No. 67 in America · Week of November 9, 2026
New Testament scholar, Houston Christian University
Michael Licona is a New Testament scholar who specializes in the resurrection of Jesus.
Photo: John Patrick Wright, CC BY-SA 3.0
Score breakdown
Nine parts, measured fresh each week. This is where Michael Licona's points came from, and the evidence behind each one.
Debate record
Has debated the resurrection of Jesus with skeptics and scholars, Bart Ehrman more than once.
Licona is Professor of New Testament Studies at Houston Christian University and directs Risen Jesus, Inc.
His research focuses on the resurrection and on reading the Gospels as Greco-Roman biographies.
On the record
2010
2010
Formal debate
Against Richard Carrier · Washburn University
Licona argued that his resurrection hypothesis met three of the four criteria for the best explanation and did not fail the fourth.
2009
April 2009
Formal debate
Against Bart Ehrman · Southern Evangelical Seminary
Licona argued that historians can conclude Jesus rose from the dead; Ehrman argued that a miracle can never be the most probable historical explanation.
2004
April 19, 2004
Formal debate
Against Richard Carrier · UCLA
Moderated by S. Scott Bartchy. Licona made the historical case for the resurrection; reviewers on each side scored it for their own.
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