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Academic Alert IVP Academic’S Book Bulletin for Professors • Volume 19 • Number 3 • Winter 2011

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Academic Alert IVP Academic’S Book Bulletin for Professors • Volume 19 • Number 3 • Winter 2011 ACADEMIC ALERT IVP Academic’s Book Bulletin for Professors • Volume 19 • Number 3 • Winter 2011 Inside Historiography of a Miracle Michael R. Licona’s The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach 4 | New & Noteworthy takes biblical scholarship to a whole new level of historical accountability. The challenge of Jesus now comes with a DVD, Richard Mouw asks evangelicals to We knew we just had to weighing hypotheses. So, I was curious how behave, and after twenty have an Alert interview an approach to the question of Jesus’ resur- years, Darwin is still on trial. with Mike Licona and rection would look if conducted by a profes- get him to talk about sional historian outside of the community 5 | Views of Salvation this book. He was happy of biblical scholars who had been trained in to oblige. these matters. How would it differ and what Brenda Colijn models a more kaleidoscopic vision of Reid: This was a huge would the results be? soteriology. project. What got you Reid: Some will ask, “If I have Tom Wright’s Mike Licona started on it? 800-page Resurrection of the Son of God, why do Licona: The resur- I need another big book on this topic?” 7 | Ante-Reformers rection of Jesus is a significant topic of dis- Licona: Wright’s major contribution in New collection sheds light on cussion among scholars. Most of these are Resurrection of the Son of God was to inform us the contributions of early and biblical scholars and a few philosophers. of the various views of the afterlife held by medieval theologians to Christian orthodoxy. However, the large majority of them have the ancients. He also is one of the few bibli- never had a single course on the philosophy cal scholars who demonstrates an informed of history or historical method pertaining to approach to historiography. Where I believe continued on page 2 Annual Meetings It’s conference season For God and the Emperor again, and we at IVP are eagerly awaiting AAR, Upon the release of Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of ETS and SBL. We hope to Christendom, we suspect that Peter Leithart is making a career out of thwarting convention. see you there: So here’s the dare: read part, the reason for the book is to set the his- The American Academy of Religion Annual this interview and resist torical record straighter. Constantine is slan- Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the urge to buy and read dered by many believers today, and I wanted Oct. 30–Nov. 1, 2010. the book (and so put to offer a more balanced portrait of his life The Evangelical yourself outside the con- and achievements, without white-washing his Theological Society versation it will stir up). flaws and sins. More importantly, the histori- Annual Meeting on As William Cavanaugh cal stories we tell contribute a great deal to “Justification by Faith” in says about this book, our theology and practice as Christians, so a Atlanta, GA, Nov. 17-19, Peter Leithart 2010. Plenary speakers “Any worthwhile politi- distorted view of Constantine and the civili- will include N. T. Wright, cal theology today can- zation that followed him is bound to produce Thomas Schreiner and not fail to take Leithart’s argument seriously.” distortions elsewhere. One place where the Frank Thielman. Reid: Your book is titled Defending “Constantinian question” will have tremen- The Society of Biblical Constantine. Many folks would say, “That’s just dous future import is among the emerging Literature Annual not done!” What led you to write this book? churches in Asia, Africa and South America. Meeting in Atlanta, GA, Leithart: Christians, including many well- Philip Jenkins has written that churches in Nov. 20-23, 2010. educated theologians, are mired in nine- the Southern Hemisphere are experimenting teenth-century prejudices about Constantine with political forms that may constitute the that most historians long ago abandoned. In “next Christendom.” If that’s true, then it’s continued on page 3 ACADEMIC ALERT • 2 Licona, continued from page 1 my book differs is that I devote far more many of them down the path of post- of an event when a hypothesis is “quite attention to a detailed discussion of modernism. What’s funny is that these certain” to “very certain.” A hypothesis matters pertaining to the philosophy of biblical scholars see their approaches as may be regarded as “very certain” if it history and historical method, including groundbreaking while being unaware fulfills all five criteria for an argument to the important topic of whether histori- that debates have been raging for dec- the best explanation and has a respect- ans may investigate miracle reports in ades by professional historians outside able distance between it and competing their capacity as historians. I also tackle of the community of biblical scholars on