Theories against the resurrection

As mentioned in the thread titled "Crucifixion and resurrection" under this board, many people have attempted to discredit the doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus. If they can succeed in doing this, Christianity would become a false religion because one of it's principle doctrines would be nullified. Paul wrote, "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:14-15). Without the resurrection there is no Lord and Savior who fulfills the prophecies. Without that Lord and Savior, there is no Christian religion worth following.

The following are some of the theories put forth against the resurrection and simple refutations of those theories.

Swoon theory: Jesus didn't die on the cross, he fainted or went into a comatose state. After some time in the tomb, he recovered enough to walk out of the tomb. Another version has the disciples realizing Jesus wasn't dead so they took him somewhere else until he recovered.
Refutations: (1) Medical experts today say that, if all the facts of the flogging and crucifixion are true, Jesus wouldn't have survived. (2) With the blood loss and other injuries, Jesus would've died from shock after a short time in the tomb. (3) If he was in the tomb with the stone in front of the door, Jesus would've been in such a weakened state he would've never been able to move the stone and walk away. (4) The Roman executioners were good at their jobs and would've ensured that Jesus was dead. As for the second version, (5) the Jewish leaders and/or Roman soldiers would've ensured the body was in the tomb before it was sealed.

Theft theory: Some time after the tomb was sealed and before the women returned to the tomb, the disciples rolled away the stone, removed the body, and hid it so well no one has ever found it. This was done when either the guards were overpowered or were asleep.
Refutations: (1) The Jewish leaders knew the prophecies and the fact the disciples were awaiting the resurrection and were worried this could be faked so they were granted their request to have soldiers posted to guard the tomb so this couldn't happen. (2) It would seem nearly impossible for the untrained disciples to overpower these soldiers. (3) Trained soldiers wouldn't have fallen asleep on watch and, if they did, the penalty for this dereliction of duty would've been their own death. (4) The guards would've woken up because the thieves would've made at least a little noise moving the large stone. (5) If the guards didn't wake up, they would've been lying in their testimony that the disciples were responsible because they wouldn't have seen who did it while they were asleep. (6) The disciples were the main suspects, but they were never arrested and questioned about the missing body.

Wrong tomb theory: The tomb was found empty because the women and the disciples went to the wrong tomb.
Refutations: (1) Because the next day was the Sabbath and the burial was rushed, the women would've made sure they knew where the tomb was so they could return later to finish up the Jewish burial rituals. (2) Because some of these people had doubts about the resurrection, they would've made sure they knew where the tomb was so they could visit it later just as we do today. (3) All of the witnesses to the empty tomb could verify it was the correct one by the presence of the broken Roman seal. (4) The Jewish leaders and Romans would've checked out the claim and denounced the resurrection if it was actually the wrong tomb.

Twin theory: This is one of the newest theories. According to its proponents, Jesus either had a twin brother or there was someone else who looked so much like Jesus they could've be mistaken for the same person. Jesus died, the body was stolen, and the twin became the risen Christ. Conversely, the twin was convinced to endure the horrible death on the cross, his body was later hidden, and Jesus could walk around claiming to have risen from the dead.
Refutations: (1) This supposed twin brother or look-alike would've had to be convinced to stay completely hidden all his life or there would've been reports of Jesus being in two places at the same time. (2) It's highly improbable this twin or look-alike could've been convinced to die such a horrible death so Jesus could claim to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. (3) Whether it was Jesus or the twin who appeared after the crucifixion, it's highly improbable that either would've endured having their hands and feet pierced with nails to show the marks of the crucifixion only to ensure the lie would be believed.

Both the Jewish and Roman leaders of Jesus' time wanted to quash the truth of the resurrection. If they could, they could silence the believers before the religion could even get started because the Jewish leaders didn't want to lose their power over the Jews and the Romans wanted to stop the insurrection they feared would happen. All either group had to do was produce a body and display it for everyone to see. This would've been so easy to do if the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. They could've gone to the correct tomb and there would be the body of Jesus. With it being the correct tomb without a body, they could've rounded up the witnesses and soldiers and questioned them. The Romans weren't opposed to using torture to get the information they wanted. Even if the disciples could've endured the torture and held onto a lie about a resurrected Lord, the same probably wouldn't be true of the women and other people. And it must be asked why, over time, the Roman guards never recanted their story about being overpowered or asleep and the body stolen? Was it because that wasn't true, the body was never stolen, and was, in fact, missing because Jesus rose from the dead?

There are probably other theories yet to be put forth. As soon as one theory is refuted, another takes its place. Non-Christians will continue to try to prove the resurrection never occurred so, if successful, they can silence Christians forever. So far none of the theories have stood up to scrutiny and a little common sense. If you don't believe in the resurrection and have a theory you think disproves the resurrection, feel free to share it as a response to this thread.


* Quote from the New International Version of the Bible.