The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona — Kindle highlights from 'The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus'. 110 highlights.

The Giving Part 2: Judas the Betrayer, a Balanced View of the Sovereignty of God

[Music] the giving is a balanced view of the sovereignty of God God's sovereignty is vitally important for us to know God yet it's God's sovereignty taught as a system of theological thought which can lead to a person reading into the biblical text an outside concept that is foreign to the writers i...

Was the death of Jesus evil? Calvinism and ordained evil

This question is often asked of those of us who do not believe that God initiates evil. If God predestined the death of Jesus, does this mean that God commanded or ordained the evil acts of men? A Calvinist website describes God’s ordaining of evil this way:

Purposeless evil?

Calvinists often talk about “purposeless evil.” In fact, Dr. James White, a Calvinist apologist from Alpha and Omega Ministries , has stated that if God did not ordain all things including the evil actions of men, then evil has no purpose. Dr.

@BHarkins96928 @sola_chad Caiaphas was the High Priest at the time of Jesus’ cru

@BHarkins96928 @sola_chad Caiaphas was the High Priest at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Aside from being part of the Old Testament sacrificial system which doesn’t continue into the NT church, where

@ChristMount777 God didn’t punish Jesus, God put the sins of humanity on Him and Jesus submitted Himself to death by crucifixion. Read Matt 18:21-35 where a man was forgiven his debt and then his charges were laid back on him. That is very much like...

@ChristMount777 God didn’t punish Jesus, God put the sins of humanity on Him and Jesus submitted Himself to death by crucifixion. Read Matt 18:21-35 where a man was forgiven his debt and then his cha

Ephesians 5:18-33

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

Ephesians 1:4-5

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

John 12:32

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis

Romans 8:28-30

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

John 17:5

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

προορίζω (proorizō)

to predestine, to foreordain, to determine beforehand

Proof text #4: John 20:24-28 and Thomas's demand

Continuity of crucifixion marks in resurrection body

Five historically-accepted facts about the resurrection summarized as the acronym ALIVE

Mike introduces his mnemonic framework for presenting the resurrection evidence

First fact (A): Death by crucifixion — historically documented and generally agreed upon

First point of the ALIVE acronym

Twin theory: Jesus had a twin who was either crucified or who appeared after the crucifixion

Second alternate theory introduced

Swoon theory refuted by facts A, I, and V: the description of crucifixion, the nature of post-resurrection appearances, and the disciples' bold willingness to die

Systematic refutation of the swoon theory using the ALIVE facts

The resurrection is the one rational explanation that accounts for all five ALIVE facts

Conclusion of the evidence survey section

1 Corinthians 15:3-7 is the earliest resurrection record — within five years of the crucifixion and agreed upon by over 90% of scholars

Q&A — response to George Cook's question about the earliest scriptural record of the resurrection

Translation limitations: English lacks words that exist in Hebrew/Greek (e.g., 'hand/wrist/arm')

In explaining the taxonomy issue, Mike illustrates how original-language words sometimes have no single English equivalent

Isaiah 53:5 — 'crushed for our iniquities': what does 'crushed' mean in context?

Ra claims Jesus was never 'crushed' as described in Isaiah 53

Psalm 22's 'dogs' and 'bulls of Bashan' are metaphors for human enemies, not literal animals

Ra argues Psalm 22 depicts David being chased by literal dogs, making it inapplicable to Jesus

Psalm 22 describes crucifixion hundreds of years before it was invented

Continuing analysis of Psalm 22 as a crucifixion prophecy

Psalm 22:16 textual debate: 'like a lion' vs. 'they pierced' — three sources support 'pierced'

Ra claims 'they pierced my hands and feet' in Psalm 22:16 is a mistranslation — the correct Hebrew is 'like a lion they were at my hands and feet'

Q&A: How did Paul know so much about Jesus if he did not personally follow him?

Viewer question about the source of Paul's detailed knowledge of Jesus's teaching and gospel.

AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as historical context for Mark 13

Mike presents the second background concept: the historical event that is clearly in view in the Olivet Discourse.

John 19:11 — Jesus tells Pilate that the one who handed him over 'has the greater sin,' demonstrating a qualitative comparison of two specific sins.

Mike examines the conversation between Jesus and Pilate during the Passion narrative as a direct statement by Jesus about comparative sin.

Ehrman says Apollonius 'aroused opposition among ruling authorities of Rome and was put on trial' — but he was simply acquitted and released. Ehrman's phrase 'they could not kill his soul' is rhetorically misleading; no one tried to kill him, no one succeeded, and his body was not executed. A man being tried and acquitted is not parallel to Jesus being crucified.

