Decisions: A discussion between Bart Ehrman & Mike Licona

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Updated 12 October 2016

Education

  • Ph.D. in New Testament Studies, University of Pretoria (2009), completed with distinction and the highest mark (External Reader: Richard Hays, Duke; dissertation published by IVP Academic, 2010)
  • M.A. in Religious Studies, Liberty University (2000)
  • M.A. in Applied Music, Liberty University (1983)

Positions Held

  • Associate Professor of Theology, Houston Baptist University (August 2012— Present)
  • Extraordinary Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, South Africa (Potchefstroom Campus) (January 2014—Present)
  • External Research Collaborator, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, South Africa (Potchefstroom Campus) (December 2010—December 2013)
  • Research Professor of New Testament, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte, NC (June 2009—October 2011)
  • Apologetics Coordinator, North American Mission Board (Jan. 1, 2005—Dec. 31, 2011)

Professional Memberships

  • Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas
  • Society of Biblical Literature
  • Institute for Biblical Research
  • Evangelical Theological Society / Evangelical Philosophical Society

Media (Guest)

  • Nationally Syndicated Radio Programs
    • The Current with Anna Maria Tremonti (Canada)
    • Truths That Transform with D. James Kennedy (four times)
    • Janet Parshall (five times)
    • Janet Mefford (three times)
    • For Faith and Family with Richard Land
    • Sound Rezn with Alex McFarland (three times)
    • The Bible Answer Man with Hank Hanegraaf (twice)
  • Dozens of other radio programs
  • Nationally Syndicated Television Programs
    • Faith Under Fire
    • Day of Discovery
    • Coral Ridge Hour
  • Major Media Interviews by Newsweek, The Washington Post, USA Today,
    The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Christianity Today, Outreach
  • Interviewed and appears in The Case for Christ (DVD) by Lee Strobel (2007)

Publications

Books

Essays/Chapters in Books

  • Forthcoming essay, “Viewing the Gospels as Ancient Biographies Resolves Many Perceived Contradictions.” Pages 319-24 in Biographies and Jesus: What Does It Mean for the Gospels to be Biographies? Craig S. Keener and Edward T. Wright, eds. (Lexington, KY: Emeth Press, 2016).
  • Forthcoming essay, “Compositional Techniques Within Plutarch and the Gospel Tradition” in Christian Origins and the Establishment of the Early Jesus Movement (ECHC 4), Stanley E. Porter and Andrew W. Pitts, eds. (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2016 projected).
  • Forthcoming essay, “It Depends on What You Mean by the Term ‘Historically Reliable’” in a volume by Robert B. Stewart, ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017 projected).
  • “An Assessment of the Present State of Historical Jesus Research” in A New Kind of Apologist, Sean McDowell, ed. (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2016), 175-81.
  • “A New Starting Point in Historical Jesus Research: The Easter Event” in The Quest for the Real Jesus, Jan van der Watt, ed. (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2013), 99-127.
  • “Fish Tales: Bart Ehrman’s Red Herrings & the Resurrection of Jesus” in Come Let Us Reason: New Essays in Christian Apologetics, Paul Copan and William Lane Craig, eds. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2012), 137-50.
  • “Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?” and “What are the Crucial Differences between Muhammad and Jesus” in the Apologetics Study Bible for Students (Nashville: B&H, 2010).
  • “Paul on the Nature of the Resurrection Body” in Buried Hope or Risen Savior: The Search for the Jesus Tomb, Charles L. Quarles, ed. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2008), 177-198.
  • “Crucifixion of Christ” in The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics: Surveying the Evidence for the Truth of Christianity, Ed Hinson and Ergun Caner, eds. (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2008), 118-121.
  • *Interviewed by Lee Strobel in The Case for the Real Jesus (2007)
  • “The Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection” in The Big Argument: Twenty-Four Scholars Explore How Science, Archaeology, and Philosophy Have Proven the Existence of God, Ashton, John F. and Michael Westacott, eds. (Sydney, Australia: Strand, 2005), 428-448.

Journal Articles

  • “Is the Sky Falling in the World of Historical Jesus Research?” in Bulletin for Biblical Research3 (Fall-Winter 2016).
  • “What are the Primary Sources for Jesus’s Resurrection” in The City: Resurrection 9:1 (Spring 2016), 23-30.
  • “What Jesus’ Enemies Said About Him” in The City: Jesus and His Enemies1 (Summer 2015), 92-100.
  • “Historians and Miracle Claims” in Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 12 (2014), 106-129.
  • “In Reply to Habermas, McGrew, and McCullagh” in Southeastern Theological Review 1 (2012), 55-69.
  • “A Roundtable Discussion with Michael Licona on The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Danny Akin, Craig Blomberg, Paul Copan, Michael Kruger, Michael Licona, and Charles Quarles)” in Southeastern Theological Review 1 (2012), 71-98.
  • “Did Jesus Predict His Death and Vindication/Resurrection?” in Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 1 (2010), 47-66.
  • “Historians and miracles – the principle of analogy and antecedent probability reconsidered” with Jan G. van der Watt in Hervormde Theological Studies 1 (2009).
  • “The adjudication of miracles: Rethinking the criteria of historicity” with Jan G. van der Watt in Hervormde Theological Studies 2 (2009).
  • “Using the Death of Jesus to Refute Islam” in Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics 1 (2009), 87-110.
  • “Proof of the Resurrection” in Decision (November, 2007).
  • “Making a Case for the Resurrection at 36,000 Feet” in Christian Research Journal 29:5 (2006).

