Who Were the Eyewitnesses?

One of the vital jobs of the early Church was deciding, with God’s leading, which books to include in the canon—or what we know today as the New Testament. One of the requirements was apostolic authority, in other words, it had to be linked to an apostle or to someone who saw the risen Jesus and heard His teaching in person. Many New Testament writers were eyewitnesses or associates of eyewitnesses. Let’s take a closer look at the people who saw Jesus in the flesh. 

John

John was a part of Jesus’ “inner circle” of disciples, along with James and Peter. John is the author of five New Testament books: the Gospel of John, three short epistles (1, 2, and 3 John), and the book of Revelation. In his account, John writes the following: 

• “And he who has seen has testified [to the crucifixion], and his testimony is true” (John 19:35). 
  
• “This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true” (John 21:24). 
• “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).

Matthew

Matthew—a tax collector—became one of Jesus’ disciples. Matthew’s Gospel is the longest of the four, and some scholars believe it was the first to be written.

• “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he rose and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9)
  
• “The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (Matthew 10:3)

Peter 

Peter was a fisherman who became an outspoken disciple, one of Jesus’ closest friends, an apostle, and pillar of the Church who wrote two epistles, 1 and 2 Peter. Peter first confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” a truth which Jesus said was divinely revealed to Peter (Matthew 16:16-17). The apostle Peter affirms that he was an eyewitness to Jesus’s life and death:

• “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables [myths] when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). 
  
• “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1).

Luke’s Records

Luke was an associate of the apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:11). He was a well-educated physician and the only Gentile to write any part of the New Testament. Luke was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, a careful writer who recorded many geographical details. Luke states at the beginning of his Gospel that what he wrote is based on eyewitness accounts:

• “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:1–4)
  

Eyewitnesses in Acts

In the book of Acts we read the testimony of eyewitnesses: 

• “This Jesus God has raised up [to life], of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32).
  
• “But Peter and John answered … ‘For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’” (Acts 4:19–20). 
• “And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up [from the dead] on the third day, and showed Him openly.” (Acts 10:39–40).

Five Hundred Eyewitnesses of the Resurrection

The following was written in AD 55 to 56, when most of the eyewitnesses of the resurrection were still alive:

• “That he [Jesus] was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (1 Corinthians 15:4–8)
  

Hebrews Confirmed by Apostles

The writer of Hebrews was connected to the twelve apostles (Hebrews 2:3; 13:23). The Gospel is confirmed to the writer of Hebrews by the apostles: 

• “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Hebrews 2:3–4).
  

Jude, James, Mark

James was the “brother” of Jesus and an eyewitness (1 Corinthians 15:7), we can assume Jude was also a witness to the life of Jesus since Jude was listed as the brother of James (Jude 1). Mark was an associate of the apostle Peter, the author of the gospel of Mark (1 Peter 5:13), and who was an apostle and eyewitness.

For more Who Is This Man? Series resources, click here.