Were the disciples trippin’?

Is God Dead?

Paul lists those people to whom the risen Jesus is reported to have appeared in his first letter to the church at Corinth (1 Cor 15:5-8). Ehrman, by the way, dates the oral creed captured in this passage to within one or two years of the resurrection. This is significant in that Ehrman’s own rule of thumb in determining historical truth is that the sources that are closest to the original event are most likely correct.

Paul lists the appearances as 1) Cephas (Peter); 2) “The Twelve;” 3) “more than five hundred;” 4) “James;” 5) “all the apostles;” and 6) Paul. In total, Paul records six post-resurrection appearances. Interestingly, three of the listed appearances are to individuals, and three are to groups of people. So, we must look at hallucination claims occurring in group and individual settings.