What Happened After the Cross? Understanding the Appearances of Jesus

The Christian faith is founded on the claim that God raised Jesus from the dead. Testimonies about Jesus’ appearances followed closely after the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. A number of individuals, several groups of people and a large crowd are all part of the historical evidence for the resurrection. But how are we to understand what kind of appearances the first Christians experienced? What actually happened during the 40 days following the crucifixion and, in the case of Paul, several years later outside Damascus?