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Reddit mentions of The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ
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We found 25 Reddit mentions of The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ. Here are the top ones.
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| Color | White |
| Height | 8.4 Inches |
| Length | 5.7 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | February 2016 |
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#4 of 1,434
I have the book perfect for you. It's a book by Dr. Brand Pitre called [The Case for Jesus] (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483). It's written by a biblical scholar for the common man about the historical evidence for Christ and the reliability of the Gospels.
If he wants something easier to read, I'd recommend The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre. There's also audio recording for this subject matter from him and I believe it brings up C.S. Lewis's Trilemma (Lord, Liar, Lunatic). Afterwards, I'd suggest Brant Pitre's other books because he has a number of books that show how the Jewish Roots and Old Testament writings find its fulfillment in the New. If he wants to get deeper into it there's also a textbook sized Catholic Intro to Old Testament book from Brant Pitre and John Bergsma
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Dr. Brant Pitre answers the following in the book:
• Were the four Gospels really anonymous?
• Are the Gospels folklore? Or are they biographies?
• Were the four Gospels written too late to be reliable?
• What about the so-called “Lost Gospels,” such as “Q” and the Gospel of Thomas?
• Did Jesus claim to be God?
• Is Jesus divine in all four Gospels? Or only in John?
• Did Jesus fulfill the Jewish prophecies of the Messiah?
• Why was Jesus crucified?
• What is the evidence for the Resurrection?
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“This book will prove to be a most effective weapon… against the debunking and skeptical attitudes toward the Gospels that are so prevalent, not only in academe, but also on the street, among young people who, sadly, are leaving the Churches in droves.” – Robert Barron, author of Catholicism
I'd recommend checking these out:
Plantinga, Alvin. God and Other Minds. Cornell University Press, 1990.
Feser, Edward. The Last Superstition: a Refutation of the New Atheism. St. Augustine's Press, 2011.
Plantinga, Alvin. Knowledge and Christian Belief. Eerdmans, 2015.
Pitre, Brant. The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ. Image, 2016.
Feser, Edward. Five Proofs of the Existence of God. Ignatius Press, 2017.
Addressing your last question first: It is always good to hear someone out, no matter who they are or what they believe.
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Some reading recommendations:
Start with the bible sections I've listed below, then move on to whichever of the books I have listed sounds most appealing to you. I don't want to bog you down if you don't have the time. (I personally would start with Feser)
Matthew 16:17-19 would be a good place to start. Then Isaiah 22 would be a place to see where that fulfillment in Matthew is met. As well as John chapter 6. These won't necessarily give you inclinations to believe in God, but they will give you the sense that if you believed in Christianity, then Catholicism make the best case over all other christian religions. To give you more context you should google Catholic sources for commentary on those readings.
Beyond the bible:
Five Proofs of the Existence of God by Ed Feser
The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper by Brant Pitre
Theology for Beginners by Frank Sheed
If you're up for a read, OP, he (Brant Pitre) wrote the book The Case For Jesus, which is a great overview of this topic.
First of all, welcome back, brother. I am especially touched that your fiancée would even suggest to find a Catholic Church. (As an aside, you're not a convert; you're a revert since you're already baptized into the Church. I thought maybe you'd appreciate that factoid.)
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>I am looking for information about your Church, whatever you think is important to know.
There is a lot to know and many here would recommend a million and one things to study, especially since it sounds like you enjoy a good intellectual pursuit. I'm not going to discount others' recommendations, but I do want to highlight one thing: learn more about Jesus first. Find out what He taught, who He is, what His disciples and closest friends said about Him, what the Old Testament said about Him, etc. To that end...
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>I am looking for recommendations for a Catholic-approved version of the Bible, geared towards someone who appreciates philosophy and prefers something close to the original translations, or the most accepted by the Church.
First thing to note, all Catholic Bibles have 72 books. Protestants have 66. If you can't get a hold of a Catholic Bible, a Protestant one will do for now until you do get around to buying a Catholic one. Now, as for Catholic Bibles, if you speak/read Latin you can't go wrong with the Vulgate Bible. It's a Bible that was translated by St. Jerome who was fluent in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin; he had the original manuscripts -- some of which are lost to us today -- so his translations are widely accepted as authentic and faithful.
