A Case for the Divinity of Jesus: Examining the Earliest EvidenceWhether Jesus was really the Son of God or not is a central question for Christians—and one that has provoked heated debate since the time of Jesus' birth. Dean L. Overman examines the earliest Christian records to build a compelling case for the divinityof Jesus. Overman analyzes often-overlooked evidence from liturgies and letters written in the years immediately following Jesus' death—decades earlier than the Gnostic gospels or the New Testament gospels. Addressing questions raised by books such as Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus and Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels, Overman presents powerful evidence from the earliest Christian communities that will be new for many modern Christians and builds a carefully reasoned case for Jesus truly being the Son of God. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
WORSHIP PATTERNS IN THE VERY EARLIEST CHURCH INDICATE AN IMMEDIATE VENERATION OF JESUS AS DIVINE FOLLOWING ... | 17 |
IN THE SYNOPTIC AND JOHANNINE GOSPELS JESUS USED THE TERM I AM EGÓ EIMI WORDS THAT FUNCTION AS THE NAME OF G... | 57 |
RELIABILITY OF THE CANONICAL GOSPEL ACCOUNTS IS SUPPORTED BY THE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE | 73 |
THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION OF THE GOSPEL IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION WAS THROUGH A RELIABLE ORAL G... | 105 |
THE RESURRECTION IS A PLAUSIBLE EVENT | 143 |
THE NEW AND OLD GNOSTICISM ARE BASED ON FANTASIES NOT ON HISTORICAL EVENTS | 175 |
ONE CANNOT LOGICALLY MAINTAIN THAT ALL RELIGIONS DESCRIBE A PATH TO THE SAME ULTIMATE REALITY | 213 |
HOW SHOULD ONE ENGAGE A PERSON OF ANOTHER FAITH CONCERNING DIVERSE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS? | 225 |
Other editions - View all
A Case for the Divinity of Jesus: Examining the Earliest Evidence Dean L. Overman Limited preview - 2009 |
A Case for the Divinity of Jesus: Examining the Earliest Evidence Dean L. Overman Limited preview - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
Acts ancient Aramaic Bart Ehrman Bauckham belief canonical gospels century Christian faith Christology claims concept concerning concludes confessions core creeds crucifixion dead death described Diatessaron disciples documents earliest Christian earliest church early Christian early church egō eimi Ehrman empty tomb evidence existence eyewitnesses first-century Gerhardsson gnostic myth God's gospel accounts gospel of John gospel of Judas gospel of Thomas Greek Hebrew historical human Hurtado hymns indicates Israel Jeremias Jesus as divine Jesus Christ Jesus of Nazareth Jewish Jews John Judaism kyrios liturgical formulae Lord Luke marana tha Mark Matthew meaning memorization messiah Metzger mother congregation N. T. Wright Nag Hammadi noted Old Testament oral tradition orthodox passage Paul Perrin person Peter physical preexisting primitive reference to Jesus reliable religions religious resurrection of Jesus Riesner sayings of Jesus second-century spiritual Synoptic gospels Syriac teaching Testament scholar tion transmission words worldview Wright writing written Yahweh