The next possible explanation for Easter, aside from the events happening in the way they are described in the gospel accounts is...
THE BODY OF JESUS WAS STOLEN
If the body of Jesus was stolen, there are three primary suspects... The Jewish authorities, the Roman authorities or the Disciples of Jesus.
The case against each suspect is pretty shaky.
Neither the Jews nor the Romans had reasonable motive to steal the corpse of Jesus. They wanted to STOP any suggestion that Jesus could rise from the dead, not encourage one! Both parties instructed the new followers of Jesus to stop proclaiming the events of Easter. It would have been vastly more effective displaying the corpse of Christ and killing their claims instantly. This did not happen.
Also, the results of the guards letting the body be "stolen" would be dire. Neglecting their duty would result in capital punishment. I'm not sure i would have been alright with that outcome if i was one of the poor guards!
As for the disciples, they were in no mood nor capable of snatching the body of Jesus.
They were to busy pooping their pants, cowering in guilt and fear to mount a rescue mission. If they could have fought their way through the guards you would have thought they would have put up a better fight in the Garden when Jesus was arrested!
Finally, the disciples do not act like men who conspired a great big ruse. Witnessing the resurrection of Jesus transformed these men from untrained, uneducated fishermen into preachers and resulted in each of them getting killed. You don't act this way (at least not for decades or under prolonged threat of fatal torture) if you're behind the deception of Easter.
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