^
It's not that simple. Books about religion that are not "religious" in nature tend also not to be best sellers. Publishers are businesses like any other, and they tend to follow the money, and consequently, I am sure that huge numbers of what are potentially excellent books about these topics, written for the general public are simply never written.
Bart Ehrman is like a superstar in our field if only because he has made a perceptible dent at the popular level, and has also managed to retain his academic integrity. The vast majority of books that are published in biblical studies at the popular level tend to be one of two types: either historically baseless and scandalous sensationalism that appeals to conspiracy theorists and eager skeptics with axes to grind; or equally historically baseless myopic tripe that is marketed to provide existing believers with a pacifying sense of apologetic certainty.
To be frank, the historical evidence for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth is a little mundane. If you would like, I could give you a primer.
|