[mrozbarry]

The single most significant fact supported by the Bible is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. History agrees that Jesus was a real man. History agrees that He was significant in the region. The eye witness testimonies support (but don't prove) the resurrection, but consider this - many men and women were executed in the first century because they would not recant that they were eye witnesses to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. If it were a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death?

[lofenfew]

> If it were a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death?

Consider a weaker question: if it weren't a lie, why would so many take that to the point of their own death? While most people are usually opposed to lying, if they felt their reason for lying was important enough - and if they're willing to die for it then it must be - they could easily overcome that.

[mrozbarry]

I would argue that the average person would lie to preserve their life. Not all, of course, that's a pretty wide stroke to paint many people with.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a dividing point to all humanity, and there are many willing to die on either side of the fence. While it has been contested many times, there is no definitive proof that Jesus was not resurrected, and there is pretty solid evidence that Jesus did die on the cross (as opposed to old age or some other natural cause). We also know that the Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus were furious at Christianity, and had a serious campaign to destroy and discredit it, yet it survived. You'd think that with their financial and people resources, they could have recovered a body or exposed Jesus as a fraud.