The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

A simple book with a powerful message!If you are looking for a laymen’s guide on the arguments for the resurrection of Jesus, from every conceivable angle, then this book is for you. Habermas and Licona are two Bible scholars that have joined forces to provide both new and mature believer with everything they need to know to share their faith and knowledge on the resurrection of Jesus.One of the great strengths of the book is that right from the start Habermas and Licona give us what they believe is a very powerful strategy for sharing the story of the resurrection which they call a “minimal facts approach.” The great advantage of this approach is that we can stick to the topic of the resurrection and not get sidetracked to issues on the reliability of the Bible. In addition this approach considers only those data that are so strongly attested historically that almost every scholar (including the skeptical ones) accept their truthfulness.Under this approach the authors suggest that the first four facts below are almost universally accepted by all types of scholars while the fifth fact is accepted by a majority of scholars:1. Jesus died by crucifixion.2. Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them.3. The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed.4. The skeptic James, brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.5. The tomb was empty.The book also discusses the many different theories that skeptics have used down through the centuries to debunk the resurrection of Jesus. Some of the most popular theories include: the resurrection being a legend, the disciples stole the body, the witnesses went to the wrong tomb, the apparent death theory and the hallucination hypotheses. One by one Habermas and Licona give detailed reasons why each theory fails to align with the five minimal facts shared above. Throughout the book the authors appeal to both biblical and extra-biblical sources to make their case.I especially enjoyed reading Chapter 8 – Naturally Speaking. In this chapter science, miracles and near-death experiences are discussed and the reader comes away with the realization that God does indeed exist.Throughout the book a myriad of charts help to summarize each different idea and theory making it easy to remember the main arguments used to equip the believer with everything they need to make the case for the resurrection of Jesus.I also found the chapter on People Skills especially practical in helping to prepare us with the wisdom we need to share everything we have learned in the book with skeptics and non-believers.The appendix provides a very detailed outline of all the arguments and is the perfect refresher course for the book. The many pages of notes are an excellent source for anyone desiring to go deeper into the material. Finally the interactive game CD is a great way to reinforce many of the ideas from the book and is a fun way to help remember important themes.

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R Licona makes a persuasive case for the historical resurrection of Jesus. What I like about this book is that it is structured for different levels of interest. The first 150 pages gives the basic facts surrounding the resurrection and addresses the major objections to the resurrection. The next seventy pages deals with the lesser known objections and offers some suggestions on how to dialog with objectors. The Appendix is almost thirty pages of a detailed outline of information provided which leads to the uniqueness of this book. It does more than gives you information; it makes a valent attempt for the reader to remember this information. The authors helps the reader remember the information provided by providing nineteen flow charts which outline each major point (very helpful), the appendix, highlighted summaries, and a DVD game. The flow charts allowed me to quickly see the flow and the connection of each major point. The highlight summary sections quickly state the main points. The DVD game is imaginative and fun and is divided into ten categories with some two hundred questions which reinforced the material. The appendix is another avenue to gain quick access to the information. The material and arguments are from a minimalist approach. The authors focus on information that almost all historians agree upon and how a historian determines the likelihood of an event. The mindset of a historian is not to say that something is true or false but to determine a scale or gradient to determine if something ranges from very doubtful to very certain. Some of the criteria of evaluating an event include multiple independent witnesses, attestation by enemies, embarrassing admissions, eyewitness testimonies, and early testimonies supporting the historical claims. When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus there are at least four and possibly five facts that land in the “very certain” category. The historical claims that are graded in the very certain category are these four. One, Jesus died by crucifixion which is supported by five non-Christian sources. Two, the disciples of Jesus believed that He rose and appeared to them which is supported by nine sources in three categories pointing to a multiple and very early eyewitness testimony. Not only did the disciples of Jesus believe that they personally saw the resurrected Jesus, but they were willing to suffer for that belief which is attested to by seven ancient sources. Three, the church persecutor, Paul, was suddenly changed and became a martyr for this testimony which is supported by seven ancient sources. Four, Jesus’ skeptic brother, James, was converted and became a follower of Jesus which resulted in him becoming a martyr for this belief as reported by Josephus, Hegesippus, and Clement of Alexandria. Finally, the empty tomb is in a separate category from “very certain” (75% of scholars accept the empty tomb as a historical fact). The reasons that most scholars accept the empty tomb as a historical is because of the attestation of enemies, the culturally embarrassing testimony of the women, and the Jerusalem factor. After establishing the historical events that are accepted by historians, the authors simply compare these facts against various alternate theories that have been floated over time. The question is, do these theories deal with the facts and which theory clearly stands out from all the other ideas because it deals with the facts? In short, there is but one idea that stands alone. “Therefore, Jesus’ resurrection is more than the most plausible explanation to account for the data. It is the only explanation that accounts adequately for all of the facts.”

This book is a must for everyone. The question of “Jesus” is the most important question in human history. Was Jesus real? Did Jesus die? Did Jesus rose? These questions and those like it are the most fundamental, theological questions of the human race. If Jesus was real, if Jesus died, and if Jesus rose, then what he taught is real. The author does a great job of breaking down key arguments against the resurrection, key points of why the resurrection happened, and so much more. The author provides easy breakdown charts. The book it is very easy to read for the common man.If you have an honest heart, you should read this book and see what you think.If you are a Christian, you should get this book to help with your faith, to help correct some false teachings (like a non-bodily resurrection), and to better yourself in defending the faith.

I'm using this as a research text to get me started in the right direction for even more research, and at times I find things in this book I didn't find anywhere else. They were quite detailed in their research, and it's probably the best book on the resurrection argument I've ever found.

I recommend this comprehensive book written by top guys in the world regarding historicity of Jesus resurrection.This book both for non believers and believers and able to defend faith.

If you can make a case for Jesus' Resurrection than you have a reason for:- God's existence- authenticity of the Bible- hope that you will be raised tooI recommend it and I already gave a couple as gifts!

By far the best book on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus

I've had this book for a year or two now and the more I go back to it the more I realise what a truly excellent volume this is. The authors set out a Minimal facts approach to defending the resurrection, what this means is that they are appealing to 5 historical points that even the most liberal of scholars would agree with. This is used as the basis for their argument that the resurrection was a historical event.Each chapter is well written and will be a super resource for either the christian looking for clarity on this subject or for the seeker and skeptic. The appendix is excellent and provides a summary of the evidence provided and draws on writings from historians and other church writings around the 1st/2nd centuries.Well worth the money and you also get a free CD resource which is excellent aswell.