Some skeptics claimed Pontius Pilate was a Gospel fiction. The Pilate Stone (discovered 1961, dated AD 26-36) is a 2x3 foot inscription naming 'Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea,' providing secular confirmation of a key Gospel figure during the exact period of Jesus' ministry and crucifixion.

There is near-universal scholarly consensus that Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This is treated as one of the most firmly established facts of ancient history.

Genuine predictive prophecy — written and datable before events — is a test that secular authors cannot pass. Psalm 22 and Isaiah 52-53 describe crucifixion details before the method was invented; Ezekiel 26 predicts the destruction of Tyre. Combined with historical confirmation that the events occurred, fulfilled prophecy supports divine inspiration.

Winger recommends Mike Licona's 'The Resurrection of Jesus: A Historiographical Approach' as a scholarly source for the consensus historical facts about Jesus. He directs readers specifically to the 'historical bedrock' chapters for the data on scholarly agreements about the baptism, crucifixion, post-resurrection appearances, and related facts.

Jim's claims about crucifixion: we have only one ancient source for Roman crucifixion practices; the cross was a straight pole (stauros = stake), not a T-shape; and Romans never removed crucifixion victims — they left them to be devoured by scavengers, making burial and an empty tomb impossible

Sixth and final major claim Mike refutes

Refutation of 'only one source': Martin Hengel's scholarly work compiles numerous ancient historical sources on crucifixion — the claim of a single source is false

Mike counters the 'only one source' claim

Refutation of 'Romans never removed crucifixion victims': Josephus explicitly records that in Jerusalem, Jews were permitted by Romans to take down crucified bodies and bury them before sunset — directly supporting the Gospel burial account

Mike counters the 'no burial possible' claim with Josephus

Zahnd's idol: a universalist Jesus who saves devout Muslims regardless of belief, contradicting Christ's own words

Winger reads Zahnd's 'Becky and Belkis' thought experiment from page 142 of the book, in which a devout Muslim woman is contrasted with a mean American Christian woman.

Philippians 2:6-8 — Jesus lived a humble, godly life and died by crucifixion

Continuing the biographical details about Jesus that Paul records.

1 Timothy 6:13 — Paul references Jesus's testimony before Pontius Pilate

Paul's specific mention of Pontius Pilate ties Jesus's death to a named Roman governor, confirming his historical existence.

Why Christianity and not other religions: incompatible truth claims require choosing

Viewer asking how to respond to someone asking why they should believe Christianity and not another religion

Matthew 27: saints raised from the dead at Jesus's death — why do only Matthew mention it?

Insects Are Cool (an atheist regular on the channel) asks why only Matthew mentions the resurrection of saints in Matthew 27.

Early attestation - all NT documents are 1st century with sources within 7 years

Arguing for early date of empty tomb testimony

1 Corinthians 15 creed - pre-Pauline formula dated within 5 years of crucifixion

Earliest written testimony to resurrection appearances

Roman crucifixion burial practice rebutted by Josephus and archaeological evidence

Addressing main historical objection to empty tomb

Rebuttal of swoon theory - physical evidence against resuscitation

Addressing alternative naturalistic explanations

Q&A: If an atheist accepts that a creator God exists, why should that God be the Christian God? Answer: cosmological arguments narrow the field to monotheism; historical evidence for the resurrection identifies Christianity specifically

Q&A question from Emily Towler about identifying which God among creation stories

Refutation of Paulogia's claim that Romans denied honorable burial to crucifixion victims: Josephus explicitly says Romans made an exception for Jews

Mike provides a specific example of responding to a resurrection objection

Tacitus (Annals, 109 AD) as non-Christian confirmation of early Christian persecution, crucifixion of Christ under Pontius Pilate, and the movement's origin in Judea

Mike quotes Tacitus as an external, non-Christian source confirming early persecution

John 21:18-19 — Jesus's prediction of Peter's death (stretching out his hands) as biblical evidence for Peter's martyrdom, with dual-hypothesis argument

First biblical source for Peter's martyrdom

Twitter response 5: Contemporary writings of life, death, resurrection with originals — we have near-contemporary documents, especially 1 Corinthians 15

Fifth respondent example; Mike pivots to addressing 1 Corinthians 15 as key early evidence.

Psalm 22 predicts specific details of the crucifixion centuries before crucifixion existed, and implies resurrection and worldwide Gentile conversion; ancient Jewish sources also viewed it as messianic

Third example of compelling prophecy for skeptics