Lee Strobel. The Case For Easter: Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead? Michigan: Zondervan Grand Rapids, USA, 1998. pp 96
Lee Strobel was educated in Yale Law School, was the award winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and a spiritual skeptic until 1981. He wrote the Gold Medallion Award-winning books The Case for Christ and the Case for Faith as well as the new, The Case for a Creator. Lee Strobel is a former teaching pastor at two of America’s largest churches; he and his wife live in California.In this book Lee Strobel gives a simple journalist investigation on the evidence for resurrection.
On first glance at the first lines of the book, the readers of this book can feel a sense of lostiness as the author develops his argument for resurrection. As a journalist, the author investigates the case for resurrection by interviewing three prominent theologians. However, he brings in different thoughts and believes.The author starts by asserting that over the years skeptics have had different views to discredit the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He observes that some have the idea that Jesus never died on the cross, but rather fled to India. He also points out that skeptics have over the years believed that Jesus never died but fainted from exhaustion on the cross, therefore his resurrection was not a miracle.
He also points out that other skeptics asserts that Jesus fled to Egypt where he lived as a married man. Finally, Lee Strobel further says that many other non-believers have come up with the theory that Pontius Pilate was bribed to allow Jesus to be taken down from the cross before he was dead. One thing to note here is that all the above theories from skeptics of Christianity have no biblical support.The author continues to investigate on what actually happened at the Crucifixion. He however points out that although it seems that, due to the mysteriously missing body no autopsy has ever been performed. But to argue for resurrection, the author observes that during the flogging, Jesus’ veins were laid bare, and the muscles, sinews and bowels were open. He observes that Jesus underwent what is called hypovolemic, which means he asserts that Jesus was losing a lot of blood. As a result he observes that because of the terrible effects of this beating, there’s no question that Jesus was already in serious to critical condition even before the nails were driven through his hands and feet.
Since this is an investigative book, the author investigates to find out the cause of death. He points out that it was important for him to get to know what claims the life of a crucified victim, to be able to determine whether death can be faked or eluded. He tells his readers that crucified the persons, (As in the case of Jesus) slows down their breathing, the person goes into what is called respiratory acidosis – the carbon dioxide in the blood is dissolved as carbonic acid, causing the acidity of the blood to increase. This he points out leads to irregular heart beat. At this time the author points out Jesus would have known that he was at the moment of death, which he asserts is when he was able to say, “Lord, into your hands I commit my spirit.” The author suggests that Jesus died of cardiac arrest.He (the author) further informs his readers that even before Jesus died, the hypovolemic shock would have caused a sustained rapid heart rate that could have contributed to heart failure, resulting in the collection of fluid in the membrane around the heart, called a pericardial effusion as well as around the lungs, which is called pleural effusion. With this argument the author says that there was absolutely no doubt that Jesus was dead.
In this book the author points out that his death as a will, since Jesus intentionally walked into the arms of his betrayer, he didn’t resist, he didn’t defend himself at his trail – and he says that it was clear that he was willingly subjecting himself to what he knew would be humiliating and agonizing form of torture. Jesus, the author asserts that he knew what was coming, and he was willing to go through it because this was the only way to redeem us.On the question of the missing body the author points out that Christianity without resurrection is simply Christianity without its final chapter. He asserts that resurrection is the supreme vindication of Jesus’ divine identity and his inspired teaching. He further reminds his readers that resurrection is the proof of his triumph over the sin and death, this he points out is the hope of Christianity. The author calls the resurrection the miracle of all miracles.The author observes that throughout history critics of Christianity have attacked the tombStory by pointing out apparent discrepancies purportedly found in the gospels.
The author points out that the gospels agree that the empty tomb was discovered bywomen, who were friends of Jesus, giving a few points for his arguments. First he saysthat the empty tomb is definitely implicit in the early tradition passed by Paul in 1Corinthian 15. Secondly he adds that the site of Jesus’ tomb was known to Christians andJews alike. On the third point the author points out that we can tell from the language,grammar and style that Mark got his empty tomb story from an earlier narrative, andfinally, that the story of the empty tomb is told in its simplicity in Mark.The author sums his investigation by pointing out that the hypothesis that God raised Jesus from the dead is not at all improbable. He assert that based on the evidence, it’s the best explanation for what happened. In fact the author observes that the hypothesis that God raised Jesus from the dead does not contract science or any know facts of experience. All it requires he points out is the hypothesis that God exist.
The reviewer has a few comments and observations to make; If you want to read this book, I would recommend it to you as a good book if you have faith enough to read what critics says about you faith. The author has done a good job by narrating to his readers the story as told to us, but giving details of what cause the death of Jesus. He tries to rule out the idea that Jesus didn’t die thus there was no an empty tomb.A few words of caution; this is a very descriptive book, which paint the whole picture of the agony of Jesus’ last days. If your stomach acts when you read horror and death stories, I recommend that you skip reading this book. But to all students of the bible (theologians I recommend this small book to you.
