The Facts behind the Easter Story (Part I)

by Phil Hadley

"I don't know why you go on about Easter so much. It's only a myth on which we base a festival. It's a good excuse for the chocolate manufacturers to rip us off by getting us to pay excessive amounts of money for small amounts of chocolate."

“It's a good excuse for the chocolate manufacturers to rip us off“

Sat in front of me was a sceptical 16 year old History student.

I replied, "It's important because I want to be a good historian. And it's important because if the Easter story isn't true, then the whole of the Christian faith is worthless."

“But you don't seriously think the whole trial by Pilate, crucifixion and resurrection story is true, do you?”

"But you don't seriously think the whole trial by Pilate, crucifixion and resurrection story is true, do you? That's religious stuff, not historical stuff!"

"So you don't believe the four accounts based on eye witness reports of what happened that first Easter? On what basis do you reject their documents as unreliable evidence, especially as they are some of the 'closest to event' documents we have for the Roman period, and if you discount them, you'll have to re-write most of the history of the ancient world?"
"They're in the Bible!"
"So?"

"Isn't there any other evidence about the Easter story?"

"Isn't there any other evidence about the Easter story?"

Now that was an invitation I couldn't refuse! I have summarised below some of the evidence we discussed that day. I hope as you read it, it both challenges and encourages you to realise that the Gospel writers were superb historians.

CAIAPHAS

In 1990 workers building a park 2 miles south of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem discovered a hidden first century burial chamber containing 12 limestone ossuaries. On one, bearing the bones of a man in his 60's, was the inscription Yehosef bar Qayafa (Joseph, son of Caiaphas). Experts believe these are the remains of Caiaphas, the high priest in Jerusalem cAD18-36, who, according to the Gospels, was involved in the arrest of Jesus and interrogated him before sending him to Pilate for execution.

PONTIUS PILATE

For years sceptics doubted his existence as the only reference to him was in the Gospels, or in secondary accounts based upon them. Then in 1961 two Italian archaeologists excavated the Mediterranean port city of Caesarea that served as the Roman capital of Palestine. They uncovered a stone slab with the inscription "Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea, has presented to the Caesareans a temple in honour of Tiberius." It is the only inscription ever found bearing Pilate's name and establishes that he was Judea's governor as described in the Gospels.

CRUCIFIXION

For years it was thought crucifixion by nails was legendary as the nails would have ripped the flesh and could not have supported a body on the cross. Yohanan Ben Ha'galgal settled the dispute. He was discovered in June 1968 by archaeologist V.Tzaferis, under the direction of the Israeli Department of Antiquities and Museums, at the site of Giv'at ha-mivtar just north of Jerusalem near Mt Scopus. The Ossuary inscribed with Yohanan Ben Ha'galgal contained the bones of an adult male in his mid to late 20's and of a child. There was evidence that the adult's wrists may have been pierced with nails. The knees had been doubled up and turned sideways and a large 7 inch iron spike had been driven through the heel bones, and was still lodged in one foot. Both shin bones had been fractured. Death by crucifixion with nails.

These bones confirmed John's account "The soldiers came and broke the legs of the others crucified with Jesus, but coming to Jesus, when they saw He was already dead, they did not break his legs."

 PART TWO ON THE RESURRECTION