There is a historical argument to be made. I will post a video that outlines these points and though he is a historian and the world's leading New Testament scholar with 9 PhDs and 100+ books on the matter I am only appealing to his credibility, not colluding with the fallacy of authority.
We know from historic texts that Jesus was a real person and was put to death via crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. The issue that is at hand is his resurrection. Let me highlight a few points that I think are significant.

1. The first witnesses of the risen Jesus were women. Now this is a profound thing in time when women were not educated and who's testimonies were not accepted even in court procedures. Yet, this account is accepted and placed in the story of the gospels. So I pose the question, why was their testimony accepted? Why, if you were setting out to fabricate a story, would you build it upon a foundation that would be seen as foolishness of women in a graveyard? I submit that it is because the event overcame the tradition/ culture. It actually is what happened.
2. There are no other examples of this happening. Matter of fact, prophets and teachers throughout the Israelite history had been killed, yet none were raised up. Why now?
3. If the body of Jesus was still there the ideas of his resurrection would have been crushed. Bone boxes were kept by the Jews at the time, because the idea of a resurrection of all their people. If a rumor such as Jesus rising from the grave would have popped up these, being the most convicted in their faith, would have denounced it and said - No, we have the box right here. This doesn't happen. What does happen is the widespread belief and then martyrdom in this event. The "gospel" or good news - news meaning that something took place in which the world is a different place - spread and transformed the world.

If you have time I would really like you to watch this video:

The arguments should be able to stand on their own.