'The Bible' finale ratings rival 'The Walking Dead'

He has risen — in the ratings!

History’s The Bible miniseries finale delivered the show’s largest audience since its record-setting premiere. The network reports that 11.7 million viewers watched the two-hour conclusion on Easter Sunday, despite The Bible airing against heavy cable competition during its second hour — AMC’s The Walking Dead had its season finale and HBO’s Game of Thrones had its season premiere, with both geek titans setting ratings records (our Walking Dead finale ratings discussion is here; the Game of Thrones ratings post is here).

In fact, during the 9 p.m. hour when The Bible and The Walking Dead ran head to head, the shows were basically tied with 12.3 million viewers (The Walking Dead rises to 12.4 million when you include its full 65-minute telecast). It’s a strong performance for the religious miniseries that few expected to be a ratings competitor.

Last night’s conclusion of History’s popular project depicted the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Since the show premiered last month, the miniseries has frequently managed to beat most broadcast shows on Sunday nights.

The Bible performance is also in the ballpark of our ratings prediction yesterday, which correctly bet that The Bible would grow from last week, but not surpass its premiere.