STANDARD OF EVIDENCE/PROOF AND REASONS JESUS’ RESURRECTION IS PROVEN TRUE

The Bible repeatedly says that we have proof of God being rule and also various other things like Jesus’ resurrection and creation. But what is proof? Can we claim proof of the Bible by modern legal standards? I’ve been involved in 8 court cases and won all based on proof (mostly helping people stop abuse, but 1 was a traffic ticket…and I didn’t contest another speeding ticket since I was guilty and so as to keep my 100% win record 🙂 )

But if you ask people to define evidence, proof, proof, truth and the difference between them, most can’t do it hardly at all, let alone with any degree of precision. This makes them very vulnerable to many kinds of deceptions and exploitation (Dr. Jason Stanley at Yale and other scholars say that the main tactic of fascists, dictators and tyrants is to lie constantly so people can’t figure out what is true).

Dictionaries will say that truth is accurate and factual claims about reality. But if you ask people how to find truth, many just say truth is fact. Then you ask them how to figure out a fact and many will say it’s true. ~90% of people I’ve asked have given answers something like that, but that’s circular reasoning with no precision. They haven’t been educated on how to figure out what is true or factual precisely. In addition, you can give evidence that some claim has some support from testimony, or accurate predictions or benefits for life and some people will reject that those qualify as evidence or helpful to find truth, even though all are routinely used by the most rational people, scientists, lawyers, philosophers, theologians and those whose main business is to determine what is true.

So one of the first duties in a genuine search for truth/proof is to define what evidence, truth and proof are and to define them in ways that are objective and that everyone sincere person can agree with.

How do we figure out what is truthful reality? There are a lot of articles and books on this issue, but basically,
1) Evidence is all experiences of all people from amateur to top scientists and functions like points in a sports game. All experiences must count as evidence.

2) There are 3 levels of proof in courts that basically mean that over 50% of evidence is on one side (100% is never required to be considered proof, but in rare cases does happen).

3) Evidence and proof are used to decide what is true reality. Whatever has the most evidence has to be considered true to the best of human knowledge. Whatever has the majority of evidence, constitutes proof and thus matches reality best with our current knowledge and should be considered true in order to have the maximum integrity and benefits in life.

Ignoring the majority of evidence usually leads to harm and loss. But stay open to new evidence, and it if changes where the majority of evidence points, then people should seriously consider changing their views to follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Here is an overview of these terms with examples. There are some supporting academic citations in some sections and more at the end showing these are legitimate meanings:

Dr. Simon Greenleaf was the acclaimed Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University. He was one of the most celebrated legal minds in American history and one of his books, “Treatise on the Law of Evidence”, was used as a textbook to train judges, lawyers and legal professionals on the standards of evidence and proof in courts for many decades in major universities and still is considered by some to be “the greatest single authority on evidence in the entire literature of legal procedure”.

Dr. Greenleaf believed that lawyers have a responsibility to evaluate the evidences of the Christian religion using the standards of evidence demanded in their professional lives.  Greenleaf was a Christian, but a liberal one who was initially a skeptic of Jesus’ resurrection and believed it to be a fairy tale or myth. But he spent time investigating the evidence for the resurrection carefully with the principles courts use in proving things true and came to believe that not only that it was a legal fact that Jesus really resurrected, but that this is one of the most proven facts in human history. He detailed the results of his own investigation in an 1846 work titled “An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice. With an Account of the Trial of Jesus.” This work made him an important figure in the development of Christian apologetics and a pioneer in legal/juridical apologetics.

Some of the principles Dr. Greenleaf, courts around the world and all rational people/intellectuals use to decide truth are these (for more details, go to this site: http://blog.truth-is-life.org/truth/finding-truth/):

FOUNDATION A) FOLLOW THE MAJORITY OF EVIDENCE/TRUTH WHEREVER IT LEADS/NO BIAS/FALLACIES:
Antony Flew was the leading atheist for much of the 1900s. He steadfastly insisted that rational thought requires a person to “follow the evidence wherever it leads” In 2004, due partly to discoveries about the incredible sophistication of DNA, Antony Flew converted to theism.
https://www.discovery.org/a/5611/

Dr. Greenleaf starts with the core principle of truth.

