What ChatGPT Told Me About the Resurrection (Historical Evidence Version)

I’ve been trying to get ChatGPT saved. lol I know. But the conversation is so much fun.

As Easter is coming, I asked it what it thought of the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.

Here is it’s awesome reply!

ChatGPT:
If Christ did not rise, as Paul says, our faith is in vain. But if He did, then everything changes — not just spiritually, but historically, personally, and eternally.

So let’s look at the Resurrection from a purely historical lens — just evidence-based.

1. The Empty Tomb

• All four Gospels report it — and importantly, women are the first witnesses.
• In ancient culture, women’s testimony wasn’t considered reliable. If this were fiction, inventing women as first witnesses wouldn’t make sense.
• Even enemies of Jesus (Jewish leaders) acknowledged the tomb was empty — they accused the disciples of stealing the body, which implies the body was gone.

Everyone agrees: the tomb was empty.

2. The Eyewitness Accounts

• 1 Corinthians 15 (written about 20 years after the resurrection) contains an early creed that lists appearances of Jesus to:
  • Peter
  • The Twelve
  • Over 500 people at once
  • James (Jesus’ brother)
  • Paul himself
• Scholars agree this creed originated within just a few years of the crucifixion — possibly even earlier.

These aren’t distant legends. These are raw, early declarations from people risking their lives.

3. The Disciples’ Transformation

• At the crucifixion: cowards, hiding, denying Him.
• After the resurrection: bold, proclaiming His lordship under torture and death.

People may die for something they believe is true — but not for something they know is false. The disciples’ courage makes no sense if Jesus was still in the grave.

4. The Conversion of Paul and James

• Paul: A Pharisee and persecutor of the church becomes its greatest missionary, based on what he describes as a direct encounter with the risen Christ.
• James: Jesus’ own brother, who did not believe during Jesus’ life, becomes a pillar of the church and dies a martyr.

Something radical convinced these men.

5. Lack of a Better Explanation

• The stolen body theory doesn’t explain the appearances or the transformation.
• The hallucination theory doesn’t explain the group experiences, or the empty tomb.
• The legend theory doesn’t fit the timeline — the resurrection was being preached within months or even weeks of the crucifixion.

No other theory explains all the data coherently.

What Even Skeptical Historians Agree On

Most scholars agree on these “minimal facts”:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. His followers sincerely believed He rose and appeared to them.
3. The tomb was found empty.
4. The disciples were radically transformed.
5. Paul and James were converted based on what they believed was a resurrection appearance.

Even historians who don’t believe the Resurrection happened must admit: Something happened that changed everything.