PH.D. IN THEOLOGY AND APOLOGETICS PROGRAM
APOL 920
MIRACLES
GARY HABERMAS,
DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH PROFESSOR
(434) 534-0601
GHABERMAS@LIBERTY.EDU
OFFICE: SCHOOL OF RELIGION
I.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A seminar examining classic and modern arguments against the miraculous with special
attention to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
II.
RATIONALE
The study of miracles in general, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ in particular, are
the essential centerpieces in the study of historical apologetics. Defending miracles
against contemporary challenges, especially from contemporary studies in analytic
philosophy, form a crucial backdrop. The specific study of the resurrection is
pursued chiefly in its historical context and in recent New Testament studies,
including the factual nature of this event, along with its relation to Christian theology
and practice. As the center of the Christian faith, the course is designed to investigate
thoroughly the subject, so as to prepare a student to integrate and be conversant with
the relevant issues.
III.
PREREQUISITES: NONE
IV.
MATERIALS LIST
A. Required Reading (Read all pages except where indicated otherwise below.):
1. Larmer, Robert A. The Legitimacy of Miracle. Lanham, MD: Rowman &
Littlefield [Lexington Books], 2013.
2. Geivett, Doug and Gary Habermas, Editors. In Defense of Miracles: A
Comprehensive Case for God’s Actions in History. Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity, 1997.
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3. Licona, Michael. The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach.
Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2010. (Read at least sections 1, 3, 4 (pages 277464), 5.8, & “Summary and Further Conclusions.”)
4. Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.
(Read at least Part I.1; Part II.5, II.7-8; Part III.9; III:12; Part V:18-19.)
5. Keener, Craig. Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. Volume
1. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011. (Read enough pages carefully in order
to do the assignment below.)
6. Habermas, Gary. The Risen Jesus and Future Hope. Lanham, MD: Rowman &
Littlefield, 2003.
7. Habermas, Gary. Philosophy of History, Miracles, and the Resurrection of Jesus,
Third ed. Virginia Beach, VA: Academx, 2012.
B. Recommended Reading:
1. Swinburne, Richard. The Concept of Miracle. London: Macmillan and St.
Martin’s Press, 1970.
2. Swinburne, Richard, Editor. Miracles. New York: Macmillan, 1989.
3. Brown, Colin. Miracles and the Critical Mind. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1994.
4. Schaaffs, Werner. Theology, Physics, and Miracles. Translated by Richard L.
Renfield. Washington, D.C.: Canon, 1974.
5. Davis, Stephen. Risen Indeed: Making Sense of the Resurrection. Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 1993.
6. Davis, Stephen, Daniel Kendall, and Gerald O’Collins, Editors. The Resurrection:
An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1997.
7. Wenham, David, and Craig Blomberg, Editors. The Miracles of Jesus. Volume
VI, Gospel Perspectives. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2003.
8. Keener, Craig. Miracles. Volume II, Gospel Perspectives. Eugene, OR: Wipf &
Stock, 2003.
V.
MEASURABLE LEARNING OUTCOMES
The student will be able to:
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A. Identify key a priori features of the recent analytic philosophical debate on the nature
and provenance of miracles, evidencing the development of critical thinking
techniques, to be indicated chiefly by oral discussions in class.
B. Evaluate a posteriori alternative attempts to explain the resurrection in naturalistic
terms, further indicating critical thinking skills, as signified by class dialogue, as well
as in the “Argument Summaries” (in VII, C, 1, 2 below).
C. Defend in historical terms the major aspects of the “minimal facts” argument for
Jesus’ resurrection, to be demonstrated primarily in written research (research essay
(described in VII, B, below) and two of the “Argument Summaries” (in VII, C, 3, 4
below).
D. Integrate key aspects of the resurrection of Jesus with major theological doctrines
and/or areas of practice, hence further developing a Christian world view, as
demonstrated principally in the “Reflective Essay (in VII, D, below).
VI.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS
A. PRE-CLASS READING AND PREPARATION ASSIGNMENTS
1. An absolutely crucial portion of the course is that the student is to be prepared
thoroughly to begin the initial class by having assimilated the content of the class
notes (Habermas, Philosophy of History, Miracles, and the Resurrection of Jesus).
In particular, concentrate on Section One, Part III and Section Three, Parts II and
III. Be prepared for rigorous class discussions as well as being called on without
warning to respond to the various issues.
2. Read at least Parts 1 & 2 of the edited volume by Geivett and Habermas, plus as
much as you can from Licona (pages listed above), and Chapters 1-3 of
Habermas, The Risen Jesus and Future Hope.
B. Class participation is absolutely essential in this course and will contribute to the
"Class Participation" portion of the grade. Emphasis is placed on the quality of
responses and the preparedness of the student, not the number of responses.
C. Research Essay
1. A research essay is designed to indicate the student's competence in a relevant,
affirmative area of resurrection scholarship. Develop a creative, positive case for
a significant theme drawn from a “minimal facts” case for Jesus’ resurrection.
Examples might include the interactions between the earliest Christian leaders
specifically on the subject of the gospel data, on identifying or ascertaining the
date of the early creedal passages, especially 1 Corinthians 15:3ff., or the early
Acts sermon summaries, evidences for the empty tomb, or defending one of the
specific Gospel resurrection stories.
