The purpose of this research is to examine and develop the argument that the body of Jesus Christ the founder of the Christian faith and Son of God did rise from the dead. It will be the position of this research that the fact, not the fantasy, of the Resurrection was the basis for that fundamental doctrine of Christianity and indeed is the credible explanation for why that doctrine is an appropriate one. The plan of the research will be to set forth the background and context for the Resurrection, by reference to the events leading up to what is now commonly referred to as Easter, the reasons and methods used to crucify Jesus, and evidence of what the Jews and Romans felt about the whole matter, and then to discuss why the fact that the body of Jesus did rise positions Jesus as divine rather than just a prophet. In this regard, reference will be made to proofs that the body did rise, contrary to some beliefs, as well as to the reasons that the fact of the Resurrection is so important.
In order to understand the importance of the fact that Jesus did rise from the dead, it is essential to understand the importance of the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus. The gospel accounts of the Crucifixion vary somewhat in the details, but the basic information surrounding the death of Jesus is very much the same, that Jesus was identified as a Jewish heretic and, at the encouragement or complicity of the Sanhedrin, or highest legal authority of the Jews during the early Roman imperial period, was handed over to Roman authorities for torture and execution. The attitude of the chief priests to whom Jesus is brought (Matt. 26) is shaped by what are termed false witnesses, who quote Jesus to the effect that He could destroy and then rebuild the temple; this is taken as Jesus's statement that He is the Son of God, which is held by the Jews to be blasphemy, which is punishable by death. This is further complicated by Jesus's answer to the p...