“In examining the evidences of the Christian religion, it is essential to the discovery of truth that we bring to the investigation a mind freed, as far as possible, from existing prejudice and open to conviction. There should be a readiness, on our part, to investigate with candor, to follow the truth wherever it may lead us, and to submit, without reserve or objection, to all the teachings of this religion, if it be found to be of divine origin. (p. 21)*

FOUNDATION B) INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
The standard of courts and historians as well is that witnesses and their testimony are considered innocent and true until proven guilty. Skeptics do the reverse, but this would eradicate most of the books of history from study.

“In the absence of circumstances which generate suspicion, every witness is to be presumed credible, until the contrary is shown; the burden of impeaching his credibility lying on the objector.”
https://www.famous-trials.com/jesustrial/1051-evangeliststestimony

STEP 1) ALL EXPERIENCES AND TESTIMONIES MUST BE CONSIDERED TRUTHFUL AND EVIDENCE UNLESS PROVEN FALSE
The only way for humans to gather evidence is through our experiences and senses and that of others. Evidence is is all observations with our senses that everyone gathers. and every observation and experience from amateurs to scientists, must be acknowledged as evidence. If any are left out it is a double standard and violation of the golden rule since we all want our experiences and observations counted as evidence and the Bible counts all experiences as evidence.

Many scholars ranging from Christians like Dr. R. C. Sproul* to leading atheists like Voltaire* agree that the only way to get information about the outside world and reality into your brain and know anything for certain is through the senses that God created. So every court on earth considers testimony to be evidence.

“A witness may testify to a matter only if evidence is introduced sufficient to support a finding that the witness has personal knowledge of the matter. Evidence to prove personal knowledge may consist of the witness’s own testimony.”   Rule 602. Need for Personal Knowledge, www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre/rule_602

See also: http://dictionary.findlaw.com/definition/evidence.html

[Evidence can include oral testimony of witnesses, including experts on technical matters, documents, public records, objects, photographs and depositions (testimony under oath taken before trial)…It also includes so-called “circumstantial evidence” which is intended to create belief by showing surrounding circumstances which logically lead to a conclusion of fact….

“oral testimony of witnesses, including experts on technical matters, documents, public records, objects, photographs and depositions”

dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=671

“Every document, apparently ancient, coming from the proper repository or custody, and bearing on its face no evident marks of forgery, the law presumes to be genuine, and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise.”

Simon Greenleaf, An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists, by the Rules of Evidence administered in Courts of Justice*

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (regular life):

• SPORTS: All observations of athletes making scores in sports are counted as points/evidence.
• SLEEP: We see evidence that people function much better if they get 8 hours of sleep.
• ABUSE: We accept all experiences of people that say racism and abuse has damaged them.
• TRANSGENDER: We hear teens say that they feel they were born in the wrong gender and should get surgery to change. We hear experiences of teens who felt they should change gender, but after a few more years, they were fine with the gender they were born with. All of these are evidence.

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (biblical):

• MIRACLES: We read evidence of Moses and the Egyptian magicians both doing miracles.
• CREATION: Scientists never observe life coming from non-life, that nearly all major phyla have fossils in the Cambrian layers and that 99% mutations make neutral or harmful changes in biology. We also observe that Tiktaalik looks like a transition between fish and tetrapods.
• RESURRECTION: We gather the testimonies of  witnesses of Jesus alive after He died. We hear testimony from soldiers that the disciples stole Jesus body. Both are evidence.

STEP 2) PROOF–ANALYZE EVIDENCE TO FIND PROOF

PROOF: Proof is the effort to analyze all the evidence, use logic to figure out which evidence is strongest and weakest and if any is false and the judge which claims have the most supporting evidence and are most likely to be true. There are at least 7 kinds of proof used in courts. But 3 are most common.

