Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof - New Leaven

the fundamental tenet that miracles cannot happen, that stands in the way of its
acceptance. Even liberal scholars admit that no fact is better attested than the
resurrection of Christ — though others, of course, deny this. But this makes little
difference to the modern scholar. Says Dr. Rashdall: “Were the testimony fifty times
stronger than it is, any hypothesis would be more possible than that.” Yet at the present
time many eminent scientists frankly declare that they are not in a position to say that
miracles cannot happen.
d. Attempts to explain away the fact of the resurrection. In their denial the antisupernaturalists
always run up against the story of the resurrection in the Gospels. The
story of the empty tomb and of the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection present a
challenge to them, and they accept the challenge and attempt to explain these without
accepting the fact of the resurrection. The following attempts are some of the most
important.
(1) The falsehood theory. This is to the effect that the disciples practiced deliberate
deception by stealing the body from the grave and then declaring that the Lord had
risen. The soldiers who watched the grave were instructed to circulate that story, and
Celsus already urged it in explanation of the empty tomb. This theory, of course,
impugns the veracity of the early witnesses, the apostles, the women, the five hundred
brethren, and others. But it is extremely unlikely that the faint-hearted disciples would
have had the courage to palm off such a falsehood upon a hostile world. It is impossible
to believe that they would have persisted in suffering for such a bare falsehood.
Moreover, only the facts of the resurrection can explain the indomitable courage and
power which they reveal in witnessing to the resurrection of Christ. These
considerations soon led to the abandonment of this view.
(2) The swoon theory. According to this theory, Jesus did not really die, but merely
fainted, while it was thought that He had actually died. But this naturally raises several
questions that are not easy to answer. How can it be explained that so many people
were deceived, and that the spear thrust did not kill Jesus? How could Jesus in His
exhausted condition roll away the stone from the grave and then walk from Jerusalem
to Emmaus and back. How is it that the disciples did not treat Him as a sick person, but
saw in Him the powerful Prince of Life? And what became of Jesus after that? With the
resurrection the ascension is naturally ruled out also. Did He then return to some
unknown place and live in secret the rest of His life? This theory is burdened with so
many improbabilities that even Strauss ridiculed it.
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