Sanders is a Fellow of the British Academy. In 1966 he received a Doctor of Theology degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1990 he received a Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Oxford and a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Helsinki. He has authored, co-authored or edited 13 books and numerous articles. He has received a number of prizes, including the 1990 University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Grawemeyer Award for the best book on religion published in the 1980s for "Jesus and Judaism".