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Evidence for Jesus: Discover the Facts That Prove the Truth of the Bible

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When it comes to tough questions about the Christian faith, believers and skeptics want clear and concise answers that bring theology into real life. Ralph Muncaster€™s Examine the Evidence

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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Ralph O. Muncaster

40 books6 followers

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Lee Harmon.
Author 5 books114 followers
November 7, 2011
I don’t know where to start with this one. I seldom give bad reviews, preferring to ask the author if they’d rather I withhold my review if I can’t recommend their book, but this is one I bought on my own … and wasted my money.

Of late, I’ve immersed myself in several books attempting to prove not just the historicity of Jesus’ life but the Gospel story of nature miracles and resurrection. They just keep getting worse. In light of my disappointment in these studies, I’ll go out on a limb, here, and state that the worst thing Christians can do is try to “prove” their beliefs. It ain’t working. Religion is not about evidence, but about faith where there is no evidence (or, often, in the face of opposing evidence).

Each chapter of Muncaster’s book wraps up with a short summary of its conclusions, so I went back through the book just reviewing these summaries. They’re a head-shaking assortment of absurdities and false claims. Here are the first few:

“The inability of the Jewish leaders and the Romans to produce the corpse of Jesus is powerful evidence that it didn’t exist—given that everything reasonable was done to protect it and there was no motivation for others to steal it. The logical conclusion would be that Jesus indeed rose from the dead.” How many absurdities can you count in one claim? Why would anyone guard the tomb of a man they considered a crucified criminal? It’s only Matthew who reports this unlikely story. The logical conclusion is not that Jesus rose, but that he was never in a tomb (or at least a known tomb) to begin with.

“The martyrdom of the apostles, who knew Jesus intimately, is a powerful example of eyewitnesses who were absolutely convinced that Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead.” Well, if we had any reliable historical evidence of martyrdom, we might have some indication that this is true. In truth, we simply don’t know what happened to any of the twelve, beyond some incredible legends.

“There were many highly memorable events during Jesus’ time, capped by his resurrection. These would certainly gain attention and would be widely discussed. The many witnesses of the events and the resurrection—including the apostles, the friends and family of Jesus, and at least 500 others who saw the risen Christ—would attest to his resurrection.” Wouldn’t it be nice if this were true? But for all the miraculous events (darkness at noon, Herod’s killing of babies, nature miracles), we simply have no corroborating evidence outside of evangelistic Christian writings. No “widely discussed” events. We have complete silence where we should have astounding and surprising historical records. As for the “500 witnesses” to his resurrection, Muncaster’s own summary of the next chapter undermines this:

“Paul, who probably had accepted the ‘official story’ of the corpse of Jesus being stolen, had a radical change of mind upon seeing the risen Christ.” What Paul describes seeing is a light from heaven … and, yes, he counts this “vision” as just as authentic as any of the other Jesus sightings, including his story of 500 people seeing Jesus at once. Where’s the resurrected, physical body Muncaster wants us to see? Had enough, or do we keep going?

“If this resurrection did not take place historically, the Christian church would not have existed at the outset, nor would it exist today.” Muncaster wants us to imagine that Christianity’s entire foundation is on the witnessed resurrection of Jesus. He would do well to open his eyes to the multitude of other religions, both today and then, that thrive and thrived even as Christians pooh-pooh the supernatural claims of their competitors.

I won’t close my review, however, without saying something positive about the book. Nineteen chapters into it I finally came to the final summary. Here, Muncaster concludes, “After 2,000 years, Jesus is still changing people’s lives. The evidence is startling and overwhelming: Millions of people gladly testify to the positive, dramatic difference Christ has made in their lives and the strength and hope he gives them every day.” Finally, I can say that I agree. I do not know how belief works, I do not understand why it doesn’t seem to matter whether or not one’s beliefs are true, I only know that believing is magical. I can imagine just about any explanation for this phenomenon except the one Muncaster pushes—that a man climbed out of his tomb, ascended into heaven, and there controls our destinies. That one must remain a matter of faith.
Profile Image for Kaelyn.
44 reviews
March 7, 2022
This was a wonderful book! Ralph O. Muncaster had many great insights. This book strengthened my faith and I would definitely recommend it!
Profile Image for onysha.
116 reviews
June 9, 2014
I think this book was written backwards.It's almost as if someone rearranged the chapters. Muncaster tried to use the Bible itself to provide evidence for Jesus before he even began discussing the validity of it. Evidence for the Bible's validity came in the second-half of the book, AFTER Muncaster used the Bible to prove that Jesus was the Messiah and that he resurrected. I think the book would've had more weight if the sections discussing the Bible were the first few chapters. Also, he argues that the resurrection happened before he argues that Jesus existed. I think a more logical order would be: reliability of Bible, Jesus' existence, resurrection.

