Decisions: A discussion between Bart Ehrman & Mike Licona

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Updated February 20, 2025

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

  • Professor of New Testament Studies, Houston Christian University (Formerly Houston Baptist University) (May 2023 – Present)
  • Associate Professor of Theology, Houston Baptist University
    (August 2012— May 2023)
  • 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)
  • Director of Apologetics & Interfaith Evangelism, 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

Publications

Books

  • Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2024)
  • Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, Essays in Honor of Gary R. Habermas (co-edited with W. David Beck, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020)
  • Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017)
  • The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, November 2010). Also available in Spanish and Korean and in audio form (English).
  • Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science (co-edited with William A. Dembski, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010). Also available in Korean.
  • Paul Meets Muhammad (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006). Also available in Spanish and French.
  • The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (with co-author Gary Habermas, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2004). Recipient of Christianity Today’s “Award of Merit” (i.e., second place for “Book of the Year”) in Apologetics. Also available in Indonesian.

Essays/Chapters in Books

  • “Did Jesus Think He Was God?” in Chris Tilling and Darren Sumner, eds. T&T Clark Companion to Christology (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2025, projected).
  • “Resurrection” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 2nd Edition, Scot McKnight, Lynn Cohick, Nijay Gupta, eds. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2023).
  • “Habermas, Gary R” in Douglas Geivette, ed. Dictionary of Christian Apologists and Their Critics(Hokoken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2025, projected).
  • “The Primacy of Paul in Discussions on Jesus’s Resurrection” in Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, W. David Beck and Michael R. Licona, eds. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020), 289-313.
  • “Jesus’s Resurrection, Realism, and the Role of the Criteria of Authenticity” in Darrell Bock and Ed Komoszewski, eds. Jesus, Skepticism, and the Problem of History: Criteria and Context in the Study of Christian Origins (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2019).
  • “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, 2018), 134-48.
  • “Viewing the Gospels as Ancient Biographies Resolves Many Perceived Contradictions,” pp. 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).
  • “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.
  • “Can We Be Certain That Jesus Died on a Cross? A Look at the Ancient Practice of Crucifixion” in Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science, William A. Dembski and Michael R. Licona, eds., Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010.
  • “Were the Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Hallucinations?” in Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science, William A. Dembski and Michael R. Licona, eds., Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010.
  • “Is Jesus the Only Way?” in Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science, William A. Dembski and Michael R. Licona, eds., Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010.
  • “What About Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel?” in Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy, and Science, William A. Dembski and Michael R. Licona, eds., Grand Rapids: Baker, 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 In Defense of Jesus: Investigating Attacks on the Identity of Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016).
  • “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

  • “Are the Gospels ‘Historically Reliable’? A Focused Comparison of Suetonius’s Life of Augustus and the Gospel of Mark” in Religions2019, 10, 148. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/32yOFO1.
  • “Is the Sky Falling in the World of Historical Jesus Research?” in Bulletin for Biblical Research3 (Fall-Winter 2016), 353-68. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/433HnSU.
  • “What are the Primary Sources for Jesus’s Resurrection” in The City: Resurrection 9:1 (Spring 2016), 23-30. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3xbpgIs.
  • “What Jesus’ Enemies Said About Him” in The City: Jesus and His Enemies1 (Summer 2015), 94-102. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3gun8We.
  • “Historians and Miracle Claims” in Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 12 (2014), 106-129. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3enaVAd.
  • “In Reply to Habermas, McGrew, and McCullagh” in Southeastern Theological Review 1 (2012), 55-69. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3svQbel
  • “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. This article may be viewed online at https://bit.ly/3svQbel.
  • “Did Jesus Predict His Death and Vindication/Resurrection?” in Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 1 (2010), 47-66.
  • “The adjudication of miracles: Rethinking the criteria of historicity” with Jan G. van der Watt in Hervormde Theological Studies 2 (2009). This article may be viewed online athttps://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/130/222.
  • “Historians and miracles – the principle of analogy and antecedent probability reconsidered” with Jan G. van der Watt in Hervormde Theological Studies 1 (2009). This article may be viewed online at https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/129/220.

Book Reviews

  • A review of Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony, Second Edition in The Journal of Theological Studies, Volume 70, Issue 1, 1 April 2019, Pages 369–371.
  • An Overview of Perplexing Matters Related to Jesus’ Resurrection. A review of Lidija Novakovic, Resurrection: A Guide for the Perplexed in The Expository Times 3, December 2016, 149-50.
  • 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

  • “The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy Needs a Facelift” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 16, 2023 in San Antonio, TX.
  • “Harmonization or Compositional Devices: Which is better for understanding Gospel differences?” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 21, 2019 in San Diego, CA.
  • “Compositional Devices in Ancient Biography: Reading Gospel Differences in View of Compositional Devices vs. Harmonization” delivered at the annual meeting of the Institute of Biblical Research on November 16, 2018 in Denver, CO.
  • “What Do We Mean By The Term ‘Historically Reliable’? A Proposal of Definition and Criteria,” delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society on November 13, 2018 in Denver, CO.
  • “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. 

