The Myth of the Resurrection and Other Essays

Summary

In one of his most celebrated assertions the Apostle Paul wrote: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised;

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

(From 1 Corinthians 15)

In this collection of essays skeptical scholar Joseph McCabe examines three contentious issues related to the assertions of the apostle:

1. The historicity of the Resurrection

2. The historicity of Jesus

3. The rapid spread of Christianity

Using the tools of historical analysis, McCabe concludes that the claims about both the identity and resurrection of Jesus rest on shaky ground, and that myths about dying and rising gods occur frequently in pre-Christian history.