There's also the English version of the Vulgate Bible known as the Douay-Rheims. It's an almost word-for-word translation of the Latin so the English will sound archaic to our modern ears. It's not as frustrating as, say, reading Shakespeare but it's pretty close. I personally prefer (and currently use) a Douay-Rheims Bible that has the Clementina Vulgata beside it. It's essentially Latin and English side by side. You can find one here.
If want one with plain English, the New American Bible Revised Edition would suffice. (If you use this website, let me know. I have a discount code from my last purchase.)
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>I know nothing of the culture or norms of the Church, or what to expect as a new member.
One major rule to remember is that you can't receive Holy Communion until after you've gone to Confession. Given your situation, I would recommend setting up an appointment with a parish priest so he can give his full attention to you and your needs.
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>I do not know how to introduce myself to the congregation
There's usually no need to introduce yourself to the congregation since parishes tend to be big. If you would like to formally introduce yourself, however, give the parish priest a call and set up a meeting with him. It would also be a great chance to speak with him about your situation and get some pastoral guidance.
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>or tell a good Catholic church from a lesser one
Many here would recommend a more traditional parish. If that's not available, I'd say any Catholic church would do. If you're unsure about a particular church's standing, just give us the details on this sub. I'm sure someone here would be able to double check for you.
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>I know nothing of the Saints or the miracles, or what has been confirmed by the Church and what hasn't.
These are things you can learn later on. Focus on Jesus first. Rebuild your relationship with Him. Start with the basics; if you don't, you might burn yourself out. There is A LOT to learn about the Faith. Some say it's a lifelong endeavour. :P
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>I am also looking for a reading list to explore Catholic philosophy beyond those you typically encounter in standard philosophical reading, such as Aquinas or Pascal.
Hmmm... this depends on what sorts of things interest you. A good one that lightly touches on philosophy is Socrates Meets Jesus by Peter Kreeft (anything by this guy is pretty good, by the way).
A book that may be more pressing to your current situation is Why Be Catholic? by Patrick Madrid and Abraham Skorka, Why We're Catholic by Trent Horn, as well as Why I am a Catholic by Brandon Vogt. (They might need to work on a more original title, though :P) Since you have an Evangelical background, Crossing the Tiber by Steve Ray might be helpful (although it can be a bit dry; also, it mostly deals with the Church's teaching on Baptism and the Eucharist) as well as Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn.
You can never go wrong with classics such as a collection of C. S. Lewis' works, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton, and Confessions by St. Augustine.
If you want a historical examination of Jesus and the Early Church, a good place to start is The Case for Christ by Brant Pitre, The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine by St. Eusebius, and The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Akin. I'd like to thrown in Jesus, Peter, and the Keys by Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren, and David J. Hess. This last one pertains to the Catholic claim regarding the papacy (and which I think is one of the strongest arguments in favour of the Catholic Church being the original one that the Lord founded).
Finally, there are YouTube channels you can follow/binge watch such as Bishop Robert Barron and Ascension Presents. Also, an amazing video about the Catholic Faith is a series made by Bishop Barron when he was "just" a priest called Catholicism.
I'm sorry if that's overwhelming but you raised some good questions. :P Anyway, I imagine it may be a lot right now so take it slowly, don't dive in through all of it at once. Find a local Catholic church, call up the priest, set up a meeting, then take it from there. And remember, you can always pray; God's always willing to talk with you.
I can relate to your story in some ways, as I was raised Catholic, then became agnostic during high school and university. I came back to the Catholic Church after the positive witness of my family and friends, and having an encounter with Christ in my second year of college.
After that personal experience in prayer I knew that Jesus was real, but I still had a lot of unanswered questions about Catholicism, as well as no intellectual foundation to undergird my newfound faith in Christ. So I devoured a couple of good Catechisms, and over time, studied philosophical, Christian and Catholic apologetics to get solid answers to the questions and doubts that anyone with critical thinking skills will have. I am now a Catholic priest.
Here are some resources I would suggest:
Five Proofs for the Existence of God is really good for the philosophical arguments in favor of God.