1) Preponderance of Evidence: This is when 50.1% or more of evidence and higher quality evidence is on one side, since mathematically nothing can beat it.  

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (regular life):

• We look at all the points each side has scored, and whenever a team has 50% or more of the evidence, that is preponderance of evidence type proof that it is the best team.

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (biblical):

• Moses was able to do more miracles and higher quality miracles than the Egyptian magicians. So his miracles have proof that His God is real and more powerful than the gods of Egypt. So Moses had preponderance of evidence proof for Jehovah.

2) Clear and Convincing evidence: This is between Preponderance of Evidence and Beyond Reasonable doubt (so somewhere in the area of 60-90% of good evidence is on one side.)

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (regular life):

• We we hear that 1000s of people who did transgender surgery as children or teens were very seriously harmed and can’t have normal sexual function and deeply regret getting that surgery, some commit suicide. Doctors tells us that you can’t change 6000 hormones that influence/determine gender and so transgender is only superficial and damaging.  There are some though that are happy with their transgender surgery and are glad they did it years later.  The evidence is far stronger that children and teens are damaged more than helped by transgender surgery and they should not be allowed to do it. So we have clear and convincing evidence proof that transgender surgery is not best for children and teens.

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (biblical):

• All the biblical evidence is on the side of creation. The vast majority of scientific evidence shows that Darwinism can’t get started since abiogenesis has failed, that most of the fossil record is backwards from Darwinian claims and that there is no observed biological mechanism that can produce novel genetic information, new body structures and new phyla. A tetrapod is found before Tiktaalik, so it can’t be the  transition between fish and tetrapods. There are some difficulties for creation and some observations like the order of the plants in the fossils that align more with Darwinian claims. Still, the large majority of evidence is on the side of creation. So we have clear and convincing evidence proof of creation.

3) Beyond Reasonable Doubt: This is when you have ~90% or more of the evidence on one side and also reasonable doubts have been answered. It is very rare to have 100% of evidence on one side, and this standard does not mean all fallacious or speculative questions have to be answered, just that nearly all evidence points in one direction and there are no significant rational challenges to it.  

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (regular life):

• We see evidence that people function much better if they get 7-8 hours of sleep. There are a very tiny fraction of 1% of people called “short sleepers” who can survive on 4-6 hours or less of sleep. But for most people, getting 8 hours of sleep is necessary for optimal health, brain function, grades, success in careers, avoiding accidents, etc. So we have proof beyond reasonable doubt that getting enough sleep is very important in life.
  
  
• We find in a vast majority of cases claims of racism and abuse are real and cause harm to people’s lives. Some able to recover and overcome the injustice, but it often has life long impacts and so should be strongly opposed. So we have proof beyond reasonable doubt that racism/abuse are harmful and should be opposed as much as possible.

EVIDENCE EXAMPLES (biblical):

• A very high majority of evidence is on the side of Jesus’ resurrection. There are only a couple criticisms from biased sources like the Pharisees and the Roman Soldiers who claim that the soldiers slept or the Romans stole the body. But neither of these make sense, since by Roman law the soldiers should have been executed for these things if they had really done them. Modern skeptics invent other excuses, but none can explain all the existing evidence. So Dr. Gary Habermas says that even most atheist scholars aren’t even trying to reject the evidence about Jesus’ life, death and that people saw Him alive after He died anymore. So we have proof beyond reasonable doubt of Jesus’ resurrection.

FACTS: These are statements that have been repeatedly observed to be true by basically everyone and are thus considered true to the best of human knowledge. They are usually individual data points or smaller in scope.

EX: “The sun is shining”, “You are taller than your siblings.”

4 MAJOR TYPES OF PROOF (and some others)
What is proof? Legal scholars at places like Cornell Law School and many other law schools and legal/academic say that there are at least 4 legal standards of proof, but some others are also used at times. Cornel Law school says:

Harvard Law school says:

“three primary standards of proof exist at common law. From lowest to highest degree of certainty required, they are: (1) preponderance of the evidence, (2) clear and con- vincing evidence, and (3) beyond a reasonable doubt.