Book Reviews

  • An Overview of Perplexing Matters Related to Jesus’ Resurrection. A review of Lidija Novakovic, Resurrection: A Guide for the Perplexed in The Expository Times (forthcoming).
  • Why Resurrection (When There Is A Better Way)? A review of Carlos Blanco, Why Resurrection? An Introduction to the Belief in the Afterlife in Judaism and Christianity in The Expository Times, Volume 124, Number 4, January 2013, 191.
  • The Reliability of the New Testament: Bart Ehrman and Daniel Wallace in Dialogue by Robert B. Stewart, ed. (Review of Biblical Literature [RBL], August 12, 2011).
  • Revisiting the Empty Tomb: The Early History of Easter by Daniel A. Smith (RBL, December 15, 2010).
  • The Resurrection: History and Myth by Geza Vermes (RBL, July 5, 2008).
  • The Empty Tomb Tradition of Mark: Text, History, and Theological Struggles by Mark W. Waterman (RBL, March 31, 2007).
  • Lo, I Tell You a Mystery: Cross, Resurrection, and Paranesis in the Rhetoric of
    1 Corinthians     by David A. Ackerman (RBL, September 16, 2006).
  • The Resurrection of Jesus: John Dominic Crossan and N. T. Wright in Dialogue by Robert B. Stewart, ed. (RBL, September 9, 2006).
  • Resurrecting Jesus: The Earliest Christian Tradition and Its Interpreters by Dale C. Allison (RBL, August 12, 2006).
  • Text and History: Historiography and the Study of the Biblical Text by Jens Bruun Kofoed (RBL, February 18, 2006).
  • Exegetical Essays on the Resurrection of the Dead by Samuel M. Frost (RBL, November 5, 2005).
  • Historiography and Hermeneutics in Jesus Studies: An Examination of the Work of John Dominic Crossan and Ben F. Meyer by Donald L. Denton (RBL, June 11, 2005).
  • The Resurrection of the Son of God by N. T. Wright (RBL, June 19, 2004).

Papers Read

  • “Response to Darrell Bock, Craig Blomberg, and Mark Strauss,” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 15, 2016 in San Antonio, TX. This and the panel discussion that followed were parts of a three-hour session on my OUP book.
  • “Synthetic Chronological Placement in Ancient Biography,” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 18, 2015 in Atlanta, GA.
  • “A Critical Review of Reading the Gospels Wisely by Jonathan Pennington” delivered as part of a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 19, 2014 in San Diego, CA.
  • “Viewing the Gospels as Ancient Biographies Resolves Many Perceived Contradictions (Part 2),” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 21, 2013 in Baltimore, MD.
  • “Is it Appropriate for Biblical Scholars to Speak of Supernatural Causation?” Delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 19, 2013 in Baltimore, MD.
  • “Did Jesus Claim to be God in Some Sense?” Delivered at North-West University (Potchefstroom, SA) on August 20, 2013.
  • “Viewing the Gospels as Ancient Biographies Resolves Many Perceived Contradictions (Part 2),” delivered at Stellenbosch University on August 16, 2013.
  • “Viewing the Gospels as Ancient Biographies Resolves Many Perceived Contradictions,” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society on November 15, 2012 in Milwaukee, WI.
  • “When the Saints Go Marching In: Historicity, Apocalyptic Symbol, and Biblical Inerrancy,” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society on November 17, 2011 in San Francisco, CA.
  • “The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach,” delivered at the Evangelical Philosophical Society on November 18, 2010 in Atlanta, GA.
  • “What are Historians to do with Miracle Claims,” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society on November 14, 2007 in San Diego, CA.
  • “The Risen Jesus: Casper or Corporeal,” delivered at the International Society of Christian Apologists on June 1, 2007 in Kansas City, MO.