hypotheses. important exegetical matters related to relevant Pauline and Gospel texts in a more thorough manner than Wright. Finally, whereas Wright rushes through his treatment of naturalistic hypoth- It becomes quite clear that Paul and the early apostles eses, I devote considerable attention to understood Jesus’ resurrection as an event that occurred weighing five that are representative of to his corpse in space-time. the wide spectrum of what is presently being offered by nonbelievers and assess them according to controlled historical method. realist and postmodernist approaches Reid: You evaluate and respond to sev- Reid: Can you give us a taste of what to history with several leading postmod- eral scholarly hypotheses about the res- other New Testament scholars learn ernists conceding defeat within the last urrection—Vermes, Goulder, Lüdemann, about historiography from your book? fifteen years. Crossan and Craffert. What, in your Licona: Well, to start, I discuss the I discuss the part horizons play in opinion, is the most formidable argu- nature of historical knowledge. It’s every historical investigation and I sug- ment against the historicity of the bodily always provisional. Many biblical schol- gest a number of actions historians can resurrection of Jesus? ars become too pessimistic because they take in order to minimize their negative Licona: After accessing a number of can’t arrive at a thorough portrait of influence in an investigation. I also artic- them, I don’t think there are any. This Jesus with absolute certainty. What they ulate what controlled historical method honestly came as a shock to me—that is, will see in this volume is that these chal- looks like. Other issues include the role how strong the resurrection hypothesis lenges are not unique to historical Jesus of consensus, who carries the burden of actually is. Competing hypotheses are research but are present when attempt- proof and the nature of historical truth. not only weak, they are very weak. I dis- ing to paint portraits of most other Reid: You work to identify a historical covered that the agnostic position that ancient historical figures. This anxiety bedrock of evidence and then work from the evidence is indeterminate pertaining on the part of biblical scholars is leading there. Would you say something about to Jesus’ postmortem fate is a far better that? historical hypothesis than the fanciful Licona: Historical bedrock is comprised proposals being offered by many scholars of facts so strongly evidenced that they today and often involve psychohistory. are agreed upon by the nearly unani- Reid: And how do you respond to those mous and heterogeneous consensus of who say that Christ has spiritually ascend- scholars. They are for all practical pur- ed to the right hand of God and that poses beyond doubt. A portrait of the “resurrection” is a mythic or narratival historical Jesus must be built upon this symbol or rendering of that fundamental foundation of facts or it’s most likely inac- event? curate. Licona: Walk with me as we carefully Reid: What level of certainty is possible examine the key Pauline texts. I reveal for historical questions? a new linguistic discovery that clears up Licona: Absolute certainty is very rare a lot of the misunderstanding that has and elusive, since one can always posit a occurred. It becomes quite clear that “What if . ?” I argue that historians are Paul and the early apostles understood warranted in holding to the historicity Jesus’ resurrection as an event that continued on page 6 Winter 2011 • 3 Constantine, continued from page 1 exceedingly important for us to have an Stanley Hauerwas often use the argues that Christian theologians don’t accurate and nuanced grasp of what the term, and what Yoder describes as need to rely on the theoretical contribu- first Christendom was all about, both its “Constantinianism” has been a serious tions of the social sciences to understand glories and its evils. enough problem in church history and the basic shape of social and political Reid: John Howard Yoder plays a signifi- certainly a regular temptation especially life. In his reading of intellectual history, cant role in this book. Could you explain to churches that have some degree of social sciences have their roots in heresy that for those who are unfamiliar with political clout. But the label isn’t neutral. or paganism. Orthodox Christianity professes certain truths about human nature that imply a theology of human society. Christian theology has a social theory “built into” it. Why pay close attention to what late patristic, Byzantine Reid: You have some fascinating or medieval Christians have to say about politics if they things to say about the significance of are all in the grip of a heresy? Constantine’s ending sacrifice. Yoder’s thinking about Constantine? It is a breathtaking error to say, as Yoder Leithart: Yoder was the most influen- does, that the church has been domi- tial Mennonite theologian ever, and his nated by this “heresy” for the better part influence is still expanding.
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