The Disciples had experiences
which they believed to be
appearances by Jesus
New
Testament Creeds
- 1
Cor 15:4 (creed dated mid 30 AD)
(Habermas 1996, pg 154) (1 Cor dated 53-57 AD)
…that
he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day…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.
- Acts
2:24 pre-Pauline creed
(Habermas 1996, pg 150)
(Peter's
speech) "But God
raised him from the dead"…
- Acts
2:31-32 pre-Pauline creed
(Habermas 1996, pg 151)
God
has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
- 2
Timothy 2:8 pre-Pauline creed (Habermas 1996, pg 149).
Remember
Jesus Christ, raised from
the dead, descended from David.
- Romans
1:3-4 pre-Pauline creed (Habermas 1996,, pg 149).
…by
his resurrection from the
dead.
Gospel
sources
- Luke
24:34 (creed dated mid 30 AD) (Habermas 1996, pg 150).
"It
is true! The Lord has
risen and has appeared to Simon [Peter]"
- Luke
24:39 (Jewish-Christian
source dated 40-60 AD) (Van Voorst 2000, pg 139)
"Look
at my hands and my
feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and
bones,
as you see I have."
- John
20:19 (gospel's
Jewish-Christian source dated to 66-80 AD) Van Voorst 2000,, pg 153,
154)
Jesus
came and stood among them
and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his
hands and side.
- Synoptics:
Mark 16:14 (65-70AD),
Matt (28:18, Luke 24:10)
Other New
Testament sources
- 1
Peter 1:3 (Epistle attributed to Peter, dated
sometime before 64 AD).
…through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
- 1
John (Epistle attributed to John, dated approx 87 AD)
…which
we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have
touched…
In
summary, direct references to the disciple's experience of Jesus
resurrection
can be dated to the earliest of Christian traditions starting within
4-8 years
of the actual events and traced back to Jewish Christian sources in Palestine.
Multiple
sources ranging in dates from mid 30 AD through to just before the turn
of the
century all consistently report similar accounts. Paul claims to be
able to
produce eyewitnesses of the post resurrection appearances as late as
53-57AD.
Matthew, as one of the eyewitnesses, corroborates Marks account by
referring to
it in his Gospel. And Luke follows up by "personally investigating"
the resurrection claims. Additionally, we have 2 documents attributed
to the
eyewitnesses themselves (1 Peter and 1 John) which testify or make
direct
reference to the post-resurrection appearances
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