WHERE WE ARE

The Christian apologists Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli presented nine objections against the Swoon Theory in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics (published in 1994). I have carefully analyzed those nine objections and then carefully evaluated them. I concluded that each of those nine objections against the Swoon Theory FAIL. So, Kreeft and Tacelli FAILED to refute the Swoon Theory. Because their case for the resurrection of Jesus required them to refute the Swoon Theory, their case for the resurrection in Chapter 8 of Handbook of Christian Apologetics also FAILS.

I am in the process of carefully analyzing and evaluating six more objections against the Swoon Theory, objections from other Christian apologists besides Kreeft and Tacelli.

In this current post, I will carefully analyze an objection against the Swoon Theory, one of the objections that does not correspond to any of the nine objections presented by Kreeft and Tacelli in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics.

OBJECTION #13 (OTHER WRITERS)

In their book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, Christian apologists Norman Geisler and Frank Turek present six objections against the Swoon Theory. Their last objection does not correspond to any of the objections presented by Kreeft and Tacelli:

Sixth, several non-Christian writers affirmed that Jesus had died by crucifixion. These include Josephus, Tacitus, Thallus, and the Jewish Talmud. The Jewish Talmud, for example, says that Yeshua (Jesus) was hung on a tree on the eve of the Passover. This is not a source considered friendly to Christianity, so there’s no reason to doubt its authenticity.

(I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, p.306)

IDENTIFICATION STEPS

I will now identify the explicit claims made in this argument by Geisler and Turek.

1. [Several non-Christian writers affirmed that Jesus had died by crucifixion.]

2. [These include Josephus,]

3. [These include…Tacitus,]

4. [These include…Thallus,]

5. [These include…the Jewish Talmud.]

6. [The Jewish Talmud, for example, says that Yeshua (Jesus) was hung on a tree on the eve of Passover.]

7. [This is not a source considered friendly to Christianity,]

[so,] – an inference indicator that indicates that claim (7) is a good reason for believing claim (8):

8. [there’s no reason to doubt its authenticity.]

CLARIFICATION STEPS

1. Several non-Christian writers affirmed that Jesus had died by crucifixion. – This claim seems to be sufficiently clear as it stands.

2. [These include Josephus,]
=>2a. Josephus is a non-Christian writer who affirmed in at least one passage in his writings that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

3. [These include…Tacitus,]
=>3a. Tacitus is a non-Christian writer who affirmed in at least one passage in his writings that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

4. [These include…Thallus,]
=>4a. Thallus is a non-Christian writer who affirmed in at least one passage in his writings that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

5. [These include…the Jewish Talmud.]
=>5a. The Jewish Talmud was produced by non-Christian writers and contains a passage in which a writer affirmed that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

6. [The Jewish Talmud, for example, says that Yeshua (Jesus) was hung on a tree on the eve of Passover.] – This claim seems to be sufficiently clear as it stands.

7. [This is not a source considered friendly to Christianity,] – the word “considered” weakens this claim, makes it too subjective. I assume that Geisler and Turek intend a stronger claim:
=>7a. The Jewish Talmud is not a source that is friendly to Christianity.

8. [there’s no reason to doubt its authenticity.] – the term “authenticity” is UNCLEAR and it seems irrelevant to the question at issue; what matters here is whether the relevant passage is historically reliable:
=>8a. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages in the Jewish Talmud that support Christian beliefs about Jesus.

FILL IN STEPS

Geisler and Turek do not state the conclusion of their argument, just as Kreeft and Tacelli never state the conclusions of their objections to the Swoon Theory, just as Craig did not state the conclusion to his Deceptive-Jesus objection). So, it is UNCLEAR how strong they take this objection to be. However, there is one hint they give just before presenting their six objections against the Swoon Theory:

Is it possible that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross? Perhaps Jesus merely swooned. In other words, he was still alive when he was placed in the tomb, but he somehow escaped and convinced his disciples that he had risen from the dead. There are numerous fatal flaws with this theory…

(I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, p.304)

If there are “numerous fatal flaws” with the Swoon Theory, then presumably Geisler and Turek believe that each of the six objections they present against the Swoon Theory represents one of these “fatal flaws” with that theory.

