How Christianity Forgot its Only First Person Witness to Jesus' Resurrection

Three of the New Testament gospels (Matt, Luke, John) provide varied, and at times contradictory, reports of sighting and encounters with Jesus after his death--usually as a physical encounter with a flesh and blood person. But NONE of these reports are first person. All are secondary and reported by others--one of which (Luke) explicitly says he is NOT an eyewitness. Neither are the ones that Paul ticks off in 1 Corinthians 15--Peter, James, the Twelve, etc.

In this interview with Derek Lambert, host of @MythVisionPodcast , I explore these issues and their implications.

The ONLY undisputed first person account of anyone "seeing Jesus" after his death is that of Paul--who claims in several texts makes this claim. By far most critical scholars would agree that what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9 and 15 is indisputably from his hand. In contrast to lots of writings that use the name of a well known figure, but are unlikely to have been written by that figure (e.g. the Enoch literature). However, what he reports has been completely ignored by the Church--since he says he can't tell you even what kind of a body Jesus had--other than it was glorious, immortal, and overwhelmingly powerful. He makes clear in 1 Cor 15 that he has no idea what such a "resurrection body" will look like! So his experience was nothing like those reported in these gospels--and remember, Mark has NO appearances in our oldest copies.

But Paul's testimony, though first person, was much too abstract and visionary for trying to PROVE to skeptics that Jesus was raised from the dead. So it was conveniently forgotten.

It sounds suspiciously like ALL the appearances, which Paul equates with his own, were visionary "sightings," or what we call apparitions. That does not make them invalid--but it undercuts the standard evangelical Christian claim that one can PROVE the resurrection by eyewitness testimony--with people touching Jesus' body, feeling his wounds, eating with him. Since we have NONE other than Paul who tells us anything first person, and who was clearly was "blinded by the light" as he describes his experience. He even says of such revelations he is not sure if they were "in the body" or "out of the body," further indicating they were not physical face-to-face encounters.

Just to be clear here...as I have already had folks writing in the comments things like, wait, "Wasn't Mary Magdalene" the first witness? Again...notice carefully my claim here? Whether she was or not we have nothing from her in the first person. I am quite sure Paul stands alone in this regard...in terms of writings in the New Testament that even critical scholars would agree come from his own hand.

[judycarlsen]

While I understand and enjoy your guests, it is nothing short of a miracle that any one of the guests can understand your rambling., multifaceted, multi subject questions. I know the questions often loose me, leaving me bewildered about the topic. Please revisit your method of posing questions. There is nothing wrong with a simple interrogative question that can be fully and easily understood. Thank you.

[torobeltran]

It is also widely accepted that during these times it was common for people to make up stories of respected leaders and how they rose from the dead or ascended to heaven.
Think about it, we’re speaking of Rome and Greek mythology. This stuff was normal and accepted

[TCgirl]

I can't really tell what YOU believe. I'm so confused the more I look into Christianity. I used to think I knew what I believed.

[grandlotus]

"Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.” The truth will surpass all our human imagining!

[andrewclemons]

Paul's vision came years after Jesus resurrected. He clearly isnt talking about seeing Jesus during the period between the ressurection and the ascension of Christ. Hes speaking of a time years later. Of course Jesus told us he ain't coming back till we all will see him. Not just Paul, or Joseph Smith, or David Koresh or any body else.

[FatherVampire]

Paul wasn't an eyewitness to anything; he was simply an opportunist... who lied. And we know this because despite telling the story of this supposed vision of Jesus to him three times, yet he can't tell the same story twice. In Acts 9, 22 and 26, he tells differing stories... and contradictory ones, at that. In Acts 9:7, only HE sees the light and is thrown to the ground while the men with him remain standing having seen nothing/no one. However in Acts 26:14, he and everyone with him see the light and are ALL thrown to the ground. So... which is it, Paul... were you alone thrown to the ground or was also everyone else with you? Can't be both! And WHY is it we never hear a word about or from these other supposed men accompanying him? If truly witnesses to that light brighter than the Sun... why weren't they blinded and/or converted to Paul's movement? Why don't they also appear to verify Paul's account? Why do we have nothing from these alleged witnesses? Instead, these alleged men are all glaringly... absent.

Paul is also careful not to claim to have actually seen Jesus... knowing he couldn't describe Jesus for having never met him and, thus, not wishing to run the risk any such physical description that would reveal the fraud to those who actually had seen and known Jesus.

