Nice Try Guys.

"I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
-Professor Thomas Arnold, Chair of modern history at Oxford and author of History of Rome


There is a story floating around out there about a guy named Simcha Jacobovici. Apparently this guy has found the casket of Jesus Christ and his family (including the son of Jesus & Mary Magdalene named Judah.). Actually....in all seriousness the casket was allegedly "discovered" in 1980 when workers at a Jerusalem construction site accidentally busted through into a really old tomb. They found an inscription of Jesus' name on a box, did some DNA tests & what do you know.......IT WAS JESUS!! Apparently this guy along with James Cameron, the director of the blockbuster movie Titanic, will hold a press conference on Monday to "clear up things" for everyone. Especially the poor pathetic people who follow Jesus Christ.


The only problems I see with this guy's claims are as follows:





1. 10 out of the 11 disciples were murdered because they refused to deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. The 11th, John died in exile on the island Patmos because he refused to deny the truth of the resurrection.





2. The resurection was not something kept hidden for centuries. Three days after Jesus' crucifixion people in Jerusalem knew about the resurrection and were going crazy about it!





3. The reasons outlined in this paper: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:YvsSLOAce48J:www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ch20/default.htm+quote+about+resurrection+from+Josephus&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us





4. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) who went from being one of the most militant persecutors of the followers of Jesus into the most outspoken evangelist for Christianity in a Jewish & Greek Culture of 1st Century Asia Minor (who would just assume kill you as to look at you if you preached about Jesus.)





5. The tomb of Jesus was never worshipped by Jewish Christians. The tombs of religeous icons were always worshipped. Why not Jesus'? He wasn't and isn't in it!





It will be interesting to hear the talk in the next few weeks about this new movie coming out. Throughout all of it, though, I hold fast to historic evidence from both Christians & non-Christians alike. He is risen! Or as Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:



"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,  and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)