Welcome to answers from an apostolic faith.
In the name the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
So today, we start a new series where we explore the evidence that Christ is truly raised from the dead. So, we look at the historical facts and we can deduct that Christ is risen from the dead. There's no other option. But before going about it logically, we have to understand that the proofs of the resurrection have been in front of our eyes all along.
When we see someone like St. Moses the Strong, this person that was not baptized, a murderer, a rapist that was transformed to become like an angel was transformed to the point that he couldn't even bear to judge his fellow brother in monasticism, a sin that is so easily committed today. St. Mary of Egypt or St. Mary the Copt, again a person living in the lust of the flesh, although she was baptized, but then repented and became a... also like an angel living on earth.
But we don't even have to go that far. That one friend or that one family member that you know of... that one person that God has put in your life that was completely changed... there was this radical transformation within him or her. That person that used to sin with you, that used to go to unsuitable places with you, that now you find carrying his Bible, praying the Agpeya, in the Midnight Praises, in the liturgy, that doesn't wanna commit these sins with you anymore...
That one person that every time you see, something inside of you bothers you. The Holy Spirit compels you and tells you: Why or how did he commit this? How did... was he transformed in this way? Why not me? That one person God put in your life as an evidence for His resurrection, that God transformed him and He also wants to transform us as well.
So, that is the real evidence that we have, an evidence that is much stronger than the logical one, because this one can fail. Logic can fail. But the other one is a true life, a true transformation that I have seen personally. Look also what Athanasius says. He says:
''Before the divine sojourn of the Saviour, even the holiest of men were afraid of death, and mourned the dead as those who perish but now that the Saviour has raised his body, death is no longer terrible, but all those who believe in Christ tread it underfoot as nothing, and prefer to die rather than to deny their faith in Christ, knowing full well that when they die they do not perish, but live indeed, and become incorruptible through the resurrection (...). Even children hasten thus to die, and not men only, but women
train themselves by bodily discipline to meet it. So weak has death become...'' (St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, The Death of Christ and the Resurrection of the Body, subsection 27, SVS Press, 2011 - translation by John Behr)
He's discussing and talking about the first centuries, all these martyrs, where Roman soldiers would come and kill you, because you're a Christian. And other Christians would run after the soldiers and tell them: hey, I also am a Christian, not because they love to die, but because they love to live with Christ. And it doesn't matter to them whether they live with Him on earth or in heaven. And they gained that crown of martyrdom.
Again, we don't even need to look that far if we look at the 21 Coptic martyrs of Libya. Look at the picture, how they stood or knelt in front with all confidence. And look at this other picture where this man is praying and his face is full of grace. It is the true power of the resurrection.
Now, there's different types of martyrdom. So, in other religions, there are martyrs as well, but it's very different. Martyrdom comes from the word μαρτυρία (martiría), which means to witness. So, in other religions, there are people that witness to their god, but they witness that their god is a god of violence, that he is a god of corruption, of death. But as a Christian, when I am the one being targeted, when I am the one being killed for my faith, I witness that my God is a God of love, a God of peace, a God that gives me the strength that, although I'm unfairly treated, I can bare it. I become a martyr in Christianity, because I put on the marks and the wounds of Christ. Not because I have been brainwashed, but because I have truly been transformed through the power of the resurrection of our Lord.
Having said this, we have to understand that the resurrection is the cornerstone of Christianity. Without it, there's no Christianity. And our Lord Jesus Christ has proclaimed that He was gonna rise from the dead and He did. But do Christians simply believe that out of mere faith?, meaning, are Christians unlearned people, dumb people or are we also smart, logical people? We are, right?
So, I wanna give you a couple of examples. So, we have here Thomas Arnold. Thomas Arnold is the former Chair of Modern History at Oxford. So, we're talking about someone that is brilliant, right? And he's an expert in determining historical facts. Look what he says:
''Thousands and ten thousand of persons have gone through [the evidence of the resurrection] piece by piece, as carefully as every judge summing up on a most important cause. I have myself done it many times (...) I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead.'' (Thomas Arnold, as cited by T.S. Smith, p.425-426).
Nothing else compares to the resurrection of Christ, according to him.
Another example: Sir Lionel Luckhoo. This man was brilliant. He was a lawyer. He won 245 consecutive successful defenses in murder cases. He was knighted by the Queen Elizabeth twice. He was the judge of Supreme Court in Guyana and he was named for 14 years as the world's most successful lawyer, which is a world record. This man was not a Christian and he was challenged by a Christian to look into the evidence of the resurrection. His conclusion was this:
''I say unequivocally that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.'' (Sir Lionel Luckhoo)
This is what the smart people that were willing to believe, when they looked at the resurrection of Christ and the evidence for it, they became Christians. And that is also what we will look into in the next videos of this series.
For now, remember: Know your faith, live your faith, and teach your faith. And glory be to God forever. Amen.