Craig’s Historical Claims for His Objection #1 against the Swoon Theory
WHERE WE ARE
In his book The Son Rises (hereafter: TSR), William Craig raises three objections against the Swoon Theory (which he refers to as the Apparent Death Theory). The Swoon Theory is the skeptical view that Jesus survived his crucifixion, later met with some of his disciples, and that this experience of seeing a living and physically embodied Jesus after the crucifixion led those disciples to sincerely but mistakenly infer that God had raised Jesus from the dead.
The first objection that Craig raises is, in my estimation, the most important objection against the Swoon Theory. Here is how Craig summarizes this objection:
1. The theory failed to take seriously the extent of Jesus’ physical injury. (TSR, p.37)
In other words, the number and severity of the injuries and wounds inflicted on Jesus just before and during his crucifixion were such that it would have been very unlikely for Jesus to have survived his crucifixion.
This objection to the Swoon Theory is crucial for Craig’s case for the resurrection of Jesus, because one must first establish that Jesus died on the cross in order to show that Jesus being alive after the crucifixion required the resurrection of Jesus. In order to rise from the dead, Jesus must first actually be dead.
FOURTY-FIVE HISTORICAL CLAIMS IN SUPPORT OF OBJECTION #1
Craig makes dozens of historical claims (at least forty-five) in support of Craig’s Objection #1 (Jesus’ Physical Injuries):
NIGHT SESSION OF THE JEWISH COURT (from TSR, page 37):
HC1. Jesus was arrested on a Thursday night (by ?).
HC2. Jesus was tried illegally by a night session of the Jewish court.
HC3. During the Jewish night trial, “they” (?) spit on Jesus.
HC4. During the Jewish night trial, “they” (?) blindfolded Jesus.
HC5. During the Jewish night trial, “they” (?) hit Jesus in the face with their fists.
HC6. “They” (?) turned Jesus over to “the guards” (?).
HC7. “The guards” (?) beat Jesus further.
HC8. Jesus was up all night without sleep (on that Thursday of the night session of the Jewish court).
TRIAL BEFORE PILATE (from TSR, page 37-38):
HC9. Jesus was taken Friday morning to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
HC10. Pilate sent Jesus to the Jewish king, Herod.
HC11. Herod interrogated Jesus and then sent him back to Pilate.
HC12. Jesus was condemned (to crucifixion by Pilate) before a crowd screaming for his blood.
HC13. Jesus was given (by Pilate) to the Roman guards.
HC14. The Roman guards whipped Jesus.
HC15. Jesus was scourged with a flagrum, a multi-thonged Roman whip tipped with metal or bone (page 38).
HC16. As a result of the scourging, Jesus’ flesh was torn apart by the flagrum and he was covered front and back with wounds from head to foot.
HC17. The Roman guards made a crown of thorns and shoved it down onto Jesus’ head.
HC18. The Roman guards beat Jesus with a stick.
THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS (from TSR, page 37-38):
HC19. Jesus was then compelled (by the Roman guards) to carry his heavy cross through the streets of the city to the place of crucifixion.
HC20. Jesus was unable to bear the heavy cross and collapsed from exhaustion.
HC21. Another man was forced (by the Roman guards) to carry the cross the remainder of the way.
HC22. (At the place of crucifixion), Jesus was laid on the cross.
HC23. Nails were driven through Jesus’ wrists (into the cross).
HC24. A single spike was driven through both of Jesus’ ankles (into the cross).
JESUS ON THE CROSS (From TSR, page 38):
HC25. In order to keep breathing while hanging on the cross, Jesus had to lift his body upwards, pushing on his spike-pierced feet/ankles and pulling up on his nail-pierced hands/wrists, every time he needed to take a breath.
HC26. It was a practice of Roman crucifixion to break the legs of victims of crucifixion with a mallet in order to speed up the process of their death in some cases.
HC27. The Gospels report that the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the other victims of crucifixion.
HC28. The Gospels report that the Roman soldiers did NOT break the legs of Jesus.
HC29. The Gospels report that the Roman soldiers did NOT break the legs of Jesus because they believed Jesus had already died.
HC30. One of the Roman soldiers stabbed Jesus in the side with his spear.
HC31. The Roman soldier stabbed Jesus in the side with his spear in order to ensure that Jesus was dead.
HC32. It was a procedure of Roman crucifixion for soldiers to ensure death of victims of crucifixion in some cases by stabbing the victim with a lance.
HC33. The Gospel of John reports that blood and water flowed out of the spear wound in Jesus’ side.
HC34. The fluid from the spear wound in Jesus’ side could have been a serum from the pericardial sac, mixed with blood from the heart.
HC35. The fluid from the spear wound in Jesus’ side could have been a hemorrhagic fluid from the pleural cavity between the ribs and the lungs.
THE BURIAL OF JESUS (From TSR, page 38-39):
HC36. Jesus was then (after the infliction of the spear wound) taken down from the cross.
HC37. Jesus was then buried in the customary Jewish manner.
HC38. The hands and feet of Jesus were bound.
HC39. The body of Jesus was wrapped in linen and aromatic spices.
HC40. About 75 pounds of linen and aromatic spices were used in the burial of Jesus.
HC41. The body of Jesus was laid in a tomb carved out of rock.
HC42. It was cold inside of this tomb carved out of rock.
HC43. A great stone was then laid across the entrance of the tomb with the body of Jesus inside.
HC44. The tomb was then sealed.
HC45. According to the Gospel of Matthew, a guard was set around the tomb.
Most of the forty-five historical claims that Craig makes in support of Craig’s Objection #1 are straightforward claims about historical events. However, a few are claims about the contents of the Gospels:
HC27. The Gospels report that the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the other victims of crucifixion.
HC28. The Gospels report that the Roman soldiers did not break the legs of Jesus.
HC29. The Gospels report that the Roman soldiers did not break the legs of Jesus because they believed Jesus had already died.
HC33. The Gospel of John reports that blood and water flowed out of the spear wound in Jesus’ side.
HC45. According to the Gospel of Matthew, a guard was set around the tomb.
TWO MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THESE HISTORICAL CLAIMS
There are at least two major problems with these historical claims. First, Craig provides virtually no historical evidence in support of these claims. He simply asserts them. This is childish and absurd. The subtitle of his book The Son Rises, is: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus. Asserting a historical claim is obviously NOT the same as providing EVIDENCE for that claim. The fact that Craig believes the above 45 historical claims is no reason for anyone else to believe those claims. Thus, on one of the key issues concerning the alleged resurrection of Jesus, Craig’s book TSR is a bait-and-switch scam. It promises historical evidence, but gives us only historical claims.
The second major problem with Craig’s historical claims, is that most of them are DUBIOUS. There is not a single claim about an alleged wound or injury of Jesus that is a historical fact. The primary sources of information about Craig’s 45 claims are the Passion Narratives of the four Gospels. But the Passion Narratives of the Gospels are historically unreliable accounts of the alleged arrest, trials, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus.*
Thus, although Craig needs to support over three dozen specific historical claims in order to show that Jesus died as a result of crucifixion, almost all of those historical claims are based on historically unreliable accounts, and thus almost all of those historical claims are DUBIOUS.
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*Here are some of my recent posts about the historical unreliability of the Passion Narratives in the Gospels: