Many have concluded via historical accounts and ancient documents that the monumental event of the crucifixion of Jesus took place on the Hebrew calendar, Nisan 14, and to us today, April 3, AD 33.[i] There is debate if the crucifixion was Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday (if it were not Friday, the year would have been AD 27 or AD 34)[ii]. Still, for this post, we will use the Friday date generally agreed upon by scholars and historians. If the crucifixion date were April 3, AD 33, then April 6, AD 33 would have been the paramount event of the resurrection of Jesus – the first Sunday Easter celebration!
After being dead for three days, many people saw Jesus alive, walking, talking, eating food, and interacting with people. The Apostle Paul gives a historical account of several hundred people and lists names and individuals who saw Jesus alive after seeing him die in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
Something secular historians cannot explain is how it is that people saw Jesus die and witnessed his burial on April 3, AD 33 and still, these same people are recorded as witnessing Jesus alive after April 6, AD 33. How is it possible to see someone alive after he is visibly witnessed dead? How can a dead man be seen alive again after having been dead and entombed for three days? Only Bible Christianity has a reasonable albeit miraculous explanation of this.
Witnesses are essential in legal proceedings, civil and criminal courts, birth certificates, graduations, marriages, and death certificates. Eyewitnesses are vital for news reporting, broadcasting, book writing, podcasting, and blog writing.
Mirriam-Websters Dictionary defines “witness” as (1) attestation of a fact or event: testimony, (2) one that gives evidence, specifically, one who testifies in a cause or before a judicial tribunal, (3) one asked to be present at a transaction so as to be able to testify to its having taken place, (4) one who has personal knowledge of something, and (5) something serving as evidence or proof.”[iii] The following section will highlight the witnesses that Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 15. Notice how some were believers, some were skeptics, but all of them testified they saw Jesus alive after they saw him dead.
First, Peter is listed in verse 5, “and that he was seen of Cephas (Peter).” Peter could have been looking and hoping to see Jesus again. As a believer and follower of Jesus, that is a natural conclusion. His testimony is more than wishful thinking. Peter has a meal with Jesus and does not see him on one but several occasions following his crucifixion.
Secondly, the disciples, “then of the twelve,” in verse five. These disciples would be the original followers of Jesus, excluding Judas, who hanged himself following the betrayal. “Twelve” refers to the disciples, though the number of actual people at that moment would have been eleven. It was not until Acts 1:15-26 (after the ascension of Jesus that took place 40 days after the resurrection) that Matthias was chosen to replace Judas. The disciples were together several times when Jesus appeared to them (in the Upper Room in Jerusalem).
Third, Jesus was seen by over five hundred people at the same time in verse 6. “After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.” Some of these witnesses died when Paul wrote this down, but Paul indicates one would still interview these witnesses to talk to them about what they saw. In other words, they could still testify about the events of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Notice the emphasis on “at once.” Five hundred people can’t hallucinate simultaneously and see, hear, touch, or imagine the same thing. While some discount the individual sightings of Jesus as being hopeful or the effect of hallucinating, five hundred seeing Jesus alive after being dead is impossible to be dreams, visions, or a hallucination.
Fourth is James, the half-brother of Jesus. Verse 7 says, “After that, he was seen of James.” James shared Mary with Jesus as their mother, but they had different fathers. God’s spirit in Mary supernaturally conceived Jesus, and James was naturally conceived by Joseph and Mary. Despite being related, James was a skeptic. James did not believe that his half-brother was the Messiah. James was not one of the twelve disciples. John 7:5 declares, “For neither did his brethren believe in him.” The brethren are the immediate family, including James. Other than Mary and his mother, the family was not supportive of Jesus’s ministry.
James was rather perturbed and even embarrassed by Jesus roaming the countryside and gaining a following. Mark 3:20-21 speaks of large crowds coming to the home of Jesus where he, Mary, and his siblings lived. The crowds were large, and the attention was so distracting it was tough to sit down and enjoy a meal. Maybe they were getting “hangry” with Jesus! “And the multitude cometh together again so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.” The word “friends” is the word for “kinsmen” or “kin,” which means “family.” The family of Jesus, James included, thought Jesus was out of his mind or “beside himself.” James did not like the constant news, people murmuring, and people asking him about Jesus. Imagine being the brother of a famous person and news reporters constantly asking what it was like to live in the same house as the famous person, or what it was like to grow up together, etc. James was a skeptic before the resurrection.
Fifth is all the apostles. Verse 7 concludes by stating, “Then of all the apostles.” This witnessing event is most likely in the moments right before the ascension when Jesus met with the disciples (who transitioned to be called apostles) in Acts 1. They move from following Jesus in physical form on the earth to testifying of the resurrected Jesus as apostles. The term apostle, ἀπόστολος (Apostolos), means “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.”[iv] Now, they are the ones who are sent, sharing the Gospel message. Matthew 28 provides the “Great Commission, and Mark 16 says to share the Gospel with every creature, while Acts 1:8 says they are “witnesses” of the Gospel. Since the resurrection, these passages have motivated Christians to share the Gospel, become missionaries, pastor churches, and talk to others about Jesus and his salvation.
Sixth and finally, Paul mentions himself as being a witness of the resurrected Jesus. Verse 8 says, “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.” Paul says his experience was unusual compared to the rest. In Acts 22, while persecuting the early church and hating the first-century Christians, Paul, previously known as Saul, was visited directly and personally by Jesus. Even the people with Saul heard someone speaking to him, but the light was so bright they could not see who Saul was talking to. Jesus temporarily blinded Saul’s physical sight but called him to faith, and the religious blinders were taken off, and Saul could see spiritually and physically. Saul’s name is changed to Paul, and instead of being a persecutor, he becomes the most well-known promoter of Christianity. His story is a big deal because he was looking to persecute Christians, not promote Christ.
Before listing these witnesses, Paul says that these reports of the resurrected Jesus are commonly reported. People were talking about the miracle from Galilee. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” People were talking about Jesus, but not only that, the Scriptures, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, declared the life, death, and resurrection back to life of Jesus.
The witnesses of Jesus include firsthand accounts of people who literally and physically saw Jesus alive after he was dead. There are also secondhand accounts, like in verse three, where Paul says, I delivered to you what I heard. He then provided the names of all these people in this list of witnesses. It’s like Paul says, “You can talk to these people and hear their testimony and learn from them what they saw firsthand.”
With so many witnesses coming from so many different backgrounds and faiths before seeing Jesus again after he was dead, this list of names in 1 Corinthians 15 provides compelling evidence to believe in the resurrected Jesus. I believe Jesus is alive in Heaven today. The exact date for the crucifixion and resurrection is interesting to me, but it is not as crucial as believing in Jesus and accepting his gift of eternal life purchased at the cross. I have asked Jesus to be my savior, confessing sin and expressing faith in Jesus and His Gospel only for my salvation.
Have you expressed faith in Jesus for salvation? Have you talked with God the Father declaring that you believe in the risen Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and acceptance into his Heaven? Trust today. Believe in the Jesus of Easter today. He is alive.
End Notes
[i] Andreas J. Köstenberger “Placing the Cross in History,” Answers Magazine, April 1, 2014. Accessed 4.10.25. https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/crucifixion/placing-the-cross-in-history/.
[ii] Danny R. Faulkner, “Did the Moon Appear as Blood on the Night of the Crucifixion?” Answers Research Journal, Feb 12, 2014. Accessed 4.10.25. https://answersresearchjournal.org/moon-appear-as-blood-crucifixion/.
[iii] Mirriam Webster Dictionary, “Witness,” Accessed 4.10.25. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witnesses.
[iv] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 68.
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