The Case for Jesus does an excellent job of proving the historical accuracy of the attributions of the Gospels and what they claim about Jesus Christ
Options:
Most Christians will think 1 or 2, some may think 3. The reason for why people may believe in the gospels is well covered material. As someone else suggested, The Case for Jesus is a good read.
Loved this book. He takes on a lot of Bart Ehrmans arguments. If you are going to read Ehrman, you need to read this to balance out your education.
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=the+case+for+jesus&qid=1574208876&sr=8-1
Wishing you only the best!
The Third Day by Arnold Lynn. https://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/THRDAY.HTM
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483
https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Lives-Apostles-After-Calvary/dp/0879739266
Warren Carroll has a wonderful 6 volume history of the church that is a blast to read.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0931888247/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BKPBP3A0610NNSD39AJ2
Just as an aside, a new book that came out this year deals with this and a lot of related topics about how Jesus is depicted in Scripture: The Case for Jesus by Brant Pitre.
I'd like to echo Pocket-Veto's request for more information about what your assignment question specifically is. Anyway I'd definitely get my hands on Introduction to the New Testament by RE Brown, if I were you. That textbook includes some discussion about the authorship of all the New Testament texts as well as commentary on themes and narrative and the like.
Other general textbooks on the New Testament that you might find useful are:
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The next place to look would be the entries on the gospels in a couple of Bible Dictionaries. E.g. The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible or the Anchor Bible Dictionary, etc.
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Next get a hold of some bible commentaries on the individual gospels. For example, Luke Timothy Johnson has a commentary on Luke in the Sacra Pagina series and RT France and Daniel Harrington have commentaries on Matthew etc. Go to!
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I must say that all these are not so relevant to the question about how the text does or does not point to the divinity of Christ. For that I guess you want studies in Christology. So here's a few to get you started:
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You also should get on to your university's library page and do some searches for journal articles or dissertations about the gospels. There's bound to be thousands. You don't need to read them all. Just find a few articles with your relevant key words in the article or description, give the abstract a quick read and then based off of that decide whether or not the article will be any use for you in your assignment and only read it if you think it will.
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Let me know if you have any more questions.
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Good luck!
You may want to check out some of these books.
Redating the New Testament by John AT Robinson.
The Priority of John by John AT Robinson.
Redating Matthew, Mark, and Luke: A Fresh Assault on the Synoptic Problem by John Wenham.
The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre.
The first book from Robinson challenges the academic consensus on the dating of the Gospels and argues that they were written between 40-55 AD. His second book, which is quite stunning actually in it's argument, is that John was the first gospel ever written.
Wenham's book argues for Matthean priority and a similar date for the Gospels like Robinson.
The first half of Pitre's work argues the same as Wenham for an early date.
Should note, I haven't read any of these works but have had them recommended to me and have had them on my wishlist for some time now.
You should read The Case for Jesus by Brant Pitre
Alright here are some of the best resources I know as a Catholic. Hope they help!
Edward Feser's blog as well as his The Last Superstition and 5 Proofs of the Existence of God
Stephen Barr's Modern Physics and Ancient Faith
Francis Collin's The Language of God
Anthony Flew's There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind
Thomas Wood's How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
Brant Pitre's The Case For Jesus
Tim O Neill on the Church and science, the Inquisition and the Galileo affair
Jenny Hawkins on Jesus and God, early Christianity and form criticism
Al Moritz on the Fine Tuning Argument
>There is a reason someone should believe in the supernatural and mystical aspects of Christianity. This is a large issue for me. Solely based on supernatural and mystical ideas, from an outsider perspective, Christianity is no different than animism or Buddhism. I can't have faith alone.
Well when you look at the world's religions, Christianity has a clear and impressive advantage in the miracles/mystical department. Historically, in Christianity, there have been numerous cases of Eucharistic miracles, Marian apparitions, miraculous healings and the spiritual gifts and religious experiences of countless Christian saints -- men and women of great virtue whose admirable character only add to the credibility of their testimony. Examples of these include Paul, Benedict of Nursia, Francis of Assisi, Dominic, Hildegard of Bingen, Anthony of Padua, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Vincent Ferrer, Joan of Arc, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Catherine Emmerich, John Vianney, Anna Maria Taigi, Genma Galangi, Faustina Kowalska and Padre Pio. We also have a pair of impressive relics, the shroud of Turin and the sudarium of Orvieto. I'll also throw in Catholic exorcisms.
