to the 11 disciples and he ate and talked to them.

23) A week later, Jesus appeared to Thomas and showed him where to put his fingers into the nail holes and where to put his hand into his side.

24) Jesus appeared to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee and ate breakfast with them.

25) Jesus gave his disciples a commission to be his witnesses and preach the gospel in the whole world.

26) Jesus appeared to Saul on the way to Damascus with a light and voice coming out of heaven. This was also witnessed by Saul's companions.

27) Jesus appeared to over 500 at the same time.

Jesus rose from the dead. Proof: The Transformation of the Disciples and the Emergence of the Christian Faith

The early disciples of Jesus did not expect their great Messiah named Jesus to ever face crucifixion and rise from the dead. In line with the current Jewish thoughts of the day, the disciples' Messiah was to triumphantly defeat the Romans and deliver the kingdom of God to the nation of Israel (cf. Acts 1:6). It is clear that the disciples did not expect the crucifixion. It was indeed an embarrassment to their faith. Their chief leaders had abandoned the faith and become skeptics and doubters. Of all people, women were the first to bring them news of the resurrection!

RESULTING HISTORICAL RESULTS

1) Christianity exploded in the one city where the resurrection could have been disproven. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_1st_century

2) Tacitus as quoted above testifies that Christianity spread to the city of Rome and that there were many Christians there, in just a few decades.

3) Something happened to radically change the pitiful cowardly disciples from trembling doubters to bold proclaimers of this radical notion of a dying and rising Jewish Messiah in the midst of a hostile culture.These disciples were willing to die for their faith, and many of them would actually face death (all of the twelve apostles died by martyrdom except John).Radically, they changed their primary day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, they began to worship this man named Jesus while still claiming to be faithful Monotheistic Jews, something that was extremely radical and was blasphemous to the Judaism of the day. They did this all because something happened on that first Easter morning.

Paul was whipped at least five times, beaten countless times (2 Corinthians 11:23), imprisoned at least twice for years (2 Corinthians 6:4), left for dead after being stoned (Acts 14:19), and finally beheaded during the persecution under Emperor Nero.

Peter was also martyred during Nero’s persecution. He was crucified upside down at his request, because they were going to crucify him the same way as Jesus, and he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Andrew went to the "land of the man eaters," in what was formally known as the Soviet Union. Christians claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.

Thomas was most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when he was pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.

Philip had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.

Matthew the tax collector and writer of a gospel, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Reports say that he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.

Bartholomew had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, and also to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.

James the son of Alpheus is one of at least three Jameses referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.

Simon the Zealot, ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

Matthias was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning. (Christian History Institute, Whatever Happened to the Twelve? Glimpses Issue #8).

Certainly, all these apostles would not have all chosen death over recanting if they were telling a lie.

Due to all of these factors, it is certainly reasonable to conclude with the former church persecutor, then turned Christian, the apostle Paul,

"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," (1 Cor. 15:54-57).

FORENSIC EVIDENCE

The Shroud of Turin gives us actual forensic evidence of both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Watching the following videos will be well worth your time.

More modern dating methods have dated the shroud of Turin to the 1st Century A.D.

Eyelid coins captured by the Shroud image were identified as ones specifically issued by Pontius Pilate in 29 A.D.

Lettering on the shroud amounts to a signed death certificate.

The Shroud of Turin is an x ray, Photographic, Holographic Image.
It has properties of
1. X Ray Photo
2. Photo Negative
3. Hologram
Yet none of these are an accurate description of the Shroud. The Shroud is a one of a kind image in which a new word would have to be invented to describe it.
The Shroud is not a painting or contact image of any kind with the exception of the blood stains which are a result of body to cloth to contact. The image is over the blood stains and is a separate event that occurred 2-3 days after the blood stains made contact with the cloth.
The Shroud of Turin is not a painting, X Ray Fluorescence, micro chemistry, ultra violet and infrared evaluations confirm this.

The only thing that can explain the image on the shroud is that it was produced by the DNA in every cell of the body coming to life.