Replies to Evan Fales: On the Resurrection Appearances of Jesus
Abstract
This rejoinder to Evan Fales responds to his two major challenges. (1) Fales’s thesis that ancient mystery religions explain the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ resurrection struggles mightily on at least six major grounds: opposing philosophies of history, his comparisons involving nonhistorical persons, cases that postdate the New Testament, much conflicting data, great differences between the accounts, along with the lack of Palestinian influence. (2) That Paul claimed a resurrection appearance in order to gain authority is opposed by five additional problems: social, theological, motivational, textual, and historical