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Be Ready To Answer

Argument

The Resurrection Witnesses

Christian faith rests on public apostolic testimony that Jesus rose bodily from the dead.

The resurrection claim is historical, public, and central enough to be tested by witnesses, hostile response, and the earliest Christian proclamation.

Premises

  1. 1 The earliest Christian message centered on Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and appearances.
  2. 2 The apostolic witnesses treated the resurrection as public testimony rather than private symbolism.
  3. 3 Alternative explanations must account for the same public proclamation and costly witness.

Start with the earliest proclamation

Paul summarizes received testimony about Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and appearances in 1 Corinthians 15. That makes the claim concrete enough to discuss historically.

Ask what explains the witness

A serious objection should explain why the earliest Christians proclaimed a bodily resurrection in public, appealed to witnesses, and endured loss for that testimony.

Sources

Secondary context

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

Secondary Christian apologetics source for historical resurrection arguments.

Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Kregel Publications, 2004.

Reference

BibleRef

Reference pages used for BibleRef-first links to Scripture passages.

BibleRef, accessed June 16, 2026.

Open source