The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection

Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead?Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity. But a dead man coming back to life? In our sophisticated age, when myth has given way to science, who can take such a claim seriously? Some argue that Jesus never died on the cross. Conflicting accounts make the empty tomb seem suspect. And post-crucifixion sightings of Jesus have been explained in psychological terms.How credible is the evidence for---and against---the resurrection? Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Lee Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief. Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book The Case for Christ, Strobel examines:The Medical Evidence---Was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax?The Evidence of the Missing Body---Was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb?The Evidence of Appearances---Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross?Written in a hard-hitting journalistic style, The Case for Easter probes the core issues of the resurrection. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead: superstitious myth or life-changing reality? The evidence is in. The verdict is up to you.

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Lee Strobel, a former atheist, presents a very compelling and strong case supporting the resurrection--a case so strong that it caused him to come to faith in Christ. Maintaining the same style he used in The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith, Strobel interviews several well-respected experts on the resurrection and challenges them with some of the most common and most difficult objections to the resurrection. The solid answers contained in this fast-paced, well-written book may surprise you.

Some of the questions that are answered in this book are:
- Did Jesus really die or did he just faint?
- Was Jesus' resurrection really just resuscitation?
- Were Jesus' hands and feet actually pierced by nails?
- Is there any possible way that Jesus could have survived the cross?
- Was Jesus really buried in the tomb?
- Were guards present at the tomb?
- Wouldn't it have been very easy for the disciples to have stolen the body?
- What about all the contradictions in the Gospels concerning the resurrection?
- Are the gospel accounts of Jesus' resurrection trustworthy?
- How can the resurrection account be trusted when no one actually saw Jesus as he came back to life?
- What evidence is there that people actually saw Jesus alive?
- How do we know that the disciples didn't just make up stories about seeing Jesus?
- Were Jesus' appearances to the disciples just hallucinations?

The Case for Easter includes well-supported answers to all of these questions and more. In addition to strengthening my own faith, this book has given me the tools to answer many of the questions asked by non-believers about the resurrection.

I would very strongly recommend that you read this book.

17 of 21 found the following review helpful:

Good in spite of somewhat misleading advertisingMay 10, 2006
By The Actor
I recommend this book with one warning - most of this book is taken from Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ," with a few modifications. This is why I did not rate it 5 stars. I did not realize that this was the case when I bought it, and even then I didn't know until I happened to read the copyright notice. I think that the publisher and amazon.com should be more clear that that is what this is. As it stands it is not that clear that that is what this book is, which I thought was somewhat misleading on the publisher's part.

In any case though, I thought that the book was good. In spite of being rather short, Strobel put a lot of information into this little book. If you have already studied a lot of apologetics, you will probably find that you already know a lot of the information in this book, but you will probably find a lot of new information as well. Strobel addresses issues such as:

- Do different Gospel accounts give contradictory accounts? Although I would have liked to have seen a little more on this point, he raises some very good points that resolve many of the alleged contradictions between the gospel accounts. He also makes the interesting point that, if all the gospels told the exact same things in exactly the same way, that that would actually be evidence AGAINST them, not for them, because people would then suspect the authors of collusion!

- Did Jesus really die, or could He have survived the cross?

- Was Jesus really buried in a tomb? (Some allege that He was not, and that His body was later eaten by wild animals, thus explaining the absence of His body. Strobel shows that that isn't really plausable).

- Was Jesus really crucified in the manner that the Gospels claim He was? Strobel addresses numerous specific issues, such as did crucifixion really use nails like the Gospels said it did?

- Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

- Did Jesus really appear to people after He rose from the dead? He addresses specific issues and objections here as well, such as, were Jesus' appearances simply hallucinations? Did the Disciples steal the body? Was there really a guard at the Tomb, and were they really Roman soldiers?

In addition to provididing a solid defense of the Resurrection, Strobel makes several interesting points about the Gospel accounts themselves that I had not noticed before reading this book. For example, I had missed the significance of the fact that women were the first to see the empty Tomb before Strobel comments on that. Specifically, the testimony of women was considered practically worthless at that time, and women were not even allowed to testify in legal courts. Not only would the authors have no incentive to put this detail in if the account was not true, they almost certainly would have left it out if it didn't actually occur. If anything, this detail would have been highly embarassing for the Apostles!

I recommend reading this book, especially if you have not studied much apologetics. It will strengthen your own faith and help equip you to defend your faith. This book is also a good witnessing tool. It is short enough that you can read it fairly quickly and then lend it to non-Christian friends to read (which is what I will probably end up doing with my copy now that I finished reading it). I also recommend this book strongly if you are considering becoming a Christian, or are a Christian who is struggling in your faith.

9 of 13 found the following review helpful:

Excellent for the laymenNov 20, 2004
By Failsafe
I certainly don't think this book will have any effect on those who don't believe. It is clearly aimed at laymen in their personal defence of Christianity to others. If you expected a professional work you expected wrong.

I personally don't enjoy Strobel's style at all but many do and for that reason I recommend this to all Christians who have not looked at the origins of their faith. It's only a short book and the writing is clear and easy to understand.

13 of 19 found the following review helpful:

Wow! Strobel Has Provided Us With Another Great BookMar 23, 2004
By Paul Heier, Missionary, Pastor, & Author
This little book is very appealing. It is simple, short, and to the point. It is done in Strobel's typical investigatory style. He really wants people to see his heart for finding real answers to some of life's most difficult questions. Many who question the authenticity of the Easter story will benefit it. It offers honest answers to those who are asking serious questions. It's short, it's a good-read, and it's well-done. For many, this book will be the beginning of a life-long journey with God. It is a great follow-up tool when discussing the Passion of Christ or Christ's resurrection from the dead.

Paul Heier, Lifespring Church Palm Harbor, FL

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