Jesus

1) The Case for Jesus by Dr. Brant Pitre

• Read this to learn important arguments related to Jesus and the Gospels.
• This is the best introductory book on the subjects it covers. It is accessible, yet deep and well-argued. The book covers the traditional authorship of the Gospels, the divinity of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus. You will come away with a better understanding of how to make the case for Jesus.

2) Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? by Dr. William Lane Craig (great price!)

• Read this to learn how to defend the resurrection of Jesus. 
• Dr. Craig provides historical facts and framework for defending the history of Jesus. He shows convincingly that the best explanation of the evidence is that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again.
• For an even more in-depth treatment on the same topic, see Dr. William Lane Craig’s book The Son Rises.

3) Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?: Historical and Theological Reflections by Dr. Matthew Levering

• Read this for a detailed discussion of the Resurrection from a Catholic author with an eye on Catholic apologetics.
• Dr. Matthew Levering is a role model of Catholic scholarship. He devotes several chapters to a historical discussion of the Resurrection. Also, he includes novel material regarding how the Resurrection out to fit in with Catholic apologetics. As always, his work is well-sourced and provides many references to other helpful materials. Due to the excessive price of this book, you might want to try to snag it on interlibrary loan.

4) How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus’ Divine Nature—A Response to Bart D. Ehrman by Michael F. Bird, Dr. Craig Evans, Simon Gathercole, Charles E. Hill, and Chris Tilling

• Read this book for a response to many of Bart Ehrman’s claims.
• Each chapter is written by a different scholar and responds to some of Ehrman’s claims. In particular, I enjoyed the chapter discussing the evidence discussing whether Jesus, as a crucifixion victim, could have been buried in a tomb (spoiler: strong evidence in the affirmative).

5) The Forgotten Trinity by Dr. James White

• Read this to learn how to defend the Holy Trinity from scripture. 
• This book sets out to prove the doctrine of the Trinity using scripture alone. It provides great arguments for the deity of Christ and the deity of the Holy Spirit. Dr. White responds to common arguments of Unitarians and Jehovah’s witnesses. He explains helpful principles for defending the Trinity from the Bible.