Michael R. Licona

An interesting concept. In this case a little more technological as the means of presenting Paul and Muhammads' arguments is as if they are able to be there in person via some new technology but the concept as a whole, to have 2 (or a few) people from history debate one another is not original. Nonetheless, to have the Apostle Paul interact with Muhammad is valuable. Paul, is on the hot seat as it were to "prove" the resurrection of Jesus. Muhammad has the easier task of presenting an argument to cast doubt on that fact of history. As a Christian, I believe that Paul takes the day as he goes to the writings of others in history to show how the most reasonable, most likely case, is that Jesus did truly die, was buried and was then resurrected and was seen by multiple eyewitnesses. The arguments that Muhammad presents, in my opinion, were nothing more than a rehash of historic Islamic doctrine with suppositions in the place of agreed upon historical facts. His reconstruction of the events of that first Easter weekend are, to my mind, fanciful and unconvincing.
The book itself is well written and well organized in a mock discussion/debate format with a moderator and the 2 debaters. The framework device of the holographic presentation of the 2 primaries is not too obtrusive and only slightly off-putting. Nonetheless, Licona is well placed to present these arguments with his background in theology and history. Possibly the Muslim side of the debate could have been strengthened had a Muslim scholar had more input into the Islamic ways of thinking...although it appears that Licona did make use of a former Muslim's insights. Well worth reading. This book will give you food for thought.… (mere)

Michael Licona presents bedrock evidence for the resurrection with an approach that is objective, academic, tactful, and thorough in The Resurrection of Jesus. It begins with some excellent objective-thinking exercises such as transcending historical horizons, defining truth in history and understanding the burden of proof. Form there, Licona explores the numerous historical sources, both Christian and non, that preserve the resurrection accounts. Licona meticulously dissects each source with such strict criterion for authenticity and concludes with an arduously-achieved rating of how well the historical details were preserved. This investigation is proceeded by an equally rigorous series of exercises to establish historical bedrock evidence in the case of the resurrection that is accepted by both Christian and skeptic scholars. The unpacking of heavy topics such as the minimal facts and 1 Corinthians 15 creed lays the groundwork for yet another series of thorough investigations—but this time, Licona holds the microscope up to the scholars’ most popular competing hypotheses of the resurrection. A five-category assessment of each competing hypothesis is given and each are weighed against one other and ultimately against the resurrection hypothesis itself. A detailed, organized final summation of the case is given at the conclusion of the book, along with an overabundance of scholarly sources and topics for reference.

The Resurrection of Jesus simply oozes with objectivity in its approach to the subject. It is worth the investment for its exceptional collection of scholarly reference materials alone. Licona has done an outstanding job extracting the top arguments from the top scholars on both sides of the resurrection debate. No stone is left unturned, and no piece of evidence is left unaccountable to the highest standards of proof. While Licona’s seemingly harsh process of assigning a “highest-possible” rating for evidence dismisses much of what most Christians would faithfully believe to be absolute truth, the same objective process also dismisses the evidence provided in the counterarguments—almost completely—to ultimately show the vast gaps in plausibility between both sides. This book may present challenges for a non-academic audience as there is a wealth of systematic assessment practices and a multitude of arguments and sources covered in over seven hundred pages—which also sacrifices a smooth flow throughout. However, Licona does a great job summarizing each section and subsection throughout, allowing ease of reference time and time again. Also, the demand of the reading is indicative of the weightiness of the topic. It challenges anyone within their world view to properly assess the evidence behind their thinking and ultimately hold the light up to their foundational beliefs. I give this book the highest-possible rating!… (mere)

Fascinating book but not exactly what the title led me to believe. However, extremely valuable as the list of scholars who contributed are among the most credible one could find. The variety of topics is also very valuable; from philosophy, including proofs for the existence of God, to methodology, to scientific depictions of Intelligent Design to historical research into the resurrection and the reliability of Scripture, each section brings scholarly precision to bear on the relevant questions. Even the footnotes(!) are valuable and of interest. This is a kind of reference text for future use.… (mere)