Are there any extrabiblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus?

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Of course, a lot of things can happen to a book in 2000 years...

Does Yahweh ever lie? Ever change ? Or can He Be Trusted? (rhetorical, of course He never lies, never changes, and is absolutely trustworthy and true)

 

[jacks]

That only tells me you know little about how the synagogue system worked in the 2nd temple period. Those “uneducated” fishermen had the equivalent of at least a BA in theology by the time they reached adulthood. The gifted were already recognized by age 5 and removed to yeshivas to learn more extensively. (Like Paul)

This is interesting. Do you know where can we find out more about education in that period? I tried Goggling it, but really didn't find anything on education. Also I assume the "BA" equivalent wouldn't include general education courses, rather just theological topics?

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Does Yahweh ever lie? Ever change ? Or can He Be Trusted? (rhetorical, of course He never lies, never changes, and is absolutely trustworthy and true)

Why do you ask?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

They did not have any such thing, nothing at all like "BA" , man's ways. No.\

As written, they were uneducated..... others were amazed at their speech,
same as they were amazed at Jesus' when Jesus was twelve in the Temple.

 

[klutedavid]

Something that has troubled me is I have never been able to find extra biblical accounts of Jesus resurrection. Why didn’t the 500 he appeared to write testimonies of his resurrection? Even if any of them were illiterate I’m sure a few of them must have been literate. Does anyone have any answers?

There may have been folk among the over five hundred witnesses, that Paul mentions in the letter (1 Corinthians 15). Some of these witnesses may have written accounts about the risen Christ, but the early church only focused on what the apostles wrote. Everything else that was written about Jesus would have been ignored and lost.

If only social media had existed in the first century!

 

[mark kennedy]

Something that has troubled me is I have never been able to find extra biblical accounts of Jesus resurrection. Why didn’t the 500 he appeared to write testimonies of his resurrection? Even if any of them were illiterate I’m sure a few of them must have been literate. Does anyone have any answers?

All I have heard about this is that their names were recorded but somehow the scrolls were lost to time. The writings of Josephus do speak of him but extra-biblical accounts are exceedingly rare.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If only social media had existed in the first century!

If ? Why ? The end of all things would have been much quicker, probably !
(social media is NOT , by nature, a good thing)

 

[Dave-W]

This is interesting. Do you know where can we find out more about education in that period? I tried Goggling it, but really didn't find anything on education. Also I assume the "BA" equivalent wouldn't include general education courses, rather just theological topics?

You will have to dig into Jewish writings for that. The Mishnah and moreso the Talmuds detail out what kind of curriculum every Jewish male went thru in the province of Judea and the Gallil.

 

[grasping the after wind]

That only tells me you know little about how the synagogue system worked in the 2nd temple period. Those “uneducated” fishermen had the equivalent of at least a BA in theology by the time they reached adulthood. The gifted were already recognized by age 5 and removed to yeshivas to learn more extensively. (Like Paul)

Learning, education and literacy are not equivalent concepts. A person with no skill at reading or writing may have vast knowledge of theology as well as other things. We of the modern world tend to over emphasize the connection between literacy and knowledge and consider it impossible to become learned without being able to read until we meet someone that has become wise and knowledgeable without that skill. From some things I have recently read , I am not entirely sure that the synagogue system, though certainly in place at the time, was fully developed at the time of Jesus Resurrection. Paul's situation , as you point out, was not the norm but the exception that applied to the gifted. Nor was Paul native to the area that the 500 mostly came from as he is said to have been from Tarsus and not Judah so his background and upbringing would possibly differ from theirs in important ways. Of the 500, I would expect the majority to be illiterate. Now, just because I expect something to be the case does not make it so, but I have seen no clear evidence so convincing that I am moved to change my expectations .

This excerpt from Wikipedia disputes your contention. You may be correct and the author form Wikipedia be mistaken but I do not see that you have proven your case. I am not claiming that Wiki is correct, I am simply skeptical of what you have claimed based upon a small bit of research that I have done into literacy rates in the 1st Century.

Literacy[edit]
Despite this schooling system, many children did not learn to read and write. It has been estimated that at least 90 percent of the Jewish population of Roman Palestine in the first centuries CE could merely write their own name or not write and read at all,[2] or that the literacy rate was about 3 percent.[3] Exact literacy rates among ancient Jews in Roman Palestine cannot be determined [4]

If you wish to convince me that your argument is the better one, which perhaps does not interest you to do, I ask that you present to me some better evidence that substantiates your claim than I have seen so far.

 

[Dave-W]

It was (and still. Is) expected that every boy at 12 years old could read Hebrew well enough to read his portion of the Torah (and perhaps the Prophets reading as well) in the synagogue.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Why do you ask?

He is Responsible , as He Says, for Guarding His Word - He Honors His Word Even More than His Own Name.

(clarifying/ concerning some reference to 'lost books' I think.... )

 

[grasping the after wind]

It was (and still. Is) expected that every boy at 12 years old could read Hebrew well enough to read his portion of the Torah (and perhaps the Prophets reading as well) in the synagogue.