STANDARDS OF PROOF IN CIVIL LITIGATION:AN EXPERIMENT FROM PATENT LAW jolt.law.harvard.edu/articles/pdf/v26/26HarvJLTech429.pdf

Of course:
“The standard that applies depends on the type of case. The more serious the consequences, the higher the standard of proof is likely to be.”
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/legal-standards-proof.html

In most cases, proof is when 50% or more + of the evidence is one side. In a few cases, such as capital crime cases, proof may require 90 or 95% of the evidence to be on one side in order to avoid making tragic mistakes.

“The following are the most common standards of proof in civil and criminal cases, from lowest to highest.”
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/legal-standards-proof.html

1) SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE PROOF

“Appellate judges…often use the “substantial evidence” standard. This standard falls between probable cause and preponderance of the evidence, and requires more than a “mere scintilla of evidence.” Substantial evidence is “such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” (Richardson v. Perales, 402 U.S. 389 (1971).)

2) PREPONDERANCE OF EVIDENCE PROOF
“The preponderance-of-the-evidence standard is the default for most civil lawsuits. In these cases a plaintiff is typically suing a defendant for lost money because of acts like breaking a contract or causing a car accident (the money loss might be due to vehicle damage and medical bills, for example). Preponderance of the evidence is met if the trier of fact (judge or jury) believes the evidence shows the defendant is more likely than not—more than 50% likely to be—responsible.“
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/legal-standards-proof.html

“51 Percent Rule of Thumb: Some scholars define the preponderance of the evidence standard as requiring a finding that at least 51 percent of the evidence favors the plaintiff’s position.”
https://www.justia.com/trials-litigation/lawsuits-and-the-court-process/evidentiary-standards-and-burdens-of-proof/

“the burden of proof is met when the party with the burden convinces the fact finder that there is a greater than 50% chance that the claim is true.”   “preponderance of the evidence”
Cornell Law School
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/preponderance_of_the_evidence

“Preponderance of Evidence requires that the evidence be ‘more likely than not’ to prove the matter at hand.  In other words, evidence only needs to be greater than a 50% likelihood of being true under the preponderance of evidence standard.”
https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/clear-and-convincing-evidence-standard.html

The preponderance of evidence standard comes into play when the plaintiff satisfies the burden of proof by offering evidence that demonstrates their claims have a greater than 50% chance to be true. In other words, if a claim can be demonstrated to be more likely to be true than not true, the burden of proof is met…preponderance of evidence requires a mere 51% or greater probability…”
https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/different-standards-of-proof-63

3) CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE PROOF
“The clear-and-convincing-evidence standard goes by descriptions such as “clear, cogent, unequivocal, satisfactory, convincing” evidence. Generally, this standard is reserved for civil lawsuits where something more than money is at stake, such as civil liberties.”
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/legal-standards-proof.html

“Under the clear and convincing standard, the evidence must be substantially greater than a 50% likelihood of being true.”
https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/clear-and-convincing-evidence-standard.html

“The clear and convincing evidence standard has a higher standard of proof than preponderance of evidence, but lower than proving beyond a reasonable doubt…the clear and convincing standard needs to demonstrate that fault is ‘highly’ and ‘substantially’ more probable to be true than not true…”
https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/different-standards-of-proof-63

4) BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT PROOF
“beyond a reasonable doubt is the highest standard of proof within the American judiciary system. This standard requires the prosecutor to provide sufficient proof such that no other plausible account or conclusion is possible, except that the defendant is guilty…  beyond a reasonable doubt requires closer to 100%.”
https://valientemott.com/legal-terminology/preponderance-of-evidence/

“Beyond a reasonable doubt” is the highest legal standard. This is the standard the U.S. Constitution requires the government to meet in order to prove a defendant guilty of a crime. (In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364 (1970).)…

the evidence must be so convincing that no reasonable person would ever question the defendant’s guilt. The standard requires that the evidence offer no logical explanation or conclusion other than that the defendant committed the crime. Courts sometimes describe this level of confidence in a verdict as a moral certainty.

