100 Reasons to Believe New Testament History
77. The Empty Tomb(s)
By far, most naturalistic explanations for the resurrection story endeavour to account for Christ’s empty tomb. Some suggest that Christ was not quite dead when He was placed in the tomb, and that He later revived and escaped unnoticed. Some claim that the apostles came by stealth and stole his body, while still others claim either the Jews or the Romans stole it. Another theory attempts to explain the empty tomb by supposing that the disciples forgot where Jesus was buried, and that they came to the wrong tomb. In all these explanations, one thing remains constant: that the empty tomb of Christ was and is an historic fact.
Today, two candidates exist as the place where Christ’s body was laid. The first is within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in the Arab section of Jerusalem. This particular site is situated just without the first century wall of Jerusalem, in accordance with the description given in Hebrews 13:12, “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
The second possible location is known as Gordon’s Calvary. Though the garden tomb at this location may or may not be the actual tomb of Christ, it is a genuine first century tomb type, consistent with the Gospel description. The apparent desecration of the tomb by the armies of Hadrian after the second Jewish revolt in A.D. 135 offers, in the minds of many, evidence of the tomb’s significance in the second century A.
The fact that the actual tomb of Christ has not been identified beyond question is significant. Even though at least some Christians by the second century were becoming interested in holy relics (ie, Polycarp’s martyrdom B), there is no hint that Christ’s tomb was ever venerated as such. The uncertainty regarding the exact location of Christ’s tomb bears this out. This apparent lack of veneration for the tomb squares well with the resurrection account. If the resurrection was an historic fact, then we should well expect that the focal point of Christian attention be on the risen Saviour, not on the tomb that was incapable of holding him.
77. The Empty Tomb(s) - Notes and References
A. “The site of Gordon’s Calvary possess decided claims to authenticity. There is even some evidence that Hadrian sought to desicrate it after the second Jewish revolt in A.D. 135 by setting tokens of pagan worship in nishes in the rock wall above and to the left of the tomb.” E.M. Blaiklock, “The Archaeology of the New Testament”, Revised and Updated, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984, p. 69
B. “The devotion of Polycarp’s followers was so great, the governor was warned not to allow the Christians to take his remains, ‘else they abandon the crucified, and begin worshipping this one.’ His disciples managed to gather a few of his bones, which were considered ‘more valuable than gold.’ This is perhaps the first reference to the reverence early Christians had for relics of martyrs.” “After Jesus: The Triumph of Christianity”, Readers Digest Association, 1992, p.115