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)

Professional Debates/Dialogues

  1. Larry Shapiro (atheist) (March 11, 2024), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Online Event
  2. Ehrman, Bart (atheist) (April 9, 2022), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Online Event
  3. MacDonald, Dennis (atheist) (October 4, 2021), How Should We Understand the Resurrection of Jesus? Washburn University.
  4. Robinson, Laura (July 9, 2020), Jesus, Historians, and Miracles. Online Event moderated by Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity.
  5. Howe, Richard (evangelical Christian) (October 11, 2019), Is the Bible Inerrant? National Conference on Christian Apologetics (Charlotte, NC).
  6. Nielsen, Jesper Tang (November 9, 2018), Are the Gospels Historically Reliable?, University of Copenhagen.
  7. Larsen, Kasper Bro (November 7, 2018), Are the Gospels Historically Reliable?, Aarhus University.
  8. Crossan, John Dominic (Jesus Seminar) (October 24, 2018), Who is the Historical Jesus?, Kennesaw State University.
  9. Shapiro, Larry (atheist) (February 22, 2018), Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?, University of Findlay.
  10. Ehrman, Bart (atheist) (February 21, 2018), Are the Gospels Historically Reliable?, Kennesaw State University.
  11. Friesen, Courtney (January 29, 2018), Are Christian Claims Verifiable & Does It Matter?, University of Arizona (Tuscon).
  12. Shapiro, Larry (atheist) (February 26, 2017), Resurrected or Reimagined?, Ohio State University.
  13. Dillahunty, Matt (atheist) (February 25, 2017), Did Jesus Rise From the Dead?, Austin Baptist Church (Austin, TX ).
  14. McCormick, Matthew (atheist) (September 14, 2016), Jesus’ Resurrection: History or Mistake?, Sacramento State University.
  15. Ally, Shabir (Muslim) (April 1, 2016), Jesus: Resurrected or Rescued?, University of Tennessee Chattanooga.
  16. Ehrman, Bart (atheist) (2016), Are the Gospels Historically Reliable Accounts of Jesus., The Best Schools.org.
  17. Fales, Evan (atheist) (2014-06-24), Can historians investigate miracle claims?, St. Paul, MN: University of St. Thomas, and Did Jesus rise from the dead?.
  18. Martin, Dale (October 19, 2012), Did Jesus Think He was Divine?, Acadia Divinity College.
  19. Martin, Dale (October 18, 2012), Did Jesus Rise Physically from the Dead?, Saint Mary’s University.
  20. Cavin, Greg (atheist) (Jul 2012), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Antioch Church.
  21. Puckett, Shane (Agnostic) (Jan 2012), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, West Monroe Baptist Church.
  22. Ismail, Yusuf (Muslim) (Sept 2011), What was the 1st century fate of Jesus, ZA: University of Potchefstroom.
  23. Piennar, Abel (Sept 2011), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, ZA: University of Pretoria
  24. Wolmarans, Hansi and, Spangenbergi, Sakki (2010), 2 on 2 debate with William Lane Craig, ZA: University of Pretoria
  25. Craffert, Peter (May 2010), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, ZA: University of Johannesburg
  26. Patterson, Stephen (Jesus Seminar) (Mar 2010), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Florida State University.
  27. Carrier, Richard (Atheist) (Feb 2010), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Washburn University.
  28. Ehrman, Bart (Agnostic) (April 2009), Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead?, Southern Evangelical Seminary.
  29. Ehrman, Bart (Agnostic) (February 2008), Can Historians Prove that Jesus Rose from the Dead?, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
  30. Ataie, Ali (Muslim) (November 2006), What was the First Century Fate of Jesus?, University of California (Davis)
  31. Yothment, Steve (Atheist) (March 2006), Resolution: God Created Man, University of Georgia
  32. Pagels, Elaine (April 2005), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Ron Insana Show
  33. Pagels, Elaine (Feb 2005), “The Gospel of Thomas”, Faith Under Fire
  34. Ally, Shabir (Muslim) (Nov2004),”Who was Jesus: Divine or Prophet?”, Faith Under Fire
  35. Carrier, Richard (Atheist) (Apr2004), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?,UCLA
  36. Ally, Shabir (Muslim) (Mar2004), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Regent University
  37. Barker, Dan (Atheist) (Apr2003), Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Madison: The University of Wisconsin

Adjunct Teaching

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

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

Website

Social Media

  • YouTube (English): @MikeLiconaOfficial
  • YouTube (Spanish): https://bit.ly/3zWfZVC
  • X: @DrMikeLicona
  • Facebook: @DrMikeLicona
  • Instagram: @drmikelicona
  • Tik Tok: @mikelicona3