“Beyond a reasonable doubt” doesn’t mean, however, that the prosecution must eliminate all unreasonable doubts a jury could possibly have. Nor must the prosecution prove the case beyond a shadow of a doubt or to an absolute certainty. These would be impossible burdens because only witnesses to an alleged crime can be certain—and even then, not all witnesses can be certain.

Rather, this highest of standards requires—after consideration of all facts—only one logical conclusion: that the defendant is indeed guilty.”
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/legal-standards-proof.html

MAIN REFERENCE ARTICLES ON PROOF:
Legal Standards of Proof https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/legal-standards-proof.html

Different Standards of Proof https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/different-standards-of-proof-6363

There are many fields in academia where far more than 50% of the evidence is on the side of God’s claims and some where 90-100% of the evidence is on God’s side. That is what by all fair definitions constitutes proof and mathematically, nothing will have more evidence. This is the standard by which all rational decisions must be made and when this is not done, loss or harm always happens. No ideology or worldview has anything close to the proof that the God of the Bible has demonstrated to the world in many ways, least of all atheism. And this is why Christianity has convinced more intellectuals than any other worldview to follow its worldview.

STEP 3) TRUTH & ACTION:
Truth is all claims, statements, beliefs, doctrines, theories, worldviews, etc. that actually match reality. The more you have the majority of evidence, proof and facts on your side, the more certain you can be that your thoughts, views, beliefs, worldview, etc can be true. The majority of points decides the winner in sport and the majority of evidence decides the winning view for all claims, beliefs, doctrines, theories, worldviews, etc.

There are quite a few types of truth. Temporary truths (I was 15 years old once, but am not now), preference truths (I love spicy food, my parents don’t), cultural truths (In much of Asia, it’s disrespectful to wear shoes in homes, but in much of America it isn’t). But there are 3 most effective truths that are helpful to determine what is true in major topics.

Many of the most respected scholars in the study of objective truth agree that there are 3 main effective ways to find truth. Dr. Julian Dodd from the University of Manchester is one of the most recognized philosophers in the world. Dr. Dodd says the “favored candidates” in the area of theories of truth are: “correspondence truth, coherence truth and pragmatic truth.”[1] Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty, a Christian philosopher, concurs, saying that “As far as we know at the present time, there seems to be only three tests of ‘truth’.” He lists them as correspondence truth, coherence truth and pragmatic truth.”[2]   Richard Ladd Kirkham (born June 18, 1955) is an American philosopher who has published extensively on the nature of truth including the much cited “Theories of Truth” (MIT Press, 1992) which is the all-time best-selling book in analytic philosophy. About half of all English reading professional professors have his book, and it’s used as a graduate textbook on every continent. Kirkham says that most of the various theories of truth proposed through the centuries are really not all competitors of each other, but complementary. They just answer distinct questions about truth. Some are about the definitions of truth, some are about the sufficient conditions for truth, others are about using linguistics properly to accurately describe reality and truth, others are the actual principles to identify what is true, while others deal with how to distinguish truth from dangerous falsehoods and fallacies.[3]

Accept all evidence in these 3 areas as true (more details will come here soon on them). Then truth should be carefully followed to have the maximum integrity and benefits in life. Truth can be about smaller claims like who won a sports game or the best practices to be healthy or get good grades, or it can be about worldviews and the most complicated concepts in science. But all truth sets people free as Jesus said (John 8:32).

REFERENCES:
[1] Dodd, Julian. “Recent Work on Truth.” Dec. 17, 2002, www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1468-0149.00270.

[2] Dolhenty, Jonathan. “Truth and Certainty”, http://radicalacademy.org/truth-certainty.html. “Criteria of Truth.” Wikipedia, Dec. 6, 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criteria_of_truth.

[3] Richard Kirkham. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Kirkham. See also: http://philpapers.org/s/Richard%20L.%20Kirkham, and you can read some of his book here:
https://archive.org/details/theoriesoftruthc0000kirk/page/26/mode/2up.