Once again (as with the objection by Habermas and Licona based on Paul’s Conversion) we have the UNCLARITY of metaphorical language being used to describe the alleged strength of an objection against the Swoon Theory. Nevertheless, the metaphore of a “fatal flaw” indicates that they view their sixth objection as being a strong objection, an objection that approaches being strong enough by itself to disprove the Swoon Theory. Here are two plausible guesses as to the conclusion they are attempting to establish:

A. The Swoon Theory is clearly false.

B. It is very probable that the Swoon Theory is false.

The primary reason given in support of the conclusion is statement (1):

1. Several non-Christian writers affirmed that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

Geisler and Turek claim there are at least four examples of such affirmations by different non-Christian writers. But with one of the examples, namely the Jewish Talmud, they go on to argue that the example passage is “authentic”, by which they mean historically reliable:

7a. The Jewish Talmud is not a source that is friendly to Christianity.

THEREFORE:

8a. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages in the Jewish Talmud that support Christian beliefs about Jesus.

Whether the information in the four examples is historically reliable is of obvious importance to this argument, and to evaluating the strength of this argument. But Geisler and Turek say NOTHING about the historical reliability of the other three examples. So, the argument appears to be Dead On Arrival, because they have failed to give any reason whatsoever in support of the historical reliability of the other three examples of non-Christian writings.

However, it would be hasty and unfair to immediately dismiss this argument. I suspect that Geisler and Turek had in mind a line of reasoning in support of their other three examples that parallels the reasoning they use to support the Jewish Talmud example. We can improve their argument by using a similar line of reasoning to support the other three examples. We can generalize the reasoning presented about the Jewish Talmud:

C. The Jewish Talmud, and the writings of Josephus, and the writings of Tacitus, and the writings of Thallus are not sources that are friendly to Christianity.

THEREFORE:

D. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages that support Christian beliefs about Jesus found in the Jewish Talmud, and in the writings of Josephus, and in the writings of Tacitus, and in the writings of Thallus.

Statements (2a), (3a), (4a), and (5a) can also be combined into a general conclusion about something these non-Christian writings say about Jesus:

E. The Jewish Talmud, and the writings of Josephus, and the writings of Tacitus, and the writings of Thallus, each contain at least one passage that affirms a specific Christian belief about Jesus, namely, the belief that Jesus died by crucifixion.

These sub-conclusions (D) and (E) can form the premises of the core argument for Objection #12:

D. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages that support Christian beliefs about Jesus in the Jewish Talmud, and in the writings of Josephus, and in the writings of Tacitus, and in the writings of Thallus.

E. The Jewish Talmud, and the writings of Josephus, and the writings of Tacitus, and the writings of Thallus, each contain at least one passage that affirms a specific Christian belief about Jesus, namely, the belief that Jesus died by crucifixion.

THEREFORE:

F. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages in the Jewish Talmud, in the writings of Josephus, in the writings of Tacitus, and in the writings of Thallus, that affirm the Christian belief that Jesus died by crucifixion.

From premise (F) we can determine the final sub-argument of Objection #13:

G. It is very probable that Jesus died by crucifixion.

H. IF it is very probable that Jesus died by crucifixion, THEN it is very probable that the Swoon Theory is false.

THEREFORE:

B. It is very probable that the Swoon Theory is false.

DIAGRAMMING THE ARGUMENT THAT CONSTITUTES OBJECTION #13

EXPLICITLY STATED CLAIMS

2a. Josephus is a non-Christian writer who affirmed in at least one passage in his writings that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

3a. Tacitus is a non-Christian writer who affirmed in at least one passage in his writings that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

4a. Thallus is a non-Christian writer who affirmed in at least one passage in his writings that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

5a. The Jewish Talmud was produced by non-Christian writers and contains a passage in which a writer affirmed that Jesus had died by crucifixion.

UNSTATED ASSUMPTIONS/CLAIMS

B. It is very probable that the Swoon Theory is false.

C. The Jewish Talmud, and the writings of Josephus, and the writings of Tacitus, and the writings of Thallus are not sources that are friendly to Christianity.

D. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages that support Christian beliefs about Jesus found in the Jewish Talmud, and in the writings of Josephus, and in the writings of Tacitus, and in the writings of Thallus.

E. The Jewish Talmud, and the writings of Josephus, and the writings of Tacitus, and the writings of Thallus, each contain at least one passage that affirms a specific Christian belief about Jesus, namely, the belief that Jesus died by crucifixion.

F. There is no reason to doubt the historical reliability of passages in the Jewish Talmud, in the writings of Josephus, in the writings of Tacitus, and in the writings of Thallus, that affirm the Christian belief that Jesus died by crucifixion.

G. It is very probable that Jesus died by crucifixion.

H. IF it is very probable that Jesus died by crucifixion, THEN it is very probable that the Swoon Theory is false.