This volume provides the historical background to its companion volume, Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus. It traces the history of historical apologetics for Jesus’ resurrection from the first century through the twentieth century, focusing on its apogee during the Deist controversy in Europe. It explores which of the traditional arguments on behalf of the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection are obsolete and which still merit consideration today. It includes a discussion of the problem of miracles, both their possibility and identification, which forms the backdrop for any contemporary case for the resurrection.

A study of apologetical arguments of anti-Deist thinkers, tracing a series from Vives' De Veritate Fidei Christianae (1543) to Paley's Evidences of Christianity (1794).

This book provides an original and comprehensive assessment of the hypotheses concerning the origin of resurrection Christology. It fills a gap in the literature by addressing these issues using a transdisciplinary approach involving historical-critical study of the New Testament, theology, analytic philosophy, psychology and comparative religion. Using a novel analytic framework, this book demonstrates that a logically exhaustive list of hypotheses concerning the claims of Jesus’ post-mortem appearances and the outcome of Jesus’ body can be formulated. It addresses these hypotheses in detail, including sophisticated combinations of hallucination hypothesis with cognitive dissonance; memory distortion; and confirmation bias. Addressing writings from both within and outside of Christianity, it also demonstrates how a comparative religion approach might further illuminate the origins of Christianity. This is a thorough study of arguably the key event in the formation of the Christian faith. As such, it will be of keen interest to theologians, New Testament scholars, philosophers, and scholars of religious studies.

This book is the first major study to investigate Jesus’ resurrection using a memory approach. It develops the logic for and the methodology of a memory approach, including that there were about two decades between the events surrounding Jesus’ resurrection and the recording of those events in First Corinthians. The memory of those events was frequently rehearsed, perhaps weekly. The transmission of the oral tradition occurred in various ways, including the overlooked fourth model—“formal uncontrolled.” Consideration is given to an examination of the philosophy and psychology of memory (including past and new research on (1) the constructive nature of memory, (2) social memory, (3) transience, (4) memory distortion, (5) false memories, (6) the social contagion of memory, and (7) flashbulb memory). In addition, this is the first New Testament study to consider the insights for a memory approach from the philosophical considerations of (1) forgetting and (2) the theories of remembering and from the psychological studies on (1) memory conformity, (2) memory and age, and (3) the effects of health on memory. It is argued that Paul remembers Jesus as having been resurrected with a transformed physical body. Furthermore, the centrality of Jesus’ resurrection in Paul’s theology suggests it was a deeply embedded memory of primary importance to the social identity of the early Christian communities. New Testament scholars and students will want to take note of how this work advances the discussion in historical Jesus studies. The broader Christian audience will also find the apologetic implications of interest.

The first volume of Gary Habermas’s magnum opus, On the Resurrection: Evidences represents the culmination of fifty years of research on the probability of Jesus’s resurrection. Using his “minimal facts argument,” Habermas demonstrates why we ought to trust the biblical and historical testimony of Scripture regarding the resurrection. This book is a must-read for pastors, students, and scholars interested in the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And does it really matter? In The Resurrection of History, David Bruce explores what historians, theologians, and New Testament scholars have said about the resurrection of Jesus from a historical point of view. Bruce argues that scholars don't have to dismiss the scriptural witness that "he is risen" as metaphor or wishful thinking. Bruce examines the development of the art of history writing and explores the theological possibilities now open to scholars in the twenty-first century. Using contemporary examples, Bruce helps his readers come to grips with the interrelationship of history and theology and think like theologically-informed historians. Respectful of varying points of view, Bruce defends the traditional, orthodox view of the resurrection and challenges his readers to consider the implications for Christian faith and witness if, in fact, the resurrection of Jesus was historical.

The keystone of Christianity is Jesus’s physical, bodily resurrection. Present-day scholars can be significantly challenged as they forage through voluminous documents on the resurrection of Jesus. The literature measures well over seven thousand sources in English-language books alone. This makes finding specific sources that are most relevant for specific scholarly purposes an arduous task. Even when a specific book is relevant, finding the parts of the book that are most relevant to the resurrection rather than other topics often requires additional effort. A Thematic Access-Oriented Bibliography of Jesus’s Resurrection addresses these challenges in several ways. First, the bibliography organizes more than seven thousand English sources into twelve main categories and then thirty-four subcategories, which are designed to help you find the most relevant literature quickly and efficiently. Embedded are pro and con arguments which support efficient access through brief annotations and then annotate the diversity and complexity of the field of religion by including sources that represent a diverse range of views: theistic (e.g., Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.), agnostic, and nontheistic. The objective of this bibliography is to provide convenient access to relevant sources from a variety of perspectives, allowing you to browse or find the one source accurately and with ease.

This volume is the sequel to its companion volume The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus during the Deist Controversy. It comprises a thorough examination of the New Testament materials undergirding the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection, focusing on Jesus’ empty tomb, his post-mortem appearances, and the origin of his disciples’ belief in Jesus’ resurrection. This revised edition includes Appendices in response to the competing views of J. Robinson, J. D. Crossan, G. Lüdemann, and D. Allison.

Of the most common approaches to apologetics, which is most effective? The goal of apologetics is to persuasively defend Christianity against charges of falsehood, inconsistency, or credulity. It's an intellectual discipline that serves to bolster the faith of Christian believers and to aid the task of evangelism, but are some methods more effective than others? Five Views on Apologetics examines the "how-to" of apologetics, putting five prominent techniques under the microscope: Classical – represented by William Lane Craig Evidential – represented by Gary Habermas Cumulative Case – represented by Paul D. Feinberg Presuppositional – represented by John M. Frame Reformed Epistemology – represented by Kelly James Clark Offering a forum for presentation, critique, and defense, this book allows the contributors for the different viewpoints to respond to the others. Your own informed conclusions can then guide you as you meet the questions of a needy world with the claims of the gospel. The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.

When Jesus died on the cross, it seemed that all had been lost. Death had won. But after three days in a rich man's tomb, Jesus appeared...alive! The news was so shocking that his followers refused to believe it until they saw him with their own eyes and touched his wounds with their own hands. Then Jesus made an amazing claim: In the future, they too would have resurrected bodies like his, bodies that would never deteriorate, age, or perish. They would have new life without death or pain in the presence of a loving God forever. But can we really believe His promise? For that matter, can we really believe that the promise was made by a man who rose from the dead? In this fascinating look at the claims of the Gospel writers and 2,000 years of believing Christians, bestselling author Josh McDowell and his son Sean examine the compelling evidence and conclude that Jesus Christ conquered death and the grave. In clear, concise, and accessible chapters, Josh and Sean present the facts about the resurrection and what it means for readers today.