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The Resurrection of Jesus is a historical claim that can be investigated as an event in history, requiring the identification of relevant facts and the evaluation of competing explanations. The importance of the Resurrection is emphasized in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17, which states that if Christ has not been raised, then preaching and faith are in vain.

Five key facts support the Resurrection: appearances of Jesus to numerous people, the low status of women who were the first to report the empty tomb, immediate proclamation of the Resurrection, voluntary sufferings of the disciples, and the empty tomb itself. The appearances of Jesus are public, polymodal, and extended across time, making them reliable eyewitness testimony.

The early creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, which is considered independent evidence for the early claim of eyewitness encounters with Jesus, is thought to be early due to its mnemonic structure, use of "Cephas" as a name for Peter, and delivery to Paul shortly after his conversion.

In the patriarchal society of second temple Judaism, women were not regarded highly, and their testimony was looked down upon. However, the fact that women were the first to report the empty tomb and the Resurrection is significant, as it would have been more convincing to report that men had discovered the empty tomb.

Competing explanations, such as the Mythic Theory, Hallucination Theory, and Conspiracy Theory, are evaluated and found to be less plausible than the Christian explanation of the Resurrection. The Resurrection is a historical claim that can be reasonably believed based on the evidence.