OBJECTION #11 AGAINST THE SWOON THEORY

In his book The Son Rises (originally published in 1981, I will use the re-published edition from 2000; hereafter: TSR) the Christian apologist William Craig makes an objection against the Swoon Theory that does not correspond to any of the nine objections raised by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. Craig claims that the Swoon Theory “makes Jesus into a deceiver.” (TSR, p.39) I will consider this to be Objection #11 (Deceptive Jesus) against the Swoon Theory.

Craig states this objection in one brief paragraph:

The apparent-death theory [i.e. the Swoon Theory] makes Jesus into a deceiver. The necessary implication of the theory is that Jesus was a charlatan who tricked the disciples into believing that He had been raised from the dead. Such a portrait of Jesus is a figment of the imagination. Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers, a deeply religious man, if nothing else. It is impossible to cast Him in the role of a hoaxer.

(TSR, p.39)

I will now carefully analyze this argument by William Craig against the Swoon Theory.

IDENTIFICATION STEPS

Here are the explicitly stated claims in Craig’s argument:

1. [The apparent-death theory [i.e. the Swoon Theory] makes Jesus into a deceiver.]

2. [The necessary implication of the theory is that Jesus was a charlatan…]

3. […who tricked the disciples into believing that He had been raised from the dead.]

4. [Such a portrait of Jesus is a figment of the imagination.]

5. [Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers,]

6. […a deeply religious man, if nothing else.]

7. [It is impossible to cast Him in the role of a hoaxer.]

CLARIFICATION STEPS

I will now clarify the explicitly stated claims in Craig’s argument.

1. [The apparent-death theory [i.e. the Swoon Theory] makes Jesus into a deceiver.]

=>1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.

2. [The necessary implication of the theory is that Jesus was a charlatan…]

=>2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a charlatan.

3. […who tricked the disciples into believing that He had been raised from the dead.]

=>3a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus tricked the eleven remaining disciples into believing that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

4. [Such a portrait of Jesus is a figment of the imagination.]

=>4a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was either a deceiver or a charlatan.

5. [Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers,]

=>5a. Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers.

6. […a deeply religious man, if nothing else.]

=>6a. Jesus was a deeply religious man.

7. [It is impossible to cast Him in the role of a hoaxer.]

=>7a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was a hoaxer.

NOTE: Statement (7a) appears to be making basically the same claim as premise (4a). The term “hoaxer” is close in meaning to “a deceiver or a charlatan”, so I will drop claim (7a) as being a redundant statement.

FILL IN STEPS

I will now make explicit any unstated assumptions/claims or inferences that will help us to understand Craig’s argument.

As with all (or nearly all) the objections presented by Kreeft and Tacelli, this is clearly a reduction-to-absurdity argument that can be represented as a modus tollens:

IF P, THEN Q.

NOT Q.

THEREFORE:

NOT P.

Roughly, the argument can be summarized like this:

IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.

It is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.

THEREFORE:

It is NOT the case that the Swoon Theory is true.

This means that Craig left the conclusion of his argument unstated:

A. It is NOT the case that the Swoon Theory is true.

Statements (1a) and (2a) appear to be somewhat redundant, but I will retain both statements (in case there is a significant difference in meaning that I have failed to discern), and will combine them together:

1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.

2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a charlatan.

THEREFORE:

B. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver and a charlatan.

Premises (5a) and (6a) are clearly reasons given in support of (4a). However, making explicit an unstated assumption helps to clarify the reasoning here:

5a. Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers.

6a. Jesus was a deeply religious man.

C. IF Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers and Jesus was a deeply religious man, THEN it is NOT the case that Jesus was either a deceiver or a charlatan.

THEREFORE:

4a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was either a deceiver or a charlatan.

Premise (3a) provides support for premises (1a) and (2a), but again, making explicit an unstated assumption helps to clarify Craig’s reasoning:

3a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus tricked the eleven remaining disciples into believing that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

D. IF Jesus tricked the eleven remaining disciples into believing that Jesus had been raised from the dead, THEN Jesus was a deceiver and a charlatan.

THEREFORE:

1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.

AND

2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a charlatan.

DIAGRAMMING OBJECTION #11 (DECEPTIVE JESUS)

Here is the core argument of Objection #11 against the Swoon Theory:

B. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver and a charlatan.

4a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was either a deceiver or a charlatan.

THEREFORE:

A. It is NOT the case that the Swoon Theory is true.

Now with the sub-arguments that have previously been identified, we can construct an argument diagram representing Objection #11.

THE EXPLICITLY STATED CLAIMS OF OBJECTION #11

1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.

2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a charlatan.

3a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus tricked the eleven remaining disciples into believing that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

4a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was either a deceiver or a charlatan.

5a. Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers.

6a. Jesus was a deeply religious man.

THE UNSTATED ASSUMPTIONS/CLAIMS OF OBJECTION #11

A. It is NOT the case that the Swoon Theory is true.

B. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver and a charlatan.

C. IF Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers and Jesus was a deeply religious man, THEN it is NOT the case that Jesus was either a deceiver or a charlatan.

D. IF Jesus tricked the eleven remaining disciples into believing that Jesus had been raised from the dead, THEN Jesus was a deceiver and a charlatan.