SHERM Vol. 4, No. 2
Since 2004, Gary Habermas has referenced his resurrection bibliography. Frequently, Habermas and Christian apologists assert that the scholarly consensus is that writers support the resurrection: a solid majority (about 75%) of scholars who have published books or articles on Jesus’ resurrection accept the historicity of the empty tomb. However, Habermas has not presented supporting evidence for the past twenty years. This article collects and presents factual data and information about the authors of nonjuvenile, English-language texts, at least forty-eight pages written during the past 500 years on Jesus’ resurrection. Significant categories of data investigated include (1) degree(s) earned and level of education, (2) occupation and interests, and (3) religion or denomination. Approximately 775 books (including six double-counted debates) were surveyed, with 713 pros and 62 contras. Pro authors were 610 and forty-six contras. The data substantiates and expands the earlier report by Alter and Slade. This article provides evidence that a remarkably high proportion of the English-language books written about Jesus’ resurrection were by members of the clergy or people linked to seminaries and those having a professional and personal interest in the subject matter.
About the Author
Michael J. Alter taught in the Miami-Dade County Public School System for over forty years. He published The Name Israel (2023) and A Thematic Access-Oriented Bibliography of Jesus’s Resurrection with Resource Publications (2020). His 602-page text identified approximately 7,000 English-language sources from books on that subject. Five years earlier, he penned The Resurrection: A Critical Inquiry (2015) and has assisted in editing several other texts. Alter has also published with Jason Aronson, Why the Torah Begins with the Letter Beit (1998) and What Is The Purpose Of Creation? A Jewish Anthology (1991). Both books were the main selection of “The Jewish Book Club.” Forthcoming is The Resurrection and Its Apologetics: Jesus’ Death and Burial.