And these Eucharistic miracles, Marian apparitions and religious/mystical experiences continue to happen today.
What do Buddhism and animism have in comparison?
>Anything that discusses and argues against some common tropes from atheists such as Mother Teresa being a vile, sadistic person.
Honestly, I'm quite stunned at the portrait atheists have painted of her. At worst, she wasn't perfect and made mistakes. She cannot be a vile monster like Hitchens claims she was, that's ridiculous. Here are some articles that defend Mother Teresa -- here, here, here and here.
Check out any of Mother Teresa's personal writings (e.g. No Greater Love, A Simple Path, Come Be Thy Light) to see what she believed in, what she valued and how she saw the world. Check out books written by people who actually knew her such as that of Malcolm Muggeridge, an agnostic BBC reporter who ended up converting to Catholicism because of Teresa and ended up becoming a lifelong friend of hers. Or that of her priest, friend and confessor, Leo Maasburg, who was able to recall 50 inspiring stories of Mother Teresa. Or that of Conroy, a person who actually worked with her. Or any biography of hers. Find out what she was like according to the people around her. Then afterwards, determine for yourself if she resembles Hitchen's "monster" or the Catholic Church's "saint".
For a beginning resource on the subject, look into Brant Pitre's The Case for Jesus
There've been whole books written about this. [Wait a minute.] (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499401911&sr=1-2&keywords=historical+jesus)
http://catholicproductionsblog.com/dr-brant-pitre-introduces-new-book-case-jesus/
> Dr. Pitre's The Case for Jesus Intro Video Transcript
>
> I've been teaching the Bible as a professor now for a long time, and over the years I've noticed that many of my students believe in Jesus, but they don't necessarily know why they believe in Jesus, they don’t know why they think he’s the Messiah, the son of God. Lots of other people I know don't believe in Jesus, but they don't necessarily realize who Jesus claimed to be. For example, lots of them will say “oh well Jesus was just a good moral teacher,” or “Jesus was just an ordinary Jewish rabbi,” or “Jesus was just a great prophet.” Still others will say, “well how do we even know what Jesus did and said, we can't really understand him, we can't really have access to him, it was so long ago.” Some of these people, for example, compare the Gospels to the end product of a game of telephone. Maybe you’ve played the telephone game when you were a kid, they’ll say, “well the Gospels are like the telephone game, you know ,where one child tells a story to the next child, who tells it the next child, and it gets changed over and over again, until, at the end of the game, the story that you end up with is nothing like what you heard in the beginning. Is that what the Gospels are like? Are they just a long chain of anonymous traditions about Jesus, which may or may not be accurate. And what about those documentaries that come on every year, around Easter and Christmas, that ask questions like: did Jesus really claim to be divine? What about the lost Gospels, like the Gospel Thomas? Or a so-called Gospel of Q?
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> How does all this factor into the reliability of the accounts that we find in the New Testament? In my new book, The Case for Jesus, I look at these questions head on, and I want to ask ourselves, what exactly is the biblical and the historical evidence for Christ, for who He claimed to be? We’re gonna look at questions like:
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> How did we get the Gospels? So were they really originally anonymous, or were they written by the apostles and their followers? What about the the genre of the Gospels, what kind of books are these? Are they like folklore or fairytales? Are they myths? Or are they history? Are they biographies? And also too, what about the identity of Jesus? Who Jesus really claim to be? Was he just a prophet, or a great teacher, or a rabbi? Or did he fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah? And, most of all, did he actually claim to be God? Did he claim to be divine? This is going to be one most important points we have to deal with, because, you may have heard this before, there are lots of scholars out there who say that Jesus only claims to be divine in the Gospel of John. That he doesn't claim to be divine in the three earlier Gospels, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So what about that? Is the score 3 against 1? And when were these books written? Are they too late to actually be reliable? How do we know what we know about who Jesus was, and what he did and said, and that's what I’m going to be looking at in this book, The Case for Jesus.