2. Be creative, rigorous, and strive to break some new ground. Do not include
lengthy summaries of the arguments of others, but spend the majority of your
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essay composing a strong case for your chosen area of research. Summarize and
document the essentials of the case, then spend the remainder of the paper
interacting with the material. The essay should follow the prescriptions of the
latest edition of Turabian, be double-spaced, with proper margins, including
endnotes or footnotes (footnotes preferred). Be sure your essay is scholarly,
signifying original thinking. Be sure to maintain consistency throughout in the
proper citing of your references, in order to document your research and develop
cognate ideas. When you have not used the actual source being cited, always
include the work in which the reference was mentioned, but keep these secondary
references to a minimum. Avoid summarizing any class notes or class
discussions. Avoid the use of any but the most indispensable Internet sources,
and only when they were written by recognized authorities. Grading will be
based chiefly on the quality of your research, your response to the chosen topic,
and the originality and creativity of your insights. Endeavor to write all your
papers such that they are publishable. Strict maximum length for this essay,
counting all materials: 10 pages (double-spaced).
D. Write the following four, one page each (maximum), argument summaries on
these topics:
1. an additional list of critiques (beyond class discussions) specifically of collective
hallucinations;
2. an additional list of critiques of “copycat” legend hypotheses in general that are
based on ancient pre-Christian mythology;
3. a list of at least a dozen positive arguments for the empty tomb;
4. provide a series of page numbers only for at least the following subjects from
Keener’s first “Miracles” volume: a) Keener’s chief themes; b) historicity of
Jesus’ miracles; c) David Hume and similar claims are mistaken; d) answers to
the problem of analogy; e) naturalism is not the predominant worldview/a shift
occurring at present; f) uniqueness of Jesus’ resurrection; g) extraordinary (“the
best”) recent healing cases; h) enough evidence to move from clear miraculous
testimony to actual supernatural intervention; i) miracles as authenticating signs;
j) public and/or professional polls regarding current beliefs in miracles; k) any
personal hesitations and/or cautions regarding Keener’s comments. Throughout
the four summaries, be creative whenever possible and do not repeat or
summarize class notes or discussions. List only your source’s author, title, and
page numbers whenever citing a source.
E. Write a reflective essay that demonstrates your ability to integrate the truth of
Jesus’ resurrection with one of the following areas of Christian belief or
practice: formulating a Christian world view, God’s existence, the essentials of the
gospel data, eternal life/heaven, the foundation of Scripture, Christian ethics, the
religious disciplines, religious tolerance, the compassionate use of wealth/finances,
evangelism, counseling, personal philosophy of ministry or life, or any of life’s major
struggles (our fears, lack of motivation, grief), etc. The emphasis should not be on
developing apologetic arguments per se, but on how the truth of Jesus’ resurrection
from the dead informs our most treasured areas of belief, contemplation, and
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application, especially in terms of practical insights. Grading is based more
rigorously on the creativity of your applications. Strict maximum length for paper #3:
5 pages (double-spaced).
F. Reading:
A statement of the final amount of reading completed specifically for this class,
including the additional assigned reading, is required, and is also a part of the “Class
Participation” grade. All the required reading listed under part IV, A above must be
completed and included, with a remaining total of 3,000 pages drawn from your
relevant class research or outside reading of the student’s choice. Identify the authors
and texts from which the 3,000 total pages were read.
G. The professor reserves the right to change any of the course items, including the
content, procedures, and/or grading, depending on the class circumstances.
VII.
COURSE GRADING AND POLICIES
A. The final grade is made up as follows:
Research Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35%
Total Argument Summaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35%
Reflective Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Quality of class comments & reading . . . . . . . 10%
TOTAL
100%
B. Grading Scale by accumulated points:
A = 940–1000
A- = 920–939
B+ = 900–919
B = 860–899
B- = 840–859
C+ = 820–839
C = 780–819
C- = 760–779
D+ = 740–759
D = 700–739
D- = 680–699
F = 679 and below
VIII. Other Policies
A. No late work is accepted without the penalty of five (5) points per day, including
separate weekend days and holidays. The penalty begins from the due date unless the
professor has granted prior permission.
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B. All written work should be submitted electronically, and attached to the same email,
unless other arrangements are made in class.
C. All required class assignments must be completed satisfactorily in order for the
student to pass the course. The professor reserves the right to make changes to course
requirements, depending on circumstances.
D. Attendance Policy: Attendance is also required at each session unless prior permission
has been given. Attendance is a portion of the 15% final grade.
E. Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct is strictly prohibited. See the Graduate Catalog for specific
definitions, penalties, and processes for reporting.
F. Disability Statements
Online students with a documented disability may contact the DLP Office of
Disability Academic Support (ODAS) at dlpodas@liberty.edu to make arrangements
for academic accommodations. Residential students with a documented disability
may contact the Office of Disability Academic Support (ODAS) in Green Hall 2668
to make arrangements for academic accommodations. For all disability testing
accommodation requests (i.e. quieter environment, extended time, oral testing, etc.)
the Testing Center (Green Hall 2700) is the officially designated place for all tests
administered outside of the regular classroom. A professor does have the right to
administer a test in another location at their discretion; however, the testing
environment must meet the criteria spelled out in the Disability Academic Support
memo sent from ODAS for each student with a disability.
G. Drop/Add Policy
Consult the Graduate Catalog for drop/add policies.
H. Dress Code
Students are expected to maintain a neat, professional appearance while in class.
Consult your department for additional guidelines.
I. Classroom Policies
Classroom policies will be established and enforced by the individual instructor.
Please turn off all cell phones.
J.
IX.
Please check email periodically for any announcements or personal notes.
CALENDAR
Class discussions follow the outline in the published notes, and are announced daily. All
assignments are to be postmarked by the due date announced in class. Please attach all
four items (3 papers plus reading report) to same email.
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