Question:
Since Jesus’ resurrection is a supernatural event, isn’t it outside of the realm of historical investigation?
Since Jesus’ resurrection is a supernatural event, isn’t it outside of the realm of historical investigation?
Answer: (by Mary Zebrowski)
To answer this question, let’s first define what a supernatural event is.
In this context, a supernatural event is an event that involves something non-physical (that is, beyond nature). Since the non-physical is beyond investigation by its very definition, we would agree that if the resurrection was supernatural it is beyond historical investigation.
But was Jesus’ resurrection a supernatural event?
Since Jesus’ resurrection is known to us, first and foremost, from certain ancient texts, we can only answer this question by ascertaining what those texts say about that event.
And when we read them carefully we find that they describe the resurrection as a patently physical event – there is nothing supernatural in what they claim.
Here is a list of things these texts associate with the resurrection:
Jesus’ body (Matt. 28:6; Matt. 9-10; Luke 24; John 20:14-30; 1 Corinthians 15)
Angels (Matthew 28:2-7; Mark 16:4-7; Luke 24:2-7; John 20:11-12)
God (1 Cor. 6:14; Heb. 13:20; 1 Peter 1:21)
Heaven (Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9-10; Eph 4:10; Heb. 4:14)
People assume that the resurrection is supernatural because they assume that one or more of these things are non-physical, but actually, all of them are described in the sources as physical. This is apparent from the following list of texts:
Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:24-29; 1 Cor. 15)
Angels (Gen. 18:1-8 with 19:1; Gen. 32:24 with Hos. 12:4; Num. 22:22-31; Judges 6:11-22; Ps. 78:23-25; Luke 1:19; John 20:12; Acts 6:15; Rev. 8:5-6; Rev. 7:11)
God (Gen. 1:26-27; Ex. 33:21-23; Ex. 24:9-11; Ezekiel 1; Dan. 7:9; Matt. 18:10; Phil. 2:5,6; Col. 1:15)
Heaven (Ps. 11:4; Ps. 78:23-25; Amos 9:6; Acts 7:56; Col. 3:1; Eph. 1:20; Heb. 8:1; Heb. 11:15-16; 1 Peter 1:4; Rev. 4:1-2; Rev. 11:19)
These scriptures reveal that the early Christ-followers, like most Jews before them, didn’t believe in a non-physical realm. They understood everything involved in the resurrection, including Jesus’ body, God, angels, and heaven (the sky) to all be purely physical.
Whether or not Jesus’ resurrection happened is another question, but it is a proposed physical event of the past and so it *is* within the realm of historical investigation.
