THREE OBJECTIONS TO THE SWOON THEORY FROM WILLIAM CRAIG
In his book The Son Rises (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1981; hereafter: TSR), the Christian apologist William Craig raises three objections against the Swoon Theory:
Craig’s Objection #1: Jesus’ Physical Injuries Craig’s Objection #2: The Deceptive Jesus Objection Craig’s Objection #3: The Sickly Jesus Objection
Craig’s Objection #3 is the same objection as Objection #5 by the Christian apologists Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics, which I have previously shown was a FAILURE:
Craig’s Objection #1 (Jesus’ Physical Injuries) is probably the most important objection that has been raised by Christian apologists against the Swoon Theory, but I have recently shown that this objection also FAILS:
That leaves one more objection from The Son Rises to analyze and evaluate: Craig’s Objection #2 (The Deceptive Jesus Objection).
IDENTIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION OF EXPLICIT CLAIMS IN CRAIG’S OBJECTION #2
Here is Craig’s presentation of his Objection #2 (The Deceptive Jesus Objection):
The apparent-death 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)
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.
The necessary implication of the theory [i.e. the Swoon Theory] is that Jesus was a charlatan who tricked the disciples into believing that He had been raised from the dead [by God]. =>2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus tricked the disciples into believing that God had raised him from the dead.
Such a portrait of Jesus is a figment of the imagination. =>3a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
Jesus was one of the world’s great moral teachers. =>4a. Jesus was a great moral teacher.
Jesus was a deeply religious man, if nothing else. =>5a. Jesus was a deeply religious man.
It is impossible to cast Him [i.e. Jesus] in the role of a hoaxer. =>6a. This evidence [that Jesus was a great moral teacher and a deeply religious man] would prove conclusively that Jesus was NOT a hoaxer. =>6b. IF Jesus was a great moral teacher and a deeply religious man, THEN it is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
THE CORE ARGUMENT OF CRAIG’S OBJECTION #2
1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.
3a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
THEREFORE:
A. It is NOT the case that the Swoon Theory is true.
THE SUB-ARGUMENT FOR THE KEY PREMISE (1a)
2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus tricked the disciples into believing that God had raised him from the dead.
B. IF Jesus tricked the disciples into believing that God had raised him from the dead, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.
THEREFORE:
1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.
THE SUB-ARGUMENT FOR THE KEY PREMISE (3a)
4a. Jesus was a great moral teacher.
5a. Jesus was a deeply religious man.
THEREFORE:
C. Jesus was a great moral teacher and a deeply religious man.
6b. IF Jesus was a great moral teacher and a deeply religious man, THEN it is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
THEREFORE:
3a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
THE FULL ANALYSIS OF THE ARGUMENT OF CRAIG’S OBJECTION #2
CLARIFIED EXPLICIT CLAIMS IN CRAIG’S ARGUMENT OF OBJECTION #2
1a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.
2a. IF the Swoon Theory is true, THEN Jesus tricked the disciples into believing that God had raised him from the dead.
3a. It is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
4a. Jesus was a great moral teacher.
5a. Jesus was a deeply religious man.
6b. IF Jesus was a great moral teacher and a deeply religious man, THEN it is NOT the case that Jesus was a deceiver.
UNSTATED CLAIMS/ASSUMPTIONS IN CRAIG’S OBJECTION #2
A. It is NOT the case that the Swoon Theory is true.
B. IF Jesus tricked the disciples into believing that God had raised him from the dead, THEN Jesus was a deceiver.
C. Jesus was a great moral teacher and a deeply religious man.
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NOTE:
William Craig gave the same three objections against the Swoon Theory in 1981 (The Son Rises), in 1984 (Apologetics: An Introduction), in 1994 (Reasonable Faith, revised edition), and in 2000 (The Son Rises, reprint edition).
However in 2008 (Reasonable Faith, 3rd edition), Craig briefly presented (in about one page of text) eight objections to the Swoon Theory, including two of his previous objections (Jesus’ Physical Injuries Objection and The Sickly Jesus Objection), but he did not mention his other previous objection (The Deceptive Jesus Objection) that I have analyzed above.
Most of the eight objections in the 3rd edition of Reasonable Faith are the same as objections presented by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics:
Who Moved the Stone? Objection
The Sickly Jesus Objection
The Deadliness of Roman Crucifixion Objection
The Blood and Water Objection
The Winding Sheets and Entombment Objection
Where Did Jesus Go? Objection
I have already shown that ALL of the objections against the Swoon Theory by Kreeft and Tacelli in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics FAIL.
Two out of the eight objections in the 3rd edition of Reasonable Faith, however, were not covered by Kreeft and Tacelli:
The Jewish Thought Objection
Jesus’ Physical Injuries Objection
As I noted at the beginning of this post, I have recently shown that the Jesus’ Physical Injuries Objection FAILS. I have also determined that the Jewish Thought Objection FAILS, but have not made my critical analysis and evaluation of that objection available yet.