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BRIEF FACTS ABOUT JESUS’ RESURRECTION THAT PROVE IT IS TRUE
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Below we will look very briefly at just one crucial topic, Jesus’ resurrection
(there are many other pages on this issue on this site. Start with: JESUS-His Resurrection Changed Everything http://blog.truth-is-life.org/truth/resurrection)

How do we know Jesus’ resurrection is proven truth as the Bible claims (Acts 1:3, 9:22)? Many careful scholars from various worldviews like Dr. Simon Greenleaf, Dr. Mike Licona, Dr. Gary Habermas have compiled over 3,000 peer reviewed scientific articles about Jesus’ resurrection. The vast majority agree that these claims from the Bible and historical sources are facts:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion and was buried. 
2. The tomb was empty on the 3rd day! Romans and Jewish leaders couldn’t disprove the resurrection with a body.
3. Women, Jesus’ disciples, over 500 people and skeptics believed and testified that Jesus rose and appeared to them!
4. Jesus’ disciples were fearful and humiliated before the resurrection. After it they sacrificed money and homes, and were tortured and died to proclaim their certainty in the truth of the resurrection!
5. Skeptics like James (Jesus’ brother who knew him intimately) and Paul (who was killing Christians) converted to believing Jesus was God because of seeing the risen Jesus and later were martyred for their belief!
6. Jesus’ resurrection was proclaimed in Jerusalem where it and the early church could have been most easily stopped. But it flourished there first. 
7. Jesus’ resurrection was the center of the gospel and explains the dramatic increase of Christianity as well as the passion, love and sacrifice of countless Christians which has turned the world upside down in good ways!
8. Experiences with Jesus and encounters with Jesus in dreams (such as dreams of Isa in Muslim countries) have brought millions of people in non-Christian cultures to belief in Jesus!
9. Belief in Jesus’ resurrection has inspired millions to sacrifice and pioneer almost all human rights in history!
10. People across the world experience Jesus transforming their lives now and you can too!

Only a genuine resurrection explains these facts above. For many reasons, many scholars, including former atheist scholars, have said that Jesus’ resurrection is one of the most proven facts in history!

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SKEPTIC EXCUSES DON’T EXPLAIN ALL THE FACTS
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Skeptics have proposed alternative hypotheses. But none account for all the facts above and so can’t be considered true.

Excuse #1) Conspiracy excuse: The disciples stole his body.

PROBLEMS: Jews didn’t believe in a resurrected Messiah. 2nd, People aren’t willing to die for something they KNOW isn’t true. So no scholars defend this idea now.

Excuse #2) Apparent Death excuse: He faked his death.

PROBLEMS: Roman soldiers were professionals at killing people. A half-dead man crawl out of a tomb wouldn’t inspire disciples to sacrifice everything and die themselves. No New Testament historians defend this excuse.

Excuse #3) Displaced Body excuse: Someone moved Jesus’ body.

PROBLEMS: First, Jewish laws prevented moving a corpse. Second, the person who moved the body could have stopped Christianity by just telling everyone what he did. And a missing body isn’t proof of resurrection and can’t people to give their lives.

Excuse #4) Hallucination excuse: The disciples didn’t really see Jesus alive after His death. They just hallucinated that they saw Him.

PROBLEMS: Jesus appeared many times, in several places, to over 500 people, both believers and non-believers. There is no hallucination like this. This also doesn’t explain the empty tomb.

———————
CONCLUSION
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Because of the criteria of proof used in courts and science, and the facts of Jesus’ resurrection above and the complete inability of any excuses to explain the evidence, many of the best and most intellectual and elite judges, historians and lawyers have said that Jesus’ resurrection is one of the most proven events in all history. Here are a few and a link to a book below has many, many more.

One powerful reason/evidence that helped change Dr. Greenleaf’s mind about the resurrection was fact that Jesus’ disciples went through so much suffering and kept believing. They had no motive, nothing to gain, and yet still persisted in their belief. Nobody goes through so much suffering for things they have seen firsthand, unless they are true.

