Resurrection Objections and Theories

Michael Fierro
Jul 2
3 min read

Not Everyone Believes

From the very beginning, the Resurrection of Jesus has been challenged. The chief priests claimed the disciples stole the body. The philosophers of Athens mocked Paul. The modern world often dismisses the event as myth, psychology, or wishful thinking.

It is nothing new.

But if the Resurrection is false, then Christianity is false. So it is worth asking: what are the alternative explanations—and do they hold up?

Theory 1: The Swoon Theory

This theory claims Jesus didn’t actually die—He passed out from exhaustion or blood loss and later revived in the cool tomb.

But this fails for several reasons:

Roman soldiers were professional executioners.
Jesus was scourged, crucified, stabbed in the side, and declared dead.
Pilate confirmed His death before allowing the body to be removed.
A half-dead man would not inspire awe or faith—he would need urgent care.

A barely surviving Jesus, dragging himself out of a tomb, could not have inspired the bold proclamation of a glorious, victorious Risen Lord.

Theory 2: The Conspiracy Theory

Maybe the disciples stole the body and invented the story.

But consider:

Most of the apostles were tortured, imprisoned, or executed.
People die for things they believe to be true—but not for things they know are lies.
There was no political or financial benefit.
The Gospels include embarrassing details (Peter’s denial, women as first witnesses) that don’t fit a made-up story.

This theory asks us to believe that fishermen and tax collectors outsmarted the Roman guard, maintained a conspiracy under torture, and gained nothing for it. That’s not skepticism. That’s blind faith in a plot with no motive.

Theory 3: The Hallucination Theory

Perhaps the disciples wanted so badly for Jesus to be alive that they imagined seeing Him.

But:

Hallucinations are individual—not shared.
Jesus appeared to groups—including 500 people at once (1 Cor 15:6).
He ate food. He invited touch. He spoke clearly.
The empty tomb was a physical fact, not a mental experience.

A hallucination cannot eat breakfast or leave a tomb empty.

Theory 4: The Myth Theory

Some say the Resurrection is a myth—like dying-and-rising gods from pagan stories.

But:

The apostles were Jewish monotheists, not myth-makers.
The Gospels don’t read like myth. They are rooted in real people, places, and history.
Myths evolve over centuries. The Resurrection was proclaimed immediately, and in the very city where Jesus had been crucified.
No Jew would invent a crucified Messiah—it was offensive, scandalous, and unheard of.

The Resurrection broke the categories of ancient religion and mythology. It wasn’t part of the cultural script. It was something new.

Theory 5: The “Easter Faith” Theory

This idea claims that the Resurrection wasn’t an event, but a faith experience—the disciples “came to believe” Jesus was alive, even though He wasn’t.

But that is not resurrection. That is belief in belief. Faith without an object is self-referential and empty.

If Jesus did not rise, then what the apostles experienced was delusion—not transformation.

The Best Explanation

C.S. Lewis once wrote that Christianity is not something anyone would invent—and yet it explains the world more truthfully than anything else.

The Resurrection makes sense of:

The empty tomb
The radical change in the disciples
The historical explosion of the Church
The willingness of the apostles to die for their testimony
The internal coherence of the New Testament documents

It is not wishful thinking. It is not irrational. It is not the easiest answer—it is the best one.

Why This Matters

If the Resurrection is true, it demands a response.

You do not give your life to a myth. You do not die for a metaphor. You do not worship a hallucination.

The Church stands today because Jesus rose, and because men and women across the centuries have met Him—not only in Scripture and sacrament, but in their own lives.

He is not a story. He is alive.