Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 1

About this episode

This episode features a debate between Michael Licona and Bart Ehrman on the authorship of the gospels attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write the gospels that bear their names? The texts themselves do not name them as the authors and were published and circulated anonymously. In fact, the earliest record of names being associated with the gospel books comes from Irenaeus in 185 AD, over 100 years after Jesus lived. Dr. Bart Ehrman contends that we do not know who wrote these texts and that the names attributed to them must certainly be false, given that the uneducated, Aramaic-speaking, rural disciples would not have the rigorous education required to produce such Greek literary works. Michael Licona disagrees, taking on Ehrman’s contentions and providing a positive case for the traditional authorship of the gospels in this episode of the Risen Jesus Podcast.

People in this episode

Host: Michael Licona

Guest: Bart Ehrman

Topics covered

• authorship of the gospels
• historical analysis
• debate
• Christianity
• literary criticism
• religious studies

Keywords

• gospel authorship
• Bart Ehrman
• Michael Licona
• Irenaeus
• historical Jesus
• literary works
• Christian authorship

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: gospels

More episodes of Risen Jesus

• Licona and Pagels on the Gospel of Thomas · March 25, 2026 · 14 min
• Who Wrote the Gospels? Michael Licona vs. Bart Ehrman - Part 2 · March 18, 2026 · 1h 20m
• The Resurrection Standoff: Licona vs. Ehrman on the Unbelievable Podcast · October 22, 2025 · 1h 13m
• Do Christians Need to Believe that Jesus was Raised Bodily from the Dead? Licona vs. Patterson · October 15, 2025 · 1h 60m
• After the Crucifixion, was Jesus Resurrected or Rescued? Licona vs. Ally · October 8, 2025 · 2h 2m
• The Historical Perspective vs. The Theological Perspective on the Resurrection: Are Both Valid? · October 1, 2025 · 2h 4m