Within Reason #120 Brant Pitre - Jesus DID Claim to be God
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Sep 10, 2025 
Brant Pitre, a distinguished New Testament scholar at the Augustine Institute, dives deep into the complex web of Jesus' claims of divinity. He explores whether Jesus explicitly identified himself as God and the historical context of his actions, emphasizing their theological implications. Pitre examines the concept of blasphemy as it relates to Jesus' identity and the significance of worship associated with him. Listeners will enjoy detailed insights into early Christian beliefs and how they contrasted with traditional Jewish thought.
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The Historical Jesus Paradox
- Historical Jesus research often assumes Jesus made no divine self-claims, creating a paradox with early high Christology in Paul and others.
- Brant Pitre argues this paradox suggests Jesus himself made implicit divine claims that explain early Christian divinization.
Read The Gospels In Their Jewish Context
- Read Gospel passages through an ancient Jewish lens, considering Second Temple messianic and apocalyptic contexts.
- Evaluate Jesus' words as Jewish-style riddles and allusions instead of modern explicit proclamations.
Forgiving Sins As Divine Authority
- In Mark 2 Jesus declares "your sins are forgiven" and then proves authority by healing the paralytic, linking invisible divine act to a visible miracle.
- Pitre reads this as an implicit divine claim using Jewish expectations about forgiving sins as God's prerogative.
