Did He Really Die?

After almost 2,000 years of observing Easter, some in our communities still question the death of Jesus as described in the New Testament. If the no-death argument is plausible, then the historical credibility of the New Testament is in question. Simply put, is there evidence that Jesus died when the New Testament said He did?

Second century Gnostic, Basilides would say no. He taught that at the crucifixion Jesus changed form with Simon of Cyrene who had carried the cross. The Jews mistaking Simon for Jesus nailed him to the cross. Jesus stood by deriding their error before ascending to heaven. In the third century, Mani of Persia taught that the son of the widow of Nain whom Jesus raised from the dead was put to death in His place.

Many Muslim scholars cite the Gospel of Barnabas to support the Qur’anic teaching that Jesus did not die as told in the New Testament. Ironically, those who cite this sixteenth-century source, think they are quoting from the Letter of Barnabas, written in the first half of the second century. Whereas the Letter of Barnabas affirmed the death of Jesus and was considered to be among the most important post-New Testament writings, the same cannot be said of the Gospel of Barnabas.

Instead, this book contends that Judas Iscariot was substituted for Jesus (Section 217). This view has been adopted by many Muslims, since so many of them believe that someone else was substituted on the cross for Jesus. According to one scholar, “scholarly research has proved absolutely that this ‘gospel’ is a fake.”

The swoon theory contends that Jesus got to the cross, but did not die. He fainted or swooned. For this reason Jesus was not resurrected, he was resuscitated. He regained consciousness having rested in the coolness of the tomb.

But how could this be? Apart from the clear and frequent references to the death of Jesus in the New Testament, extra-biblical Jewish and Roman testimonies affirm that Jesus died. For instance, Tacitus’ Annals speak of “Christ, who was executed under Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius.”

In the second century Justin Martyr referred to the “Acts of Pontius Pilate” under whom “nails were fixed in Jesus’ hands and feet on the cross...” Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, wrote that “there was a wise man was called Jesus...Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die.”

We can discuss the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus as much as we want. However, to deny that He died is ludicrous – it is historically untenable. The death of Jesus is both historic and historical – the specific details of time and space can all be verified. The biblical and extra-biblical evidence corroborating the death of Jesus is overwhelming.

As Messiah, His death was predicted in the Old Testament. In addition, Jesus announced many times during His ministry that He was going to die. One such reference reads: “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised” (Matthew 17:22-23).

A number of renowned medical experts have carefully examined available data and have confirmed in writing that Jesus died. One such article appeared in The Journal of the American Medical Association (March 21, 1986 – Volume 255, Number 11). This JAMA report originated from the Department of Pathology at Mayo Clinic (Minnesota). The researchers concluded that “the weight of historical and medical evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the wound to His side was inflicted...thrust between His right ribs, probably perforated not only the right lung but also the pericardium and heart and thereby ensured His death.”

If Jesus did not die as assumed by some sources, then the story of the resurrection is a hoax in that resurrection presupposes death. In addition, the entire New Testament is unreliable, in that every writer alludes to His death. Even the prophecies of some Old Testament prophets would be false, in that they spoke specifically about the tragic death of the Messiah.

Because Christian theology is based on historical foundations, concepts of sacrifice and redemption have been rooted in the death of Christ. To dismiss or even to trivialize the crucifixion of Jesus would be to undermine the core of Christian beliefs.

As we prepare for Easter 2013, let us not forget that the primary story of the death of Jesus comes from the New Testament – “there is no body of ancient literature in the world which enjoys such a wealth of good textual attestation as the New Testament” (F.F Bruce). Thankfully, the foundation of the Christian faith is built on fact and not legend.