This man was an admitted assaulter, torturer and -- yes -- murderer of Christians, fully authorized to do so by the Chief Priests, as he so openly admits (Acts 22:4-5, Acts 26:10-11). And upon seeing even death was not enough to dissuade believers... perhaps further seeing the direction Rome was increasingly taking against Judea and the growing Messianic movements heading toward the very fiery destruction that resulted soon thereafter... Paul ultimately decided to succeed in his mission to destroy Christianity and enrich himself... by JOINING it to run it right off its rails and destroy it from within, turning it into the next great Greco-Roman religion with him at its head... and its headquarters in Rome, which is precisely where we find him freely preaching and converting at the end of Acts.

[joecaner]

The Egyptians believed in physical resurrection many centuries before Christianity, and we have written and physical evidence of this through their funerary practices.

[susanohnhaus]

I always want to reach into the video and nudge that rimon back onto the shelf top before it falls

[inregionecaecorum]

Ah I misunderstood that to refer to the first person to witness the resurrection and literally see the stone roll back and Jesus walk out of the tomb. In Mark the young man dressed in a white robe sitting in tomb. I would like to see you discuss this passage, and how he changes into an Angel, then two Angels in Matthew, Luke and John.

[frankie]

Bottom line; it is all unknowable. All will be known but not here and now. 🙏🏼

[gema]

My mind is blown! Thank you so much Dr Tabor🙏

[wesbaumguardner]

And here I figured the Christians "forgot" the only eyewitness because he said, "Yeah, I saw him and he was just a normal mortal man, just like anyone else."

[maizen]

i had a memory of like an ancient egyptian woman in a forest, like she was new to what she sees and looks amazed.. then she saw this caterpillar turning to cocoon and turn to a butterfly.. that is why they got the idea of making mummies(like cocoon)..for thought being a cocoon and die then turn into a beautiful butterfly(reincarnation).. because it is what they experiencing like they came from a past life..its also like spiritual awakening..

[charliegarnett]

I know I am slow. Explain the answer to the question on the thumbnail. How did we forget?

[phantimmanor]

We have no first person accounts of the Creation either. So what? Either Scripture is "God breathed" or it isn't.

[dadedowuh]

I like Emanuel Swedenborg's answer better.. just saying,
:)
When the breaker in my fuse box keeps tripping, should I repair it with Benjamin Franklin's books?
(If I'm correct, please ignore this statement)

[educatingwithwisdom]

Thank you. I think this is best translational interview I have seen yet with Dr. Tabor. He gave the "unlawful to describe Heaven" a more nuanced, more humbling/Paul, rather than strangely evasive meaning.

[mikekenney]

The first witness was Mary Magdalene, perhaps the most important disciple. She was then politically eviscerated by those professing to be the true apostles. As reference we are supposed to accept a narrative from four chroniclers who repeat the narrative in the name of the Evangelical apostles. The selection of those four gospels (of more than 20) was a purely political process designed to be palatable to the Roman Emperor. Hardly a qualification on which to rely in evaluating the resurrection of the Spirit. The advantage of personal faith is that it muffles the chaff imposed on the message by institutions. Me personally, I’m listening to the Magdalene.

[torahbelieverssavebyhisgra]

The resurrection or transformation is already written in the old testament. And Paul explained to me properly what was going to happen.

Ezekiel 37:1-14
[1]the Lord’s hand was on me, and he brought me out in the Lord’s Spirit, and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
[2]He caused me to pass by them all around: and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and behold, they were very dry.
[3]He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I answered, “Lord GOD, you know.”
[4]Again he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, ‘You dry bones, hear the Lord’s word.
[5]Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.
[6]I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you will live. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”’”
[7]So I prophesied as I was commanded. As I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, there was an earthquake. Then the bones came together, bone to its bone.
[8]I saw, and, behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh came up, and skin covered them above; but there was no breath in them.
[9]Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”’”
[10]So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
[11]Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost. We are completely cut off.’
[12]Therefore prophesy, and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, my people; and I will bring you into Eretz-Israel.
[13]You will know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, my people.
[14]I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live. Then I will place you in your own land; and you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it, ” says the Lord.’”

[jakeaurod]

But was the manner of apparition witnessed by Paul the norm or the exception. Maybe J had to up the glory to 11 to convince Saul of Tarsus to change, while he could dial it down for his old friends and acquaintances.