Overall, the book felt haphazard. Muncaster doesn't specify exactly what he's trying to provide evidence for. Some of his arguments were flimsy, such as using the changed lives of new converts to prove Jesus. If Muncaster used more archaeological evidence and secular historical documents to argue his case, the book would've been more convincing. The most fascinating part of the book was where he discussed archaeological evidence and secular documents. Muncaster's intended audience are the Christians, which kind of explains his rather illogical order of arguments. For Christians, the book kind of confirms whatever they already believe. For non-Christians looking for a book that will "prove" Christianity's claims, this isn't the one.
70 reviews4 followers
January 14, 2008
This book really shows how true the Bible is. Of course, we should already believe that it's true because God says so, but it shows evidence for this.
Profile Image for Hannah Mozingo .
158 reviews
January 2, 2018
Jesus was real, and Jesus was God. The Bible is historically accurate. There is no doubt about it. And this book succinctly proves it....

I read this book for school, and was very happily surprised by it! Muncaster clearly and succinctly lays out truth-filled answers to many questions about Jesus posed by skeptics. He draws from historical documents to prove that yes, Jesus did exist, yes, he did rise from the dead, yes, the Bible is an accurate historical document, and to go even further, yes, Jesus is God. I found his writing very easy to read, follow and understand. I came away from this book feeling like I’d learnt a huge amount, as well as feeling very encouraged in my faith. It’s so good to get reminders that what Christians believe in is true and accurate and can stand up to questioning and research!
Profile Image for Grace Z.
150 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2021
To me this book kind of feels like a high school essay I’d write right before the deadline: lots of unnecessary filler and fluff, many lengthy direct quotations (with no real commentary on them) plus plenty of repetition to pad the length, and once you get through that all, very little actual substance or meaning. I feel like this could have easily been a pamphlet 6-7 pages long, but instead it was drawn out into a book 215 pages long. I’m also not sure who the intended audience is here; the ending seems to suggest it’s non-Christians, but I can’t see this book convincing anyone who isn’t already a Christian. If it IS aimed at non-Christians, you’d think it would have more extrabiblical sources and quotes, as well as more non-Christian ones.
Profile Image for Lisa.
543 reviews
May 17, 2018
I didn't find his arguments very convincing. There are better books on the market that deal with Christian apologetics, such as McDowell's More Than a Carpenter. Summary of evidence:

I.Empty Tomb: no body every found, even though, according to Matthew:
a.Pilate secured tomb by sealing the stone and posting a guard to ensure disciples wouldn’t steal it.
b.The Jewish religious leaders would have made every effort to find it
c.The Roman leaders, too
d.It would have been hard for disciples to steal it, & they wouldn’t have had the motivation to

II. Martyrdom of the Apostles (not Judas or John), even though they could have renounced him
III.The witnesses of spectacular events of Jesus
IV. Hostile witnesses came to faith: Jesus’s brothers, Paul, Constantine
V. The Early Christian Martyrs who were best able to judge
VI. The Existence of the Early Church: grew despite resistance to idea of trinity by Jews and persecution
VII. The Church Fathers (I don’t understand his arguments here)
VIII.Evidence from Early Manuscripts: historically reliable because consistent and close to events
IX. Evidence from non-Christian sources: corroborate existence & words of Jesus e.g., Talmud mentions "Yeshu"; that he was crucified ("hanged") on the eve of Passover; that he performed miracles ("sorcery"), that he led many people away Israel astray; that the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill Jesus; Josephus mentions Jesus, "a wise man ..., for he was a doer of wonders"; "He drew many after him ... When Pilate,..., had condemned him at the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, ...; )Tacitus says, "Christus, ..., was put to death by Pontius Pilate...;
X. Archaelogical sites of Jesus: they’re venerated to this day
XI.Great archaeologists convert
XII.Prophecies of Messiah all came true in Jesus
a. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2)
b. OT identifies Messiah's ancestors (Abraham (Gen 22:17-18), Isaac (Gen. 21:12), Jacob (Number 24:17), Judah (Gen. 49:10), Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-2), David (Jeremiah 23:5), and Jesus’s ancestors match (Luke 3)
c. Passing of the Scepter (Messiah had to come before the scepter passed into the hands of the Romans in AD 11 (Gen. 49:10), and he had to die after the passing of the scepter
d. Being called “out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:13-20)
e. That Jesus would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:4-6; Matthew 15:29-30)
f. That he would speak in parables (Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:10-13)

