I would like to show you the hurdles that must be cleared in order for the resurrection of Jesus Christ to be a case of swoon . . .

(1) Jesus could not have survived crucifixion. Roman procedures were very careful to eliminate that possibility. Roman law even laid down the death penalty on any soldier who let a capital prisoner escape in any way, including bungling a crucifixion. It was never done.

(2) The fact that the Roman soldier did not break Jesus' legs, as he did the other two crucified criminals (Jn 19:31-33), means that the soldier was sure Jesus was dead. Breaking the legs hastened death so that the corpse could be taken down before the sabbath (v.31).

(3) John, an eyewitness, certified that he saw blood and water come from Jesus' pierced heart (Jn 19:34-35). This shows thyat Jesus' lungs had collapsed and he had died of asphyxiation. Any medical expert can vouch for this.

(4) The body was totally encased in winding sheets and entombed (Jn 19:38-42).

Yards of cloth and large quantities of spices were used in preparing a body for burial. Seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes were already used on that first evening (Jn 19:39). More was purchased for the return of the women after the Sabbath.

Jesus' body (but not His head) was wrapped in many layers of linen that had pressed into them 75 to 100 pounds of resinous spices. In three days those spices would have set hard. John reports that one look in the tomb at Jesus' grave clothes convinced both him and Peter of Jesus' resurrection.

What John and Peter probably saw was an empty, unbroken body cast. Knowing that three days earlier Jesus' body had been in that cast, they had just one explanation: Jesus had supernaturally passed through the cast.

(5) The postressurection appearances convinced the disciples, even "doubting Thomas," that Jesus was alive (Jn 20:19-29). It is psychologically impossible for the disciples to have been so transformed and confident if Jesus had merely struggled out of swoon, badly in need of a doctor.

A half-dead, staggering sick man who has just had a narrow escape is not worshiped fearlessly as divine lord and conqueror of death.

(6) 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 can also be refuted.

It is inconceivable that any of Jesus' disciples could have overcome so many trained professional soldiers who were committed to defending that seal to the death.

The story that the guards fell asleep while the disciples sneaked by also is without foundation.

The penalty for a Roman soldier falling asleep while guarding a Roman seal was the same - CRUCIFIXION.

(7) How could a swooning half-dead man had moved the great stone at the door at the tomb? The tomb was closed with a two- to three-ton rock. Who moved the stone if not an angel?

Guarded by a cohort (16-200) of Roman soldiers, it was stamped with a Roman seal.

Neither the Jews nor the Romans would move it, for it was in both their interests to keep the tomb sealed;

(A) the Jews had the stone put there in the first place, and

(B) the Roman guards would have been CRUCIFIED if they let the body "escape."

The story the Jewish authorities spread, that the guards fell asleep and the disciples stole the body (Mt 28:11-15), is unbelievable.

If the seal were broken by anyone in any way, Roman law required that the entire cohort of soldiers be CRUCIFIED.

And even if they did fall asleep, the crowd and the effort and the noise it would have taken to move an enormous boulder would have wakened them.

Furthermore, we are again into the conspiracy theory with all its unanswerable difficulties.

(8) If Jesus awoke from a swoon, where did he go? Think this through; you have a living body to deal with now, not a dead one.

There is absolutely no data, not even any false, fantastic, imagined data about Jesus' life after his crucifixion, in any sources, friend or foe.

A man like that, with a past like that, would have left traces.

He never traveled from his native land. The stories of his doing so are myths that were started centuries later.

(9) Most simply, the "swoon" theory necessarily turns into the "conspiracy" theory or the "hallucination" theory, for the disciples testified that Jesus did not swoon but really died and rose.

I highly suggest visiting this site for more detail on crucifixion of Jesus. It not only details how the Romans crucified people, but also shows the most probable cause of Jesus' death as attested by doctors. There are also some great illustrations showing the effects.

http://www.oocities.org/alokonsen/death3.htm (off-site)

Would you like to choose another alternative?

I. Jesus claimed divinity
11A. He meant it literally
11111. It is True------------------------------------------He is Lord
11112. It is False
111111a. He knew it was false-------------------------He was a Liar
111111b. He didn't know it was false------------------He was a Lunatic
11B. He meant it non-literally, mystically-------------He was a Guru

II. Jesus never claimed divinity--------------------------He is a Myth

III. Jesus died
11A. Jesus rose-------------------------------------------He is Lord
11B. Jesus didn't rise
11111. The apostles were deceived--------------------He was an Hallucination
11112. The gospel writers were myth-makers-------He is a Myth
11113. The apostles were deceivers-------------------He is a Conspiracy

IV. Jesus didn't die----------------------------------------It was a case of Swoon

Here is a list of the gazillions of OT prophecies that Jesus fulfilled.

Do you still need more evidence?

Here is a quick note on "miracles".

Are you still not sure?

Review the evidences page.

Review the claims of divinity page.

A broad overview of the world's major religions.

My favorite sites .

Here's my version of the crucifixion .

Contact me via e-mail.