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In the Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli attempt to prove the resurrection of Jesus. An important part of their case for the resurrection of Jesus is an attempt to refute some skeptical theories, such as the Swoon Theory. If they FAIL to refute the Swoon Theory, then their case for the resurrection of Jesus also FAILS.

Kreeft and Tacelli raise nine objections against the Swoon Theory, and I have examined four of those objections so far, namely the objections that they based on passages from the Gospel of John. Here are the conclusions I have reached about those four objections:

Now I will move on to analyze and evaluate three more objections by Kreeft and Tacelli against the Swoon Theory that are based on passages from other Gospels:

In this current post, I will present a careful analysis of the argument constituting Objection #6.

OBJECTION #6: WHO OVERPOWERED THE GUARDS?

Objection #6 against the Swoon Theory focuses on the presence of guards at the tomb of Jesus:

How were the Roman guards at the tomb overpowered by a swooning corpse? Or by unarmed disciples? And if the disciples did it, they knowingly lied when they wrote the Gospels, and we are into the conspiracy theory, which we will refute shortly. 

(HCA, p.183)

A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF OBJECTION #6

After following my own process of careful argument analysis, I produced an argument diagram of this objection that includes six explicit claims, and seven assumed or unstated claims, arranged in four inferences or sub-arguments:

THE STATED PREMISES OF OBJECTION #6

1a. IF Jesus survived his crucifixion, THEN Jesus was too weak and frail to overpower the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

2a. Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples were unarmed on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

3a. IF Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples were unarmed on the weekend after Jesus was crucified, THEN some (or all) of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples would have been unable to overpower the Roman soldiers who were guarding Jesus’ tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

4a. IF some (or all) of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples overpowered the Roman soldiers who were guarding Jesus’ tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified, THEN the disciples among Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples who wrote the Gospels knowingly lied about the resurrection of Jesus when they wrote the Gospels.

5a. IF the disciples among Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples who wrote the Gospels knowingly lied about the resurrection of Jesus when they wrote the Gospels, THEN the Conspiracy Theory is true.

6a. Kreeft and Tacelli refuted the Conspiracy Theory (in Chapter 8 of HCA).

THE UNSTATED ASSUMPTIONS/PREMISES OF OBJECTION #6

A. The Swoon Theory is FALSE.

B. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus survived his crucifixion.

C. IF Jesus was too weak and frail to overpower the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified, THEN Jesus did NOT overpower the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

D. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus did NOT overpower the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

E. IF some (or all) of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples would have been unable to overpower the Roman soldiers who were guarding Jesus’ tomb on the weekend after his crucifixion, THEN it is NOT the case that some (or all) of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples overpowered the Roman soldiers who were guarding the tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

F. It is NOT the case that some (or all) of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples overpowered the Roman soldiers who were guarding Jesus’ tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

G. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN either (a) Jesus overpowered the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified or (b) some (or all) of Jesus’ eleven remaining disciples overpowered the Roman soldiers who were guarding Jesus’ tomb on the weekend after Jesus was crucified.

In the next post, I will begin to evaluate this argument which constitutes the sixth objection raised against the Swoon Theory by Kreeft and Tacelli.