Historical Interpretation of Jesus’ Divinity

Brant Petrie challenges the conventional views on the divinity of Jesus, particularly opposing Bart Ehrman's claim that Jesus did not consider himself divine during his lifetime. He argues that evidence from the Gospels suggests that Jesus did indeed make divine claims, supported by various scholars in the field of early Christology. Petrie highlights that traditional historical Jesus research often overlooks these aspects due to methodological biases against acknowledging Jesus's self-identification as divine. By examining the historical context and using evidence from Second Temple Judaism, Petrie posits that Jesus’s divine identity should not be dismissed as mere theological dogma but acknowledged as a legitimate conclusion drawn from historical analysis.