Posted February 18, 2014
The four Gospels that record the Resurrection story are too similar to be written totally independently of one another, thus affirming one another. Yet they are too dissimilar to one another to be a conspiracy to present a fictional situation as true. Matthew’s and John’s accounts of the Resurrection clearly show that they were eyewitnesses, not depending on hearsay. Moreover, most of the Gospel writers were willing to accept martyrdom rather than renounce the validity of the Resurrection story. No one will die to defend a lie.
Greater circumstantial evidence is seen in the fact that the cowardly disciples hiding in the upper room later became bold in their proclamation that they had seen Jesus alive; they thus converted three thousand people in one day. They accepted imprisonment and ultimately torturous death rather than deny the truth of the Resurrection, as did thousands of Christians after them.
The risen Christ appeared and talked to more than five hundred people (1 Cor. 15:6), and especially to his disciples on many occasions (Jn. 20: 19-29; 21:1-14; 1 Cor. 15: 5,7; Lk. 24:15-31,36, etc). To claim that so many people colluded in a lie or hallucinated is not reasonable.
by Father John Hampsch c.m.f from his book “Glad You Asked”