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By Dr. Michael R. Licona Originally published in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, Volume 8 (2010), pp. 1–20. Did Jesus know that he was going to die? More importantly, did he predict that God would raise him from the dead? The Gospels record several occasions when Jesus foretold his suffering, death, and resurrection. But historians have long debated whether these predictions originated with Jesus himself or were attributed to him by his followers after East

What ancient Roman biographies can teach us about the Gospel of Mark By Dr. Michael R. Licona Originally published in Religions (2019), Volume 10, Article 148. Can we trust the Gospels as historical accounts? And should we evaluate them using the same standards we apply to modern history? In this academic study, Dr. Michael Licona approaches these questions by comparing two ancient biographies: Suetonius's Life of Augustus and the New Testament's Gospel of Mark. Understanding

Michael R. Licona and Jan G. van der Watt HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, Volume 65, Issue 1 (2009), Article #129 Abstract Most Biblical scholars and historians hold that the investigation of a miracle report lies outside of the rights of historians acting within their professional capacity. In this article, I challenge this assertion and argue to the contrary: Historians are within their professional rights to investigate miracle claims and to adjudicate on the h

Michael R. Licona and Jan G. van der Watt HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, Vol. 65, No. 1 (2009) Abstract This is the second article in a series of two that discusses whether historians are within their professional rights to investigate miracle claims. In the first, I made a positive case that they are and then proceeded to examine two major arguments in support of a negative verdict to the issue: the principle of analogy and antecedent probability. I argued that

By Dr. Michael R. Licona Originally published in the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, Volume 12 (2014), pp. 106–129. Can historians investigate claims of miracles, or must such events be excluded from historical study? Many biblical scholars and historians maintain that miracle claims fall outside the boundaries of professional historical investigation. Under this approach, historians may examine what people believed they experienced, but they cannot determine w

The 2012 summer issue of the Southeastern Theological Review includes a roundtable discussion on the interpretation of Matthew’s raised...

At the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, I read a paper titled The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy...

Historians of Jesus have very often made use of the criteria of authenticity. That is, they grant more weight to those reported items...

Statement Regarding RZIM Senior Leadership Team Members Michael Ramsden, Sarah (Davis) Phillips [1] and Abdu Murray November 9, 2022 On...

A number of you have asked me to respond to Lydia McGrew’s lengthy critique of my book Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? What We Can Learn From Ancient Biography. Now that I’ve been able to complete some of my projects, I’ve had time to read McGrew’s book and will now respond. To begin, I want to explain what led me to the approach I’ve adopted. In the latter half of the 20th century, Read below.

Christian apologist Jonathan McLatchie recently sparked some controversy when on Facebook he posted a thread saying, “Modern Biblical scholarship is in dire need of a reformation. Case in point [McLatchie provides a link to a video conversation between agnostic New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman and Christian New Testament scholar Craig Evans].” In the video, Ehrman asks Evans if he thinks Jesus actually uttered the “I am . . .” statements in John’s Gospel. Evans answered that

August 22, 2016; Revised August 23, 2016 My next book is scheduled for release this December: Why Are There Differences in the Gospels:...

Bart D. Ehrman, Forged: Writing in the Name of God—Why The Bible's Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are (San Francisco: HarperOne,...

This is a recent attempt by the hyperskeptical community to advance the thesis that Jesus never existed. In this review, Mike Licona...

Acharya S is a skeptic with an interest in mythology who has written a book entitled The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold....

The Qur'an asserts that Jesus never died. If he did not die, his death could not atone for sins and there could be no resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In this article, Mike argues that Jesus' death provides a strong defeater of Islam. Using the Death of Jesus to Refute Islam Michael R. Licona (June 24, 2010) This article originally appeared in JISCA 2.1, pp. 87-110. Reprinted with permission. Prior to 9/11, few Americans thought about Islam. Since then, Muslims have mad

This is the paper I delivered at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society in San Francisco. This paper addresses the present controversy stated by Norman Geisler pertaining to the saints raised at Jesus’ death in Matthew 27:52-53. Read Below.

Michael Licona, Ph.D. One of my idiosyncrasies is that I'm a perpetual second-guesser. I seem to question just about everything. I don't want to make a bad decision, even in some very insignificant matters. So, it just makes sense that I often have doubts pertaining to decisions in significant matters. It's not an intentional exercise. In fact, it's downright frustrating to me. But it's the way I'm wired. As a result, I've doubted the truth of my Christian faith many times; s

Mike Licona (June 2, 2014) Many of us have had the driving experience of moving along peacefully when we become startled by the sudden...

On April 9, 2006 National Geographic unveiled The Gospel of Judas. Here are a few succinct thoughts from Mike. This past April, the...