Ok thanks for the response. One thing about your grave robber hypothesis, going by the methods of other recorded crucifixions, the one executed was stripped of all possessions and would be interred without any valuables. Being that a contingent of roman guards was placed at the tomb, I would question what possible motivation a robber would have in risking death for no reward. It's true that given the time period there is no way to cross examine the witnesses, so we're left with only the documentation. As for the final point, after a certain point this is very true, after all witnesses were dead it became legend and self propagated. But what of the very first century of its growth? Where it's opponents could have easily stamped it out? The fact that there are records of most of the original apostles executions for staying by their testimony? Surely this at least attests to the fact that they truly believed what they said, and rules them out as suspects for stealing the body themselves? Thanks for the back and forth, very engaging.