The “Minimal Facts” approach, developed by Gary Habermas and expanded with Michael Licona in The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, identifies a handful of historical claims about Jesus that meet two criteria:

• They are supported by strong historical evidence.
• They are accepted by the majority of scholars writing on the subject, including many who are not Christians.

The standard list is:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
   Jesus of Nazareth was executed under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.
2. Jesus’ disciples believed that he rose and appeared to them.
   They were convinced they had real post-mortem encounters with him.
3. The church persecutor Paul was suddenly changed.
   Saul of Tarsus, once an enemy of the early Christian movement, became its leading missionary after what he described as a resurrection appearance.
4. The skeptic James, the brother of Jesus, was suddenly changed.
   Initially an unbeliever, James became the leader of the Jerusalem church following what he took to be an encounter with the risen Jesus.
5. The empty tomb (the “+1”).
   Many scholars accept that Jesus’ tomb was found empty by women followers, though this point is debated more than the four above.

There is broad scholarly agreement on these core facts. The resurrection of Jesus best explains them, as competing theories such as hallucination or conspiracy quickly collapse under scrutiny. Objections usually arise not from the evidence itself but from worldview assumptions that rule out the possibility of God and miracles in advance.

How this site helps: This website lets readers explore the supporting evidence directly. By clicking through an interactive tree structure, users can locate early sources that testify to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The layout reflects the approach in The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, with some additions — for example, sources cited for the burial connect naturally to the resurrection claims, which themselves imply the discovery of the empty tomb.