Taking Easter Seriously, an Infographic

It is that time of year again, and so I am reposting the popular “Taking Easter Seriously” infographic.

Many Christians read the Easter stories year upon year, as I did for several decades, yet we never compare them in detail. As a consequence, we often do not realize that they are not telling the same story. There are indeed contradictions in the texts, but it is very important to move beyond “mere contradiction” — the issues with the gospels are far more extensive than that. Comparison against the historical record and assessing the gospels for trends of legend development are probably far more crucial. As with many non-believers, I left Christianity specifically because of the Bible, and because I considered and examined its content very seriously indeed.

Perhaps it is time for more Christians to take the Bible and our Easter stories seriously.

[Click Image for Full Size Version (PNG), Use Ctrl+ and Ctrl- to adjust zoom.] or [PDF Version ]  or [Greek Version]

I am indebted to scholars like Bart Ehrman, Marcus Borg, Richard Carrier, and many others, without whom I would no doubt continue in my own past failures to take Easter seriously. And as always, I look to improve the accuracy of my work wherever possible. Please reply with any factual errors found, and I will correct appropriately. Thanks.

Also See: Infographic for New Testament Timeline

(C) Copyright 2015, JerichoBrisance.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

[In other words, feel free to pass along, distribute, etc., just don’t repackage it and sell it. Thanks!]

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References:

• Dennis, Lane T., ed. ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.
• Thomas, Robert L, and Stanley N. Gundry. A Harmony of the Gospels, NASB. Harper Collins, 1978.
• Ehrman, Bart D. Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don’t Know About Them). HarperOne, 2010.
• Borg, Marcus J. Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written. HarperOne , 2012 
• Price, Robert M. (2012-02-07). The Christ-Myth Theory And Its Problems. American Atheist Press. 
• Carrier, Richard. On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt. Sheffield Phoenix Press Ltd. 2014.
• Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. Yale University Press; 1 edition (October 13, 1997)
• http://rationalfaiths.com/a-brief-history-of-the-bible-part-iii-new-testament-timeline/
• Selected lectures by Richard Carrier, YouTube.

Additional Information:

• http://atheism.about.com/od/gospelcontradictions/p/Crucifixion.htm
• http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined/2012/04/contradictions-in-the-resurrection-account-2/
• http://www.nairaland.com/857842/crucifixion-jesus-contradictions-gospel-accounts
• http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/passover_meal.html
• http://atheism.about.com/od/gospelcontradictions/p/JudasBetrayal.htm

Related Wikipedia Sites:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion_of_Jesus
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_myth
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonical_gospels
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorship_of_the_Bible

About this graphic: Template content from GraphicRiver.com, Data Deck II Retro. Fonts include Abraham Lincoln and Fabrica.