Are there any extrabiblical accounts of the resurrection of Jesus?

Tone

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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.

I've heard it said that they may have ascended to heaven like Messiah and may even make up those who are before His throne and/or some might be the 24 elders. So, they didn't stay on Earth to write...wait, are you talking about those who were resurrected with Him?

*Oh sorry, you are talking about another group...
 
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buzuxi02

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I'm not sure then what your asking for then?
Quadratus of Athens writing at about 120 AD and was a very early convert to christianity wrote this:

"But the works of our Saviour were always present, for they were genuine:-those that were healed, and those that were raised from the dead, who were seen not only when they were healed and when they were raised, but were also always present; and not merely while the Saviour was on earth, but also after his death, they were alive for quite a while, so that some of them lived even to our day....(Quadratus of Athens)
 
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Halbhh

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Proof of Christ --
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?

Ready, easy proof of Christ's resurrection would contradict much of the Bible.

Why? See post #40.

If there were some ready and putative objective proof anyone could examine, before He returns, we can expect it's not real. Because Christ's words are true. Faith isn't an optional thing.
 
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gideon123

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if you think about it ..

it is a little surprising that Pontius Pilate didnt send a letter to Rome with an account of what happened. that would be a real official record. something like that could conceivably have existed.

likewise, when Paul was put on trial, its surprising that there is not an account of that process too.

it's still possible that there are undiscovered documents with more evidence.
 
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Radagast

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Actually, the copies of the NT we have are just scraps from the 300s ad. And that was with the church preserving those documents.

False.

We have scraps from the 100s.

We have complete books from the 200s.

We have a complete Bible (the Codex Sinaiticus) from the 300s.
 
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Radagast

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it is a little surprising that Pontius Pilate didnt send a letter to Rome with an account of what happened.

It's possible he did. Out of the imperial paperwork over the centuries, almost none survives.

We have a few early secular mentions of Christianity, which refer to the crucifixion, but outside the Bible and early Christian writings, that's all.
 
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Radagast

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True :) I was taking the average date from most scholars. I think they range it from 70-140

John is generally dated to 95 or earlier. The oldest manuscript fragment of John is dated to around 140 (and comes from Egypt), but John must have been written (probably in Ephesus) well before that.

but if I remember correctly, some church fathers reference it in 110.

The church fathers all say John wrote it, which puts it in John's lifetime (before about 98). I'm not sure what the oldest quote is.

ETA: John is quoted in Clement’s Exhortation to the Heathens.

And Clement died before 100, iirc.
 
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All4Christ

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John is generally dated to 95 or earlier. The oldest manuscript fragment of John is dated to around 140 (and comes from Egypt), but John must have been written (probably in Ephesus) well before that.



The church fathers all say John wrote it, which puts it in John's lifetime (before about 98). I'm not sure what the oldest quote is.



And Clement died before 100, iirc.
Yes, like I said earlier, a common date is in the 90s. Some say earlier. The exact date isn’t known with certainty.

My initial post said that I knew of church fathers who referenced John at least by 110AD. In my edit, I mentioned that I looked at some of the writings and found references from St Clement, who as you said, died in 99AD. That was the reason I pointed that out - to show that John was written prior to 140AD.
 
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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?
Here is an excerpt from the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics:
Another indirect proof of the resurrection is the very existence of the early church. There are good reasons why the church should not have been born:

The first church consisted largely of Jews who believed there was only one God ( Deut. 6:4 ),
and yet they proclaimed that Jesus was God. They prayed to Jesus (Acts 7:59 ), baptized in his name ( Acts 2:38 ), claimed he was exalted to God’s right hand ( Acts 2:33 ; 7:55 ), and called him Lord and Christ ( 2:34–36 ), the very title which earned Jesus the charge of blasphemy from the Jewish High Priest at his trial ( Matt. 26:63–65 ).

The first Christians had insufficient time to establish themselves before they were persecuted, beaten, threatened with death, and even martyred ( Acts 7:57–60 ). Yet they not only maintained their belief but quickly grew in number. If what they testified to was not real, they had every reason and opportunity to give it up. But they did not. Only a real encounter with the resurrected Christ can adequately account for their existence as a Jewish sect that came to be known as Christians ( Acts 11:26 ).

By contrast to other religions, like Islam which grew slowly at first, Christianity experienced an immediate and rapid growth. Three thousand were saved the
very first day ( Acts 2:41 ). Many others were added to their ranks daily ( Acts 2:47 ). Within days 2000 more became believers ( Acts 4:4 ). The “number of the disciples was multiplying” so rapidly that deacons had to be appointed to care for the widows ( Acts 6:1 ). Surely nothing other than the bodily resurrection of Christ and his sending of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 1:8 ) can sufficiently account for this immediate and amazing growth.
 
