The Myth Theory
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:16
“Mom. Is Santa Claus real?”
“If you believe in him in your heart.”
“Is the Easter Bunny real?”
“If you believe in him in your heart.”
“What about the tooth fairy?”
“If you believe in her in your heart.”
“Hmm. Is God real?”
“Yes. God is real.”
This real childhood conversation with my mother has held fast over the years in my mind and heart. The world delights both children and adults with fantastic myths. The account of God’s redemptive work in this world, and of the resurrection of Jesus, is not one of those many myths created only for fun. It is true and therefore more wonderful than any myth that has ever been, or ever will be, dreamt up.
Famously J.R.R. Tolkien, a lover and creator of myth, helped convince C.S. Lewis, a fellow lover and creator of myth, that Christianity is a “true myth.” Lewis put it this way, “Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened.”
But what evidence do we have that the resurrection really happened? Must we only believe in our hearts? In this case, that would be enough because the resurrection really is true, and the Holy Spirit moves our hearts to recognize and believe this truth. Yet, we also have a massive abundance of evidence that points to the truth of Jesus’ literal resurrection from the dead. God uses this evidence to soften the hearts of skeptics and strengthen the faith of those who know and love him. [1]
Renowned theologian Peter Kreeft identifies six strong evidences that soundly refute the theory that Jesus’ resurrection was simply another myth:
- 1. The style of the Gospels is radically and clearly different from the style of all the myths.
- 2. There was not enough time after Jesus’ death and resurrection for myth to develop.
- 3. There is no evidence for an earlier account of a simple human Jesus who did not do miracles or rise from the dead.
- 4. The first witnesses of the resurrection were women who because of their low social status in the culture would not have been used as witnesses for someone attempting to create “cleverly devised myths.”
- 5. The New Testament could not be a myth misinterpreted and confused with fact because it specifically distinguishes the two and repudiates the mythic interpretation (2 Peter 1:16).
- 6. The textual evidence for the reliability of the New Testament far surpasses every other ancient historical document. Nothing else is even remotely close.
He goes into helpful detail about each of these six points in his article Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ. Please click the link to read it, especially if you have never heard about the details of these six refutations before. They should encourage you and strengthen your faith! I can personally remember being fascinated and deeply moved when I learned just how great the gulf was between ancient Old Testament and New Testament manuscripts in comparison with every other history and myth in all of the ancient world. The number of manuscripts and the carefulness and exactness with which they were copied evidences how weighty Jews and Christians have held Scripture. That kind of care was taken to preserve truth, not myth.
Even though I didn’t know about the astounding evidence for the resurrection of Jesus when I was a child, the Lord had already taught and shown me that he was real and alive. I believed my mother when she assured me that God, unlike those other fun myths, was real. How? Through his Word, his Spirit, and his Church! These were the original evidences that moved, and still move, my heart!
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away!” – Matt 24:35
Fr. John Laffoon
Minister to Youth & Families