Christians believed in Jesus' Resurrection before the New Testament Bible existed - Frank Turek

Overview & Key Concepts

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What is New Testament?

The New Testament is the second part of the Christian biblical canon. The first part being the Old Testament, based on the Hebrew Bible. The New ... more

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What is Resurrection?

Resurrection is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of ancient religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and ... more

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Who is Frank Turek?

Frank Turek is an American Christian author, public speaker and radio host. He is the author of two books (Correct, Not Politically Correct and ... more

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What is Christian?

Christianity is a global religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who followers believe is the Son of God. It's a monotheistic ... more

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Frequently Asked Questions

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1.Does the resurrection of Jesus prove he is God?

No. Jesus himself raised people after their death:

1. Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:35-43)
2. Son of a widow at Nain (Luke 11:11-17)
3. Lazarus, who was dead for four days (John 11-1-44)
4. Women received their dead by resurrection (Hebrews 11:35)
5. Elijah raised a widows son from death (I Kings 17:17-24)

Therefore, the resurrection itself would not make Jesus unique or divine even.

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2.How did the early Jewish-Christians view Jesus' resurrection?

The earliest Jewish-Christians did not believe that the resurrection meant Jesus was God, but rather that he was a righteous man approved by God through miracles, wonders, and signs. Based on texts like Acts 2:22-24, they maintained the theological view that Jesus had been raised by God, not that he was the Creator himself.

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3.What is the significance of Jesus' resurrection?

The resurrection of Jesus is of crucial importance to Christian doctrine. The Christian religion was founded many years after the death of Jesus based on the beliefs in his resurrection. Put simply, if there was no resurrection story, their would be no Christianity.

The reported resurrection of Jesus serves as the absolute foundational cornerstone of orthodox Christian theology and identity. Historical scholars note that institutional Christianity was organized years after Jesus' death primarily upon the early community's collective belief that he had triumphed over death. Academic consensus agrees that without the preservation and widespread propagation of this resurrection narrative, Christianity as an independent world religion would not exist.

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4.Did Jesus' disciple question his resurrection?

Yes, the New Testament canonical records openly document that even members of Jesus' inner circle of chosen followers struggled to accept his physical resurrection. In the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 28:17), the text captures his final appearance on a mountain in Galilee, explicitly stating that when the disciples saw him, they worshipped him, 'but some doubted'. Modern historians view this candid admission as highly credible, showing that belief in the resurrection was complex even for early eyewitnesses.

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5.What is the credibility of the Jesus' resurrection?

The resurrection is the most controversial creed issue facing Christianity today. There are numerous explanations for the resurrection, all of which are contested. There is no concensus if Jesus' tomb was found empty or not; whether disciples saw anything or not; even if anything happened or not.

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6.What is the King James Version (KJV) of the New Testament?

The King James Version (KJV) of the New Testament was completed in 1611 by 8 members of the Church of England.

There were (and still are) no original texts to translate. The oldest manuscripts we have were written down hundreds of years after the last Apostle died. There are over 8000 of these old manuscripts, with no two alike.

The King James translators chose to use none of the texts. Instead, they edited previous translations to create the New Testament their king and parliament would approve.

So today, 21st century Christians believe the 'Word of God' is a book edited in the 17th century from 16th century translations of 8000 contradictory copies of 4th century scrolls that claim to copies of lost letters written in the 1st century by unknown authors.

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7.Is the New Testament historically authentic?

Textual critics note that the original autographs of the New Testament books no longer exist, leaving thousands of handwritten Greek manuscripts that contain thousands of minor variants, mostly consisting of spelling or word order differences. Despite these historical copy changes, scholars emphasize that modern textual reconstruction methods allow historians to confidently identify the original 1st-century text, ensuring no essential historical narrative or Christian doctrine is left in doubt.

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8.What is the oldest manuscript of the Bible New Testament?

It is of enormous importance in establishing the biblical text. There are three earliest manuscripts of the Bible New Testament:

1. Codex Alexandrinus is one of the earliest and most important manuscripts of the entire Bible in Greek

2. Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world and is kept in the British Library. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament.

3. Codex Vaticanus in Rome

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9.What language is the earliest New Testament in?

The earliest New Testament manuscripts are in Koine Greek. But there are Aramaic phrases in the Gospels. Therefore, Scholars believe an Aramaic layer lies beneath the written Greek of the New Testament, one which may never have been written down.

If true, the Greek text is itself a translation, and English text would be a translation of a translation, which raises textual inerrancy and corruption issue.

Since every translation is a personal judgement of which word to best use, made at the translators discretion.

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