In recent years, another claim that has gained some prominence is that Jesus' corpse was not buried in a tomb. According to this view, Jesus' body was left unburied after His death. One of those advocating this idea is John Dominic Crossan, a founder of the controversial Jesus Forum. As New Testament scholar Craig A. Evans, co-author of How God Became Jesus, tells us:
Because of the apparent lack of archeological evidence, Crossan doubts that Jesus or anyone else was properly buried. Instead, the unburied corpses of these unfortunates were left for the birds and the dogs. (p. 219)
Another skeptic who doubts Jesus' body was buried is Bart Ehrman, a professor at the University of North Carolina who professes to being a lapsed evangelical Christian. Ehrman, author of How Jesus Became God and other books questioning Christian beliefs, contends that the story of Jesus' burial is a late tradition. Therefore, most likely there was no empty tomb. In fact, Ehrman thinks it likely that Jesus' body was not buried at all (see How God Became Jesus, p. 71).
Are Crossan and Ehrman correct? Actually--no. The problem is that skeptics like Crossan and Ehrman seem to have failed to look at all the relevant evidence. As Evans points out in Chapter 4 of How God Became Jesus, while it is true that the ancient Romans often left the bodies of those who had been crucified unburied, this was not always the case. In fact, "it was...Roman practice, under various circumstances, to permit bodies of the crucified to be taken down and buried" (p. 75). Therefore, it is certainly possible that Jesus' body was buried after His crucifixion.
In addition, Jesus' crucifixion took place in Jerusalem, in the land of Israel, which, while ruled by Rome, was mainly inhabited by Jews. There is considerable evidence that during peacetime the Romans respected Jewish customs, including burial customs. Indeed, "Roman authority in Israel normally did permit burial of executed criminals, including those executed by crucifixion" (p. 80).
There is one final point that needs to be noted. According to Evans:
The process that led to the execution of Jesus...was instituted by the Jewish Council. According to law and custom, when the Jewish Council (or Sanhedrin) condemned someone to death, by whatever means, it fell to the council to have that person buried. (p. 80).
This responsibility for the burial of executed criminals was part of the council's larger responsibility for keeping the land of Israel ritually pure. Moreover, in light of the council's duty to ensure the burial of executed persons, it should not be that surprising that a member of the council, Joseph of Arimathea, is mentioned in the Gospels as the one who provided for Jesus' body to be placed in a tomb.
In short, there is little reason to doubt that after His crucifixion, the body of Jesus was, in fact, placed in a tomb. Furthermore, as many Christian apologists have demonstrated, it is quite reasonable to believe that when Jesus' followers arrived at His tomb three days after His death, the tomb was empty. The reason for the empty tomb was given by the angel to Mary Magdalene and the other women: "He is not here; he is risen, just as he said" (Matthew 28: 6, NIV). Hallelujah! May you have a blessed Easter!
Painting from the studio of Peter Paul Rubens, from Wikimedia Commons