I am not seeing anything here other than you telling me this was the case in the 1st Century . I am sure you sincerely believe it to be true and you may have knowledge I lack but I am asking for independent substantiation of your claim as others seem to sincerely believe something else was the case at the time. I would understand if you are too busy or disinclined attitudinally to provide such substantiation but that would be the only way to convince me to think other than I do.

 

[All4Christ]

It was (and still. Is) expected that every boy at 12 years old could read Hebrew well enough to read his portion of the Torah (and perhaps the Prophets reading as well) in the synagogue.

If I remember correctly, the exceptions were the women. They were trained primarily in the home for keeping the house, raising children and at times, finances and running home businesses, but not the same level of education. The parents were not required to teach them at the same level of education.

This is an interesting article for anyone who wants to read about early Jewish education. It discusses the pre-exilic period up through today. Take a look at page 417.

https://hts.org.za/index.php/HTS/article/viewFile/1635/2927

 

[grasping the after wind]

It also occurs to me that even if every 12 year old was literate as Dave -W assures us was the case
, how likely would it be that every one of the 500 had the means to record what they had witnessed? Were writing utensils and the medium for writing upon abundant and commonly possessed or were such things rare and only normally available to the scribes? Additionally, would possessing such supposedly heretical writings , which they surely would have been considered at the time, have been dangerous for the writer and the one possessing the writing?

 

[Dave-W]

600 BCE inscriptions prove ancient Jewish literacy

Israelite Literacy: Interpreting the Evidence: Part I on JSTOR

 

[Jude1:3Contendforthefaith]

Something that has troubled me is I have never been able to find extra biblical accounts of Jesus resurrection. Why didn’t the 500 he appeared to write testimonies of his resurrection? Even if any of them were illiterate I’m sure a few of them must have been literate. Does anyone have any answers?

I know that it doesn't answer specifically about The Resurrection but you might like this thread :


Secular Non Biblical Sources For The Existence Of The Lord Jesus Christ in History



• Lucian of Samosata: (115-200 A.D.)

“The Christians, you know, worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, AND WAS CRUCIFIED ON THAT ACCOUNT….You see, these misguided creatures start with the general conviction that they are immortal for all time, which explains the contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion which are so common among them; and then it was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship The Crucified sage, and live after his laws. All this they take quite on faith, with the result that they despise all worldly goods alike, regarding them merely as common property.” (Lucian, The Death of Peregrine. 11-13)

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Additionally, would possessing such supposedly heretical writings , which they surely would have been considered at the time, have been dangerous for the writer and the one possessing the writing?

Subject to testing/verification, I'm pretty sure (from memory only though, long ago),
that
the Scripture ("writings") did not become 'heretical' until centuries later, for known centuries, when the world church in power forbade it and put to death anyone caught with Scripture in their home, or caught printing or writing or copying Scripture (as well as having any Scripture).

 

[All4Christ]

It also occurs to me that even if every 12 year old was literate as Dave -W assures us was the case
, how likely would it be that every one of the 500 had the means to record what they had witnessed? Were writing utensils and the medium for writing upon abundant and commonly possessed or were such things rare and only normally available to the scribes? Additionally, would possessing such supposedly heretical writings , which they surely would have been considered at the time, have been dangerous for the writer and the one possessing the writing?

The latter point would be the most important one imho in regards to the lack of writings seen today, not to mention the transmission over the centuries. Also, since everything was community based, I’d imagine it would be difficult to pass in the writings, especially since so much was conveyed in the synagogues.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Thank you for your reply. Both actually but preferably first hand accounts. I know that the New Testament authors along with the The Acts of the Apostles are all historically reliable sources but I’ve just been wrestling with the fact as to why the first hand accounts of the 500 that Jesus appeared to never wrote any testimonies or at least none that I know of.

This is a good movie to watch and a good book to read that may help with what you are wrestling with. Lee did a ton of research.

 

[Halbhh]

Something that has troubled me is I have never been able to find extra biblical accounts of Jesus resurrection. Why didn’t the 500 he appeared to write testimonies of his resurrection? Even if any of them were illiterate I’m sure a few of them must have been literate. Does anyone have any answers?

As you read through the gospels fully, you begin to notice that over and over Christ is working to build faith in his disciples. It's like Hebrews chapter 11 (and other passages) -- faith as the key thing.

Belief.

Not simply observation of observable facts, like seeing the moon. We can't have faith the moon exists.

As Paul words it in one passage:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

See? If we have simply proof, then it's not faith anymore to know Christ rose....

But faith is what God wants from us.

I think this is because faith is like goodwill trust -- it allows love to endure...to get past any moments of doubt or possible loss of trust.... Intead, with faith, love can flourish. It would be such a good thing in an eternal life to have faith. With faith, conflict can be avoided. If we believe God knows best, we won't rebel against him (as did certain angels).