“The great truths which the apostles declared, were, that Christ had risen from the dead, an  that only through repentance from sin, and faith in him, could men hope for salvation. This doctrine they asserted everywhere, not only under the greatest discouragements, but in the face of the most appalling terrors that can be presented to the mind of man. Their master had recently perished…The laws of every country were against the teachings of his disciples…they could expect nothing but contempt, opposition, revilings, bitter persecutions, [beatings], imprisonments, torments & cruel deaths. Yet this faith they zealously did propagate; and all these miseries they endured…rejoicing.

As one after another was put to a miserable death, the survivors only prosecuted their work with increased vigor & resolution. The annals of military warfare afford scarcely an example of the like heroic constancy, patience & unflinching courage…It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead.”[1]

This is just one of many reasons that led him to conclude that Jesus’ resurrection is a very powerful and solidly established fact. He said:

“For many years I’ve made the evidences of Christianity the subject of close study… According to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for just about any other event in history.”

Greenleaf, S. 1874. Ibid.*

Sir Lionel Luckhoo was knighted twice by Queen Elizabeth and Guinness Book of Records lists him is the world’s most “successful” lawyer because he won 245 consecutive cases. When he was ~64 he investigated the claims of Jesus and experienced a conversion. He became a Christian and later wrote:

“I have spent more than forty-two years as a defense trial lawyer appearing in many parts of the world and am still in active practice. I have been fortunate to secure a number of successes in jury trials and I say unequivocally the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leaves absolutely no room for doubt.”[2]

Lord Caldecote, lord chief justice of England, observed that an
“overwhelming case for the resurrection could be made merely as a matter of strict evidence” and that”His resurrection has led me as often as I have tried to examining the evidence to believe it as a fact beyond dispute…”[3]

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Craig Parton (an experienced trial lawyer and an expert in the laws of legal evidence), explains how the resurrection of Jesus is based on solid objective facts and how we can defend it to secular minds.
A LEGAL DEFENSE OF THE BIBLICAL GOSPEL IN AN AGE OF SECULARISM
https://www.calvaryabq.org/teachings_view.asp?ServiceID=925&AcceptsCookies=yes

Montgomery has 11 earned degrees in multiple disciplines including philosophy, librarianship, theology, and law. Montgomery’s journey to faith begun when, while an atheist, he met a fellow student by the same of Herman Eckelman,

“He witnessed to students and presented a strong apologetic for the Christian faith and he got me on the subject of religion and he had a fine library and he loaned me books and my questions and objections were trivial in comparison to the answers that were available and so by the end of my freshman year I was converted”.

https://reasonsforjesus.com/evidence-for-resurrection-leads-distinguished-philosopher-atheist-john-montgomery-to-faith/

There are many other prestigious professors of law, lawyers, and judges who say that the evidence for Jesus resurrection makes it one of the most solidly proven facts of history:

https://www.academia.edu/1183577/_Juridical_Apologists_1600_2000_AD_A_Bio_Bibliographical_Essay_

There is much more than this (check links at the end of this article: JESUS-His Resurrection Changed Everything http://blog.truth-is-life.org/truth/resurrection). But these facts above alone show that Jesus’ resurrection is based solidly on proof, way beyond reasonable doubt, to any who follow the standards of proof in courts. And that is more than enough to justify belief for anyone who cares about rational thought.

REFERENCES

[1] An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice”, p.52-53. http://www.archive.org/details/examinationoftes00greerich p. 21**. https://www.famous-trials.com/jesustrial/1051-evangeliststestimony

[2] What is Your Verdict? (Fellowship Press, 1980), p. 19. or Handbook of Biblical Evidences, pg. 106. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Biblical_Evidences/sgTomjaDNHMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Sir+Lionel+Luckhoo&pg=PA106&printsec=frontcover

[3] Handbook of Biblical Evidences, pg. 102.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Biblical_Evidences/sgTomjaDNHMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lord+Caldecote&pg=PA102

UPDATE:
Add fact and 3 types of truth definitions.