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The "Minimal Facts Approach" uses five key facts to help prove the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Biblical scholars, even those with opposing views, accept these five facts. Additionally, the facts
have compelling evidence. This approach aims to not only present the exclusivity of Christianity.
But also, to teach Christians how to defend their faith. The "Minimal Facts Approach" presents
evidence that is not just biblical but also historical, using outside sources to support the
resurrection. An important detail with the Minimal Facts approach is "keep the main thing, the
main thing." (Habermas and Licona 45) With the facts being clear-cut, it's hard to disagree with
them. The "Minimal Facts Approach" is easy to remember and understand. Making it a great tool
to help defend Christianity when the need arises.
The first of the five facts is the undisputed fact that Jesus died by crucifixion. There are many,
many we can have confidence in the crucifixion. Josephus, a Jewish historian, writes one of
them. "When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had
condemned him to be crucified.…" (Habermas and Licona 49) The text comes from "Antiquities
of The Jews," written 60 years after Jesus was crucified. Another non-biblical is a Greek writer
from Samosata. He writes, "The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the
distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account."
(Habermas and Licona 49) Both of the above quotes are from people of different religions. These
are just two of the many biblical and non-biblical works showing Jesus was crucified.
Another critical fact is the disciples themselves. Using the acronym POW! ("Paul, Oral
Tradition, Written Tradition"), we can break down the evidence for why the disciple believe they
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saw the risen Christ. (Habermas and Licona 55) Paul, shown to have a relationship with the
disciples, claims "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas,
then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most
of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the
apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me." (1 Corinthians
15:3b-8 Christian Standard). When Paul writes, "most of them are still alive," he is inviting those
who still doubt to ask questions so that they might believe. Oral traditions were critical in the
first century. Writing utensils were not common. Thus, they relied on memorization as Creed to
pass along information. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 thought to be a creed from the early Christian
church. Paul, the writer, first heard the Creed within five years of Jesus's death. (Habermas and
Licona 53) As for the written traditions, most scholars believe that most of the sermons written
through the gospels are summaries of the actual sermons spoken by Jesus. Summarizing them
makes them easier to remember and share with nonbelievers. (Habermas and Licona 53)
The third and fourth are very similar. These are the conversions of Paul, a popular member of the
Sanhedrin, as well as James, Jesus's brother. Jesus's appearance radically changes both of them.
Before meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul, formerly Saul, had been known as a
persecutor and even chose to put Christians to death. After seeing the risen Jesus, Paul changed
to someone who would die for his faith. Many knew of Paul's pre-conversion acts, verified in
Galatians 1:22-23, which states, "I remained personally unknown to the Judean churches that are
in Christ. They simply kept hearing, "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith he
once tried to destroy." (Habermas and Licona 64) Jesus's brother, James, was a strict Jewish law
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follower. Hegesippus was a Christian writer for the Second century. He reports that James never
drank wine, was holy, and was allowed alone in the temple. His knees would become callused
due to his constant praying on behalf of others. (Habermas and Licona 68) Jesus's appearance to
James, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, led to James's conversion to Christianity. "With
James, we have another case of a skeptic converting to Christianity based on what he perceived
was a personal appearance by the risen Jesus." (Habermas and Licona 68)
The last and most disputed of the five is the empty tomb. However, there is still strong evidence
for it. There are three arguments for the empty tomb. The first is the Jerusalem factor. The
Romans killed Jesus in Jerusalem. If the government wanted to dispute the claims Jesus had
risen, they could have exhumed his body for display. Even if his body had started to decompose,
it would still put doubt in some. (Habermas and Licona 70) We can find another piece of
evidence among the enemies of early Christians. They claimed that Jesus's followers stole his
body. This claim inevitably confirms that the tomb was empty. (Habermas and Licona 71) The
final piece of evidence in support of the empty tomb comes from understanding the first-century
culture. Women at the time were thought to be less than, and it would have been embarrassing
for women to be the main witness. But the woman being the first to find the empty tomb is
confirmed in all four gospels. Had the gospels been made up, they would not have included this.
