The Historical Argument For The Resurrection Of Jesus During The Deist Controversy

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Focusing on the works of lesser-known yet influential Deists, the author examines the 70-year polemic between the Church of England and the English Deists, illuminating the rhetorical war which raged between them. He contends that Deism owes its significance to these skilled controversialists.

Josh McDowell, bestselling author and one of the most recognized Christian apologists, teams up with researcher Bill Wilson in this classic apologetics book, now with a new title, new cover, and new opportunity to connect with readers. This accessible resource explores historical evidence about Jesus so seekers, skeptics, and Christians can understand more about Christ, His claims, His impact, and the evidence for His life. Revealing material includes: surprising information from ancient secular writings about Jesus insights and errors from the post-apostolic writers how to test the New Testament evidence and material outside of the gospels details of the geography, culture, and other religions at the time of Christ findings about Jesus' miracles, death, resurrection, and identity Packed with fascinating, relevant, and intriguing information about Christ and His purpose, this is an ideal resource for individuals, groups, churches, as well as personal and academic libraries.