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> Now what’s unique about this book, is that, there are of course thousands and thousands of books out there on Jesus, and lots of them, especially the more skeptical ones, tend to give you just one side of the argument. They’re gonna tell you why you shouldn't trust the gospel, why Jesus didn't claim to be the Messiah, or claim to be divine. In this book I’m gonna give you both sides of the argument. I'm gonna give you arguments for and against the reliability of the Gospels. I’m gonna give you the arguments for and against Jesus claiming to be the Messiah, and claiming to be divine, and I'll let you decide, what is the evidence for Christ? And there are also lots of books out there that claim that Jesus never said that he was Divine, never claimed to be God. Well one of the things I try to show in this book is, that when you look at the gospel evidence, when you look at the question of Jesus’ divinity, you’ve got to pay attention to his Jewish context. Over and over again I've noticed that books by skeptics often will ignore the Jewish roots of Jesus’ divinity. In other words, you only will be up to see how he is identifying himself as divine, if you read His words in the first century Jewish context. So if you've ever been interested in the question of the origin of the Gospels, of the divinity of Christ. If you've ever wondered who was Jesus, and how do we know. Whether you're a Christian or non-Christian, Protestant or Catholic, whether you’re Jewish, Muslim, atheist, or agnostic, believer or nonbeliever, or maybe a little bit of both. If you've ever wondered who was Jesus, then this book, The Case for Jesus: the Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ, is for you.
Video on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ1osU9nkJ4
I admire your honesty and desire for truth, it's very rare these days.
To answer your question, you must pray. Prayer is necessary for faith, because it comes from above. You know how some people, even with all the evidence, reject what is reality because they want to be deluded? You need God to help you see reality and to live according to it. You should start praying the rosary, as it's a most beautiful prayer to the Mother of God, while meditating on the life of Christ. Prayer is humility in action, because by praying you recognize you are not strong enough on your own. You need God's help.
After that, I'd find a priest in a parish from here near where you live (https://www.latinmassdir.org/), these are traditional priests, and he can help you answer your questions. Online is one thing and in person is another.
And keep reading in the meantime, both sides, of the evidence for Jesus Christ as the Son of God (https://www.amazon.ca/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483), Lives of the Saint(Pope St Pius X, St Anthony the Great, St Anthony of Padua, St Padre Pio), the Gospels.
It's not easy and it will take time, but life in Christ is worth more than all that. The peace of God is worth more than the universe.
" Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. "
Thanks man I appreciate it. If you're looking to get one book, I highly recommend Brant Pitre's book "The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ". Strange Notions also has a list that includes a number of good books on the subject of Jesus (scroll down till you hit the "Jesus" section). The founder of the site, Brandon Vogt, is a well known Catholic personality who loves books. So you can trust the titles listed over there to be good.
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483
http://www.strangenotions.com/books/
Title | The Case for Jesus Course Introduction: Is Jesus Divine in the Synoptic Gospels? (Part 2 of 5)
Description | In part 2 of 5 of Dr. Brant Pitre's introductory videos to his forthcoming set on the Case for Jesus where he engages skeptical approaches to the Gospels (e.g., by Dr. Bart Ehrman and others), he discusses two miracles that, when read in context, help answer the question - is Jesus Divine?: First, Dr. Pitre discusses the famous stilling of the storm in the synoptic Gospels (in this instance, in Mark's account). This miracle of Jesus stilling the storm elicits from the Apostles to ask about J...
Length | 0:20:21
SECTION | CONTENT
Title | The Case For Jesus | Brant Pitre, PhD
Description | A presentation given be Brant Pitre as part of the Newman Lecture Series at Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Student Center on the campus of the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Buy his book The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Jesus-Biblical-Historical-Evidence/dp/0770435483
Length | 1:12:38
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I hope this helps :) Again, feel free to ask around and/or you can always PM me if you have any questions my friend :)
I'm not sure what causes you to love my username, it's just initials and a last name, but I'm curious what you took it to mean!
Strobel's The Case for Christ is good, but it's pretty simple.
For a better look at the Gospels and how Jesus is shown to be divine in them, I would recommend Dr. Brant Pitre's new book The Case for Jesus. I think it'd be a good next step for these questions.
Not all scholarship, and the "anonymous gospels" theory has no basis in reality. Brant Pitre counters such "scholarship" quite well in the poorly named The Case for Jesus (poorly named because it's trading on Strobel's books, which are shit).