Considerations of Christ's Resurrection

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Yes, indeed, there are only two options: We christians are liars or we are telling the plain truth - there is nothing in between.

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1) Being wrong is not the same as lying.2) Why is that? Some things Christians say could be true, while others are wrong.But moving on...

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The entire case for the resurrection stands or falls on the veracity of the eyewitnesses - the Apostles.

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Okay. Compare and contrast their accounts of the resurrection. Who was at the tomb, and what were the order of events surrounding the resurrection?If the veracity of their accounts is all-important, we should hope that their accounts don't contradict one another, right?[This message has been edited by Dan Carroll, 11-24-2003]

1) It's a little more drastic than one says there were three women and another says there were four. The way in which the accounts are structured causes them to directly contradict one another. At least three of the four must be lying, or at least mistaken.2) It has everything to do with your post. You said that the credibility of the apostles was central to Christianity. Your exact words were "the veracity of the eyewitnesses". If that veracity is in question because at least three of the four eyewitnesses are telling untrue stories, then what does that say?3) You seem to be basing your argument solely on the idea that no one would die for an untruth. But given that at least three of the four men did die for an untruth, that would seem to rule that out as an argument.[This message has been edited by Dan Carroll, 11-25-2003]

(EDIT: Gawdammit, I spend half an hour compiling the contradiction list of doom, and the damn queen beats me too it. )

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There are NO contradictions in the resurrection passages , if you think there are you are mistaken and need to listen to someone in the know.

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Mm.How many women came to the tomb?Matthew: 2
Mark: 3
Luke: 5 or more
John: 1When did they arrive?Matthew: sunrise
Mark: sunrise
John: still dark outWhen they arrived, was the tomb open or closed?Matthew: Closed
Luke: OpenWhat did the women see at the tomb?Matthew: One angel
Mark: A young man
Luke: Two men
John: Two angelsWere the men (or angels, as the case may be) inside the tomb when the women arrived?Matthew: Outside
Mark: Inside
Luke: Inside
John: InsideDid the women go to tell the disciples?Matthew: They immediately ran to tell the disciples
Mark: They didn't tell anyone; they were too afraid
Luke: They immediately ran to tell the disciplesTo whom did Jesus first appear after his resurrection?Matthew: The two Marys
Mark: Only Mary Magdalene
Luke: Cleopas and another
John: Only Mary MagdaleneDid Mary Magdalene recognize Jesus?Matthew: Yes, immediately
Luke: Jesus didn't appear to her at all; a vision of angels told her he was still alive
John: She knew not that it was JesusWhere did Jesus tell his disciples to go after the resurrection?Matthew: Galilee
Mark: Galilee
Luke: JerusalemWhere did Jesus first appear to the disciples after his resurrection?Matthew: On a mountaintop in Galilee
Mark: In a room in Jerusalem
Luke: In a room in Jerusalem
John: In a room in JerusalemHow many disciples were present for this meeting?Matthew: 11
Mark: 11
Luke: 11
John: 10So to sum up, the contradictions in the story of the resurrection include who saw it, when they saw it, whether or not there was a big thumping rock in the way when they saw it, who else was there, whether the other people were angels or just dudes, whether these angel/dudes entered the tomb or not, whether or not the people who saw it told anyone, who Jesus first spoke to after being resurrected, whether or not Mary even recognized him, whether or not Mary even saw him, what instructions Jesus gave his disciples upon returning, where the disciples saw him for the first time after his resurrection, and how many of the disciples were there when Jesus appeared.Those last few particularly shady. I mean... people remember where they were when Kennedy was shot, you'd think people would remember where they were when Jesus rose from the grave. Or at least who else was there, and the gist of what Jesus said.[This message has been edited by Dan Carroll, 11-25-2003]