Christians rely on the claim that Jesus resurrected from death as convincing evidence for the truthfulness of Christianity. Skeptics however have tried to find alternative explanations to the resurrection in ways that rely on naturalistic factors to avoid any miraculous explanations and discredit the Christian claims. One of those alternative explanations is called the stolen body theory.

What is the Stolen Body Theory exactly?

This theory proposes that the disciples of Jesus stole His body from the tomb while the guards were sleeping.

But could it really be that the disciples stole the body of Jesus and fabricated the entire resurrection story?

Context:

After the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples got depressed and afraid of the Jewish and Roman leaders lest they would be tortured and executed the same way Jesus was. The depression and cowardice of the disciples make a hard-hitting argument against the stolen body theory. Even Peter denied having known Jesus three times out of fear of the Jews and the Romans.

Problems with this theory:

Can we imagine that the disciples suddenly became so brave and daring as to face a detachment of select soldiers at the tomb and steal the body?

The stolen body theory also fails to explain the dramatic transformation of the disciples from dejected and dispirited escapists into witnesses whom no opposition could muzzle.

In fact, the theory runs totally contrary to all we know of the disciples: their ethical teaching, the quality of their lives, and their steadfastness in suffering and persecution.

And if the body of Jesus was stolen, how can the “sleeping” guards know that it was the disciples?

In summary:

The alternative theory about the resurrection called The Stolen Body Theory isn’t supported by evidence or logical reasoning – refuted.

Here are links to the other articles in this series:

• Alternative theories about the Resurrection [1/5]– The Wrong ‎Tomb Theory
• Alternative theories about the Resurrection [2/5]–The Relocated Body Theory
• Alternative theories about the Resurrection [3/5]– The Swoon ‎Theory
• Alternative theories about the Resurrection [5/5]– The ‎Hallucination Theory

Here is a link to the YouTube playlist covering all the alternative theories for the Resurrection: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAEp2qMB5dZIzERDWu6OSti9r9O2T1myp