Debates/Dialogues

  • Matthew McCormick (Atheist Philosophy Professor at Sacramento State University), “Does the Historical Evidence Justify Belief that Jesus Rose from the Dead?” (September 15, 2016)
  • Bart Ehrman (UNC-Chapel Hill), “Are the Gospels Historically Reliable Accounts of Jesus?” (February-May 2016, a written debate appearing on TheBestSchools.com).
  • Shabir Ally (Muslim), “Jesus: Resurrected or Rescued?” at University of Tennessee (Chattanooga) (April 1, 2016)
  • Evan Fales (Atheist, University of Iowa), “Can historians investigate miracle claims” and “Did Jesus rise from the dead” at University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN (June 24, 2014)”
  • Dale Martin (Yale University), “Did Jesus Believe He was Divine?” at Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada (October 19, 2012)
  • Dale Martin (Yale University), “Did Jesus Rise Physically from the Dead?” at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (October 18, 2012)
  • Greg Cavin (Agnostic, Cypress College), “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” at Antioch Church (July 1, 2012)
  • Shane Puckett (Agnostic, Louisiana Tech University), “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” at West Monroe Baptist Church (January, 2012)
  • Abel Pienaar (Agnostic) at University of Pretoria, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (September, 2011)
  • Yusuf Ismail (Muslim) at North-West University (Potchefstroom), “Crucifixion or Cruci-fiction: Analysing the 1st Century Fate of Jesus” (September, 2011)
  • Bart Ehrman (UNC, Chapel Hill) on Unbelievable? “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (April 23, 2011)
  • Sakkie Spangenberg (Univ. of South Africa) and Hansie Wolmarans (Univ. of Johannesburg) at University of Pretoria, “How are we to understand the resurrection narratives.” This was a 2-on-2 debate with William Lane Craig (May, 2010).
  • Pieter Craffert (Univ. of South Africa) at University of Johannesburg, “Did Jesus Rise Physically from the Dead?” (May, 2010)
  • Stephen Patterson (Jesus Seminar) at Florida State University, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (March, 2010)
  • Richard Carrier at Washburn University, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (February, 2010)
  • Bart Ehrman (UNC, Chapel Hill) at Southern Evangelical Seminary, “Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead?” (April, 2009)
  • Bart Ehrman (UNC, Chapel Hill) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, “Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead?” (February, 2008)
  • Ali Ataie at the University of California (Davis), “What was the First Century Fate of Jesus?” (November, 2006)
  • Steve Yothment at the University of Georgia, “Resolution: God Created Man” (March, 2006)
  • Elaine Pagels (Princeton Univ.) on Ron Insana Show, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (April, 2005)
  • Elaine Pagels (Princeton Univ.) on Faith Under Fire, “The Gospel of Thomas” (February, 2005)
  • Shabir Ally on Faith Under Fire, “Who was Jesus: Divine or Prophet?” (November, 2004)
  • Richard Carrier at UCLA, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (April, 2004)
  • Shabir Ally at Regent University, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (March, 2004)
  • Dan Barker at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” (April, 2003)

Colloquiums

  • Viewing the Gospels as Ancient Biographies Resolves Many Perceived Contradictions (Houston Baptist University; February 21, 2013)
  • Are there contradictions in the Gospels? (University of South Africa; May 2010)

Adjunct Teaching

  • Biola University (June 2011-2013)
  • Luther Rice Seminary (January, 2010)
  • Southern Evangelical Seminary (June 2009-October 2011)

University Lectures

Acadia Divinity College; Arkansas Tech University, Asbury University, Baptist College of Florida; California Baptist University; Clemson University; College of William & Mary; Cornell University; Dallas Baptist University; DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine; Dominican University of California; Drexel University; Duke Divinity School; East Central University (Oklahoma); Eastern Virginia Medical School; Faith Bible College; Florida State University; Furman University; Gordon-Conwell Seminary; Grace College; Houston Baptist University; Indiana University Southeast; Kennesaw State University; Lenoir-Rhyne University; Liberty University; Luther Rice University/Seminary; Marshall University; Maui Community College; Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Mississippi College; MIT; Morehead State University; Morgan State University; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary; North Caroline State University; North Georgia College & State University; North-West University (Potchefstroom, South Africa); Ohio State University; Old Dominion University; Regent University; Rowan University; Rutgers (Camden); Sacramento State University; Saint Mary’s University; Saint Leo University; Sam Houston State University; San Jose State University; Shorter College; Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Stellenbosch University; Stephen F. Austin State University; Temple University; Tennessee Tech; Texas A&M (Corpus Christi); Texas A&M (Kingsville); Texas Tech University; Tidewater Community College; Toccoa Falls College; Truitt-McConnell College; University of Alabama (Birmingham, Huntsville); University of Baltimore Law School; University of Buffalo; University of California (Davis); UCLA; University of Central Arkansas; University of Central Florida; University of Georgia; University of Hawaii (Hilo, Manoa); University of Johannesburg; University of Louisiana (Lafayette); University of Louisville; University of Massachusetts (Lowell); University of Nebraska (Kearney); University of North Carolina (Asheville); University of Oregon; University of Pretoria; University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma; University of South Africa; University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN); University of Tennessee (Chattanooga); University of Texas (Austin); University of Texas (Arlington); University of Texas (Pan American); University of Virginia; University of Wisconsin (Madison); Washburn University; Wayland Baptist University; West Chester University; Western Kentucky University; Widener University

Awards

  • Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary 2010 “Alumnus of the Year”
  • Christianity Today 2005 Award of Merit (i.e., Second Place, Book of the Year in Apologetics) for The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus
  • New Life Black Belt Academy 1987 “Instructor of the Year”