We hear about “diversity” frequently in the public forums these days, but rarely is that quality of people and things considered in the context of historic events such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But, as J. Warner Wallace of Cold-Case Christianity notes, there are seven diverse factors in the resurrection — let us refer to them as the “Seven Diversities.” For example, Wallace points to the fact that “Jesus appeared after the Resurrection to single eyewitnesses, to small groups and to huge crowds.”
Similarly, Wallace reminds us that “Jesus appeared and stayed with the eyewitnesses for different lengths of time. Some of his appearances were little more than a few minutes, others for hours. He stayed with the believers in Jerusalem for forty days.”
These Seven Diversities are not merely interesting facets of a timeless tale, Wallace reminds us, but rather are among the multiple pieces of evidence that point to the conclusion that the New Testament account of the Resurrection is credible.
“The Resurrection is not a work of fiction written by a single author or observed by a single witness in a single location at a single time of day or night,” Wallace writes.
“Instead, the appearances were recorded by a variety of authors and occurred in front of a diverse set of eyewitnesses in assorted locations and times. The expansive and differing aspects of these sightings ought to give us increased confidence in the authenticity and reliability of the accounts.”
Go here for the remaining five Diversities of Jesus’ appearances following His resurrection from the grave after His death by crucifixion on a Roman cross.
