Gary Habermas Questions Why Atheists Believe in Alexander the Great, but Not Jesus' Resurrection

Gary Habermas


"We're not pulling any strings, we're not doing anything goofy; the same kind of history that tells you George Washington was the first president of the United States is the same history that says Jesus was raised from the dead," Gary Habermas said at an Engage Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 3.

He explained that one of the main topics he explores is not so much the supernatural question behind God raising Jesus from the dead, but some of the observable facts, such as "was there a man named Jesus, did He die, and afterwords was He seen?"

Habermas argued that the Gospels and eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life and ministry are important evidence to consider, given that they were written by people in the decades immediately after Jesus' death.


Habermas briefly mentioned that a paleographer, who he didn't name, has said that the fragment dates back to 80-110 A.D., which is older than the previous earliest New Testament portion by almost 50 years.



Habermas said in his speech that one time at a conference years ago he was debating an atheist, whom he didn't name, who claimed that the Gospels are "lousy sources" because they were written too long after Jesus' death.

"This guy, he got me so ticked," Habermas admitted.

He noted that he asked the atheist "do you think we know a lot about Alexander the Great?" speaking of the ancient Greek king.



Summarizing the thinking of atheists, he positioned: "John (as a source of truth) — prejudiced, this source — excellent."

As for arguments that the writings about Alexander were composed by historians, while the accounts on Jesus were made by people seeking to spread "religious propaganda," Habermas said that Plutarch, one of the best-known early sources for Alexander, also mixed in Roman gods, faith, and prophecy in his accounts on the Greek leader.




"If authenticity and early date are confirmed, this fragment of the Gospel of Mark could be very significant and show how well preserved the text of the New Testament really is. We all await its publication," Craig A. Evans, Payzant distinguished professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College, said in a statement to The Christian Post at the time. 

Much of Habermas' work has been focused on looking at the historical evidence for the life and resurrection of Christ. The New Testament scholar said at the Southern Evangelical Seminary's annual National Conference on Christian Apologetics in October 2016 that most scholars, including skeptics, do not dispute the basis that points to Jesus' bodily resurrection.


"His skin is intact, his beard is intact, but you are able to see what's inside coming out, just like if you are able to see what's on the back of a hand," Habermas said during his presentation attended by CP back then.

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