100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
16. Early Propagation of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians-Galatians-Acts)
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church (dated by most to A.D. 55 A.), Paul reminds his readers that the very first thing he had shared with them was the thing that he himself had received: the details concerning Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead. This initial visit probably took place in A.D. 51 B – less than 20 years after the resurrection is said to have taken place. Paul states that the resurrected Christ was seen by His apostles, by His brother, and then by over 500 witnesses simultaneously C. He confidently assures his readers that most of these witnesses were still alive should one want to investigate the matter further. How can we explain Paul’s confidence in these facts if they were not so? Where did Paul receive this information? A clue may be found in Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches.
In this letter, also universally accepted as genuine, Paul tells his readers that after his conversion, he retreated to Arabia and then to Damascus. Three years later, states Paul, he went to Jerusalem and met with the apostle Peter and James, the brother of Jesus. What do you think they talked about for the next 15 days?
The sermons attributed to Peter and Paul in the book of Acts are almost entirely focused on the resurrection of Jesus. If these sermons are even close to what Peter and Paul actually preached then the resurrection must have surely been discussed during Paul’s visit to Jerusalem. This therefore is likely the place where Paul received his information regarding the resurrection. Now there are two quick points about this conjecture that must be made:
The time. According to Paul, he and Barnabas made a trip back to Jerusalem from Antioch 14 years after this meeting with Peter. At this meeting Paul was given the right hand of fellowship by Peter, James and John – all eyewitnesses to Jesus’ bodily resurrection. Many notable scholars, including Sir William Ramsey D, are convinced that this visit referred to here in Galatians is the famine relief visit spoken of in Acts 11. If so, this visit took place in the mid-40’s A.D. Calculating backward 14 years brings us to the early 30’s, and to Paul’s first meeting with Peter in Jerusalem. How was the bodily resurrection of Jesus successfully propagated at such an early date if it were not so?
The place. Jerusalem is the exact spot where Jesus’ death and resurrection reportedly took place. If Paul received his information during his meeting with Peter, then we must explain how the resurrection story could have been successfully propagated, not only at such an early time, but in a place where evidence to the contrary would surely have been cited if it were not so. No such evidence from that time has ever been advanced.
16. Early Propagation of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians-Galatians-Acts) - Notes and References
A. Sir William Ramsey, “St. Paul the Traveler and Roman Citizen”, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1962
B. We can deduce this from the mention of Gallio as Procunsul during Paul’s visit there (Acts 18): According to C.J. Hemer, inscriptions at Delphi help to establish a fixed chronology for Paul’s life.
“As Proconsul of Achaea, Gallio would have governed for one year only, beginning on July 1, and most scholars are certain this occurred in AD 51-52 – a rare absolute date in the chronology of Paul’s history.” C.J. Hemer, “The Journeys of St. Paul”, James Harpur, 1997, p. 50
C. 1 Corinthian 15:1-8
D. Sir William Ramsey, “St. Paul the Traveler and Roman Citizen”, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1962