Expert: Dean Gade - 10/1/2007

Question
Hello and thank you for your time.
I am dealing with a question concerning the resurrection and crucifixion. Is there any evidence to suggest that they are "myths" created by the early church and not historical events?  I am reading a book about the gospel Q and it concerns me that these events are not believed to be written down in the earliest accounts of Jesus.
Thank you!!

Answer
The evidence of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is in the eyewitness accounts of the apostles and disciples who were with Jesus.

Myths denying the validity of these witnesses did not arise for centuries later.  Most of them came about in the 19th century with the rise of the Historical Critical Method of Bible Study in Germany.  The majority of the scholars in this discipline began with the premise that the Bible was NOT God's Word as it says of itself, but that it was a book like any other book, written by many authors as well as changed and embellished by later  "editors" ("redactors").

There is nothing to back these rationalists except their own opinions and writings. The "manuscripts" that they refer to have no backing by the early church as does the accepted canon of Scripture.