Publisher's Note: All Credit for this article goes to Dr. Douglas Taylor. This article was published by admin, but written by Dr. Taylor for Rock Solid Apologia. Dr. Taylor teaches apologetics at Luther Rice College and Seminary. (https://www.lutherrice.edu/degree-programs/ma-in-apologetics.cms) Check out more of Dr. Taylor's work here:  http://www.dougetaylor.com/scholarship.html

For the modern skeptic it seems easy to ask how we know Jesus died on the cross. The reality is, even most atheist scholars don’t doubt Jesus’ death by crucifixion. In fact, we have at least twelve independent documents about the life and death of Jesus from within 100 years of His life…and a full third of those are outside the Bible! From here on I will only reference sources that even most critical scholars (skeptics) accept.

            Josephus wrote about the death of Jesus in Antiquity of the Jews. Tacitus, a Roman historian, tells us Jesus died by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. Suetonius gives us some information, as does the Gnostic works Gospel of Peter (second century) and Gospel of Thomas (third century).

            Most scholars accept seven of Paul’s letters as authentically from him. Romans was written around AD 56 and makes clear the death of Jesus. His first letter to the Corinthians is dated to AD 55 and clearly speaks to the death and resurrection of Jesus. If the crucifixion was in AD 30, we have Paul’s letters within 25 years of the crucifixion. But we can get closer still. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is accepted, and it is dated to AD 49, or 19 years from the death of Jesus. However, Galatians gives us oh so much more support.

            Notice between Galatians 1 and 2 Paul says following his seeing Jesus on the Road to Damascus, he waited three years before going to Jerusalem. Then he says he waited fourteen years before going again. Notice that in both cases the verbs are in the past tense. This means we can date Paul’s first meeting with Peter to about 35. Now we have Paul talking to an eyewitness within five years of Jesus’ death. In order for Paul to be talking to Peter at 35, we have to have Paul becoming a Christian at about AD 32…within 18-36 months of the cross!

            Jesus being on the cross is exceedingly hard to dispute. So too is Paul’s timeline. Yet some would say Jesus merely passed out and was mistakenly removed from the cross. First, the spear would not have allowed this. The spear wound would have either punctured the sac around the heart, or it would have punctured a lung. Either one of those would have been fatal, and the spear is not disputed. Second, we have testimony of Josephus on the effects of crucifixion.

            Josephus tells us of seeing three of his friends having been crucified. After pleading with Titus, the three were brought down and given the best medical treatment. Two still died, with the third surviving. Thus, it would have taken significant medical attention to save Jesus…except that spear wound would still have guaranteed death. Even if Jesus had been treated by doctors of the day, He would not have appeared on Sunday as the risen Savior, rather He would have looked like hamburger, beaten and bloody, needing help to even stand.

Jesus’ death is historically certain.