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DamianWarS

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Are you looking for first hand accounts? Or any kind of extra-biblical account from antiquity.

From Josephus:

About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had first come to love him did not cease. He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared.

- Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63

the Testimonium Flavianum is considered to be a Christian corruption of an original piece that may have presented Jesus with a negative slant or perhaps not even there to begin with. If Josephus actually believed Jesus to be the Messiah who was crucified and raised from the dead then why wasn't he a Christian himself? Those are just two points but reading the account it touches on a bunch of points that confirms the biblical Jesus and is simply too perfect. I suspect the actual quote touched on the same points however in a skeptical way.
 
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Strong in Him

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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?

Do you need extra-Biblical accounts to help you believe?
Do you have trouble trusting Scripture, and the eye witnesses?
 
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Danielwright2311

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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?

So are there any other accounts other than the 4 gospels that Jesus walked on water?

It's the same thing, but we all believe he did walk on water.
 
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Norbert L

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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?
You might be interested in some of the research done by Dr. Peter Williams. The basics of his lectures are about compiling external evidences whereby it can be deduced that Jesus' resurrection happened.

 
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Mike Czaj

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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 have enjoyed reading all the responses to this thread, and have gained some good information to reflect on. I am surprised that no one so far has brought up the following point. From human perspective, as you read the accounts of the New Testament, especially the letters, there is a clear expectation on the part of the Believers that Jesus is soon returning. So for most, there would be no motivation to chronicle and preserve written information for future generations, as they expected Christ's return at any near time. Also, as has been pointed out, our modern perspective on passing information is very different than the ancients. And considering the calamities of war, persecution, natural events, and time, it is actually a miracle that we do have what written documentation we have, passed through generations by monks in obscure places. I marvel at God's provision to give us "all things pertaining to life & godliness," and using human vehicles to carry it out. As I examine the Scriptures and their effects in the lives of Believers, it seems to me that from the Gospels on, God was not in the business of "proving" anything, but of bearing witness to the Truth, that is, giving enough evidence of His power, wisdom and love, so that we could have faith, but never making anything so concrete that faith was not necessary.
 
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if you think about it ..

it is a little surprising that Pontius Pilate didnt send a letter to Rome with an account of what happened. that would be a real official record. something like that could conceivably have existed.

likewise, when Paul was put on trial, its surprising that there is not an account of that process too.

it's still possible that there are undiscovered documents with more evidence.
Those events were all recorded, including the census and tax when our Lord was born.

They were stored at Pompeii. God saw to it they were destroyed.
 
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Halbhh

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if you think about it ..

it is a little surprising that Pontius Pilate didnt send a letter to Rome with an account of what happened. that would be a real official record. something like that could conceivably have existed.

likewise, when Paul was put on trial, its surprising that there is not an account of that process too.

it's still possible that there are undiscovered documents with more evidence.
Ready, easy evidence to prove Christ rose would contradict much of the Bible, which clearly teaches us God wants faith from us, and faith isn't merely observing what's known, seen, but instead believing in what isn't yet seen, as Paul worded it. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

So, if we did find ready and clear and easy proof of Christ risen, for example, that would contradict much of the New Testament message. Clear proof will come when He returns, but not before, for this reason. But once you truly believe and pray with faith, and then have prayers answered, you begin to know all is true with more mental certainty also. So it's not that we never get proof, but instead that faith is the required step, before any proof, on the individual level. It takes faith to seek, to ask, to knock, the way Christ said to (Matthew chapter 7), so that we find.
 
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Those events were all recorded, including the census and tax when our Lord was born.

They were stored at Pompeii. God saw to it they were destroyed.

Or they were destroyed during the sack of Rome in 410.
 
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yeshuaslavejeff

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As you read through the gospels fully, you begin to notice that over and over Christ is working to build faith in his disciples.
If so , then also, what did He aim for, or what was He working for, in the others who were not His disciples ?
 
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Halbhh

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If so , then also, what did He aim for, or what was He working for, in the others who were not His disciples ?

I can only guess, and use what I know... Wait, a verse comes right to mind:

John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind."

Whoa. So, there we go.

I notice this entire chapter is about this seeing vs blindness.
John 9 NIV

(another key verse, but we need the full reading of all the chapter, is verse 41)

One of the things the pharisees who rejected Him were doing wrong was presuming they were righteous as in better, arrogantly. They were not humble.
 
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