Dr Paul Allen

Even in ancient times, critics of Christianity noticed some parallels between Christian beliefs and pre-Christian myths. In the late second century, a philosopher named Celsus charged, “The Christians have used the myths of Danae and the Melanippe, of the Auge and Antiope in fabricating this story of virgin birth.” The same philosopher compared the resurrection of Jesus to the mysterious disappearance and return of a well-known poet. In more recent times, sceptical scholars such as Marvin Meyer and Robert Price have claimed close connections between the resurrection of Jesus and the myths of dying and rising deities that marked many ancient myths and mystery cults. Here’s what these critics contend: The most marvelous claims in the Gospels—a miraculous birth, for example, as well as the idea of a deity who dies and rises again—are paralleled in religions that predate Christianity; therefore, early Christians must have fabricated these miracles based on their knowledge of other religion...

When multiple independent sources agree on the key contours of a story, it is worth considering the possibility that the narrative they share is credible. That is especially true when this shared story includes details that do not place the storyteller in the best light. So, what does all of this have to do with whether or not the resurrection really happened? Multiple independent sources agree on the same general sequence of events regarding the story of Jesus's resurrection. Every retelling of the resurrection mentions that Jesus died, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, and that he appeared to specific individuals and groups. All four New Testament Gospels and a later independent retelling of the resurrection preserved in the manuscript Papyrus Cairo 10759 identify Mary Magdalene as the first witness at the empty tomb. When it comes to when and how Jesus died, the eminent Roman historian Tacitus agrees with the Gospel writers that Jesus was crucified in Jude...