Indeed, men would have been the first to discover the empty tomb. (Habermas and Licona 73)
Even though only %75 of historical scholars agree that the tomb was empty, the above is
compelling evidence that it indeed was.
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With all the evidence shown, it is hard to dispute Jesus's resurrection. There are many opposing
theories; however, none of them have so much overwhelming evidence. From my point of view,
it is easy to see the benefits of using the "Minimal Facts Approach." I find the information to be
easy to remember and explain. It allows me to share my faith with the nonbelievers around me.
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Is it possible to "prove" Jesus's Resurrection? The answer I have is a non-answer. While there is
compelling evidence for the Resurrection, I don't think it is possible to %100 prove it. We have
evidence for the Resurrection, with both biblical and non-biblical examples. Many of these
examples can be used for other arguments, such as the Bible's truth and God's existence.
"I believe in the resurrection, That we will rise again, For I believe in the name of Jesus."
(Hillsong Worship) I don't believe we can ever prove that Jesus rose from the dead with complete
certainty. However, that doesn't mean I don't think he did. There is so much evidence outside the
Bible any doubt I have is quickly destroyed. From my perspective and what I have learned about
women in that time, I think the women discovering the tomb is our most vital evidence. Women
were not believed to be a reliable source of information, but in all four gospels, the women were
the first to discover the empty tomb. But this doesn't tell us about where the body went. With the
event accruing almost 2000, it is hard to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he did rise from
the dead.
Many of the gospels overlap in their storytelling. For example, James, Jesus's brother, is said to
be a skeptic and non-believer in both the Gospel of Mark and John. (Habermas and Licona 68)
With all the evidence pointing to Christ's Resurrection, we can be confident that the Bible speaks
the truth. If you think of a memory with a friend, I can guarantee that the friend remembers it
differently. The same goes for gospel writers. Each Gospel tells the story of Christ but
emphasizes different accounts that were vital to each writer. This fact aids in believing the Bible
speaks the truth. Women in the Bible, as mentioned earlier, were the first to discover the empty
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tomb. This is another example the aid is the truth of the Bible. It would be embarrassing to
mention this in those times,
Some question the existence of God because of evil in the world, saying an all-powerful God
wouldn't allow evil things. But God did create an evil-free, perfect world. Eden was perfect, but
humans chose to sin, thus creating evil. Sinful acts have consequences. Our consequence is a
world with evil created by humans. (Hebarmas and Licona 173) Despite this, If we can be
confident that Christ rose from the dead, we can be sure of the existence of God. "In a world
where God probably exists, there are no good reasons for rejecting the possibility of the
Resurrection. It is Jesus' Resurrection that reveals that the God apparently disclosed by the
philosophical and scientific arguments above is the Christian God." (Hebarmas and Licona 181)
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been
born again because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3 No other religion has
claimed to have raised Jesus. Some believe that he never died, like the Muslims, or that he was a
blasphemer who died for it, like the Jewish. However, the overwhelming evidence we have for
the Resurrection proves the existence of God.
With all the evidence supporting the Resurrection of Christ, we can be confident in the existence
of God and the truth of the Bible. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you
are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have
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put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone." (1 Corinthians
15:17-18) I know my faith is not worthless, and I am forgiven for my sins. We only gain this
when we believe in the Resurrection. When we believe in the Resurrection, we can know God
exists and we can believe in the truth of the Bible.
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Bibliography
Habermas, Gary and Michael Licona. The Case for The Resurrection Of Jesus. Grand Rapids,
MI: Kregel Publications, 2004.
Hillsong United. “I Believe.” In Empires, by Hillsong United, Hillsong Music Australia, 2015
Habermas, Gary and Michael Licona. The Case for The Resurrection Of Jesus. Grand Rapids,
MI: Kregel Publications, 2004.
1 Peter 1:3 New Living Translation
1 Corinthians 15:17-18 Christian Standard
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