XIII Prophecies leading up to Jesus’ Crucifixion
a. The day he would allow himself to be king (Daniel 9:24-27 says a "a total of 69 periods of 'seven" (7+62) will pass from the decree to rebuilt Jerusalem until the coming of the "Annointed One"... This dates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem." The prophecy continues: then the Annointed One will be cut off (Christ's crucifixion), and then the city and the temple will be destroyed, which happened in AD 70)
b. Prophecy of Messiah riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9)
c. Prophecies of Jesus’ betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:11-13; Matthew 26:14-16, John 13:21-28, Matthew 26:14-16, Matthew 27:5-10)
d. Prophecy of silence at Jesus' trial (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:62-64)
e. Prophecy of false witness at Jesus' trial (Psalm 27:12; Matthew 26:59-60)
f. Prophecy of being lifted up like a snake in the desert (Number 21:6-9; Romans 6:23)
g. Prophecy of crucifixion (Psalm 22:15, Isiah 53:5, Zechariah 12:10-11
h. Prophecy of rejection (Psalm 35:19, Psalm 118-22-23; John 15:18-25)
XIV Prophecies of crucifixion and resurrection
a. Being mocked (Psalm 22:7-8; Matthew 27:38-44
b. Casting lots for his clothing (Psalm 22:18; Mark 15:24
c. Being assigned a grave with thieves (Isaiah 53:9; Luke 23:43
d. Being given a grave with the rich (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60
e. No bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20; John 19:33-36)
f. Messiah's heart would fail (Psalm 22:14; John 19:34-35; death on cross was usually by asphyxiation)
g. Messiah's body would not see decay (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:24-27
XV Reliability of OT which makes prophecies: dead sea scrolls, Septuagint
XVI People’s changed lives
Profile Image for Heidi'sbooks.
203 reviews19 followers
December 6, 2012
Evidence for Jesus is an introduction to apologetics. I read it to my two teenagers as an starting point for further exploration.

Here's what I appreciated: I appreciated that my kids learned about ancient manuscripts of the Old Testament and New Testament--how many there are and how accurate they are; they learned about the Scribes and the rules for copying Scriptures; they learned about prophecy written by multiple authors over hundreds of years and their fulfillment. Also, I appreciated that they learned a little bit about the Dead Sea Scrolls and a little bit about archeology.

What I thought could be better: Some of the examples really didn't prove his point. For example, he said that the fact that the authorities didn't find a corpse of Jesus' body meant that He rose from the dead. Well, really all that proved was that the civil and religious authorities couldn't disprove the eye-witness accounts from the New Testament. I thought the eye witness accounts and accounts of changed lives (and martyrdoms) were more convincing.

I also wish he had more forcefully used the argument of prophecy. My son in college pointed out that the mathematical improbability jumps astronomically when you use continuous probability. What that means is that when all the probability of all the prophecies are put together with all of their multiple angles, the mathematical possibility is near zero without miraculous intervention. Muncaster started to go that route, but opted not to put too much emphasis on the actual mathematics in the explanation. I'm assuming he thought his audience would be young or new to the subject.

I felt that the veneration of historical sites in the Holy Land was not a strong argument of evidence for Jesus. All the major religions venerate holy sites--it doesn't prove that their religion is right or true.

But, in spite of all of that, it was a good introduction for my younger teens. I would not recommend it for someone in college or an intellectual studying this subject. For the intellectual or college educated, I would highly recommend Nancy Pearcey's books Total Truth and Saving Leonardo.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Anne Andrews.
93 reviews
June 25, 2020
Rating: 3/5 stars

Content: no inappropriate content

Age Reccomendation: twelve years old

Summary: In Evidence for Jesus, Muncaster underlines reasons that the Christian faith is sound and provides evidence for belief in Christ.

Review: Great thesus, but the structure and order of the chapters made it hard to follow. And while it is a great resource for people who are doubting their faith I don’t recommend using its arguments and statistics for evangelic purposes. Defensive arguments are not what will win people to Christ, rather, Jesus reflected through us, his sanctuary, and plain old fashioned conversation.

Read the rest of my March 2020 reviews at http://www.storiesandsketches.com/202...
Profile Image for Rebecca.
40 reviews
November 9, 2010

Evidence for Jesus is about the evidence that proves that Jesus really existed, and that he was really who he said he was. Some topics covered in this book are the inability to find Jesus's corpse, the miraculous prophecies that he had no control over but still fullfilled, and the hideous ways many early Christians died.


I really enjoyed this book because it reinforced my faith. Being the type of person who likes evidence and logic, this book was very interesting to me. It's message was very different than what I've been taught in school, but it was far more believable. I highly recommend this book.

116 reviews
January 27, 2012
This book is not as good as Josh McDowell's "Evidence for Christianity" or Timothy Jones "Misquoting Truth".
Profile Image for Katt Hansen.
3,856 reviews110 followers
March 23, 2015
Thoughtfully presented with logical arguments. Sometimes a little too much of a list when I would have had a bit more exposition, but overall clear and easy to understand.
63 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2014
A fairly good introduction to apologetics. Not particularly in depth, but a decent jumping off point.
Profile Image for Danielle.
170 reviews
August 30, 2014
We got half way though this book before school ended last year, and I thought we'd finish it over the summer. That didn't happen. Maybe I'll get it finished next go around with the littles.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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