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Course Details
September 17: Were the Gospels Anonymous?
Can we trust the Gospels? Were these accounts written by individuals with firsthand knowledge of Jesus Christ? Dr. Pitre begins this series by examining why the Gospels are reliable sources of information about Jesus and by looking at the historical evidence that backs up this claim.
September 24: The Early Church Fathers
The early church is not silent on the authorship of the Gospels. From the earliest members of the Christian faith, the early Church Fathers, we learn how well-attested it was that the Gospels are in fact written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
October 1: Are the Gospels Biographies?
Do the Gospels tell us the truth about Jesus? Or should we view them as folklore, fables, or legends? Dr. Pitre demonstrates how the Gospels are best understood as ancient biographies, and, consequently, as reliable sources of historical information about Jesus.
October 8: When Were the Gospels Written?
Some attempt to cast doubt on the reliability of the Gospels, asserting they were written too late in the first century to provide accurate information about Jesus. Is there any evidence that the Gospels were written closer to the events they describe? And how did the disciples’ training as students influence the reliability of their witness?
October 15: The Kingdom of God and the Messiah
Who did Jesus claim to be? Who was he? Looking at Jesus’s own words and his fulfillment of two key Old Testament prophecies in the Book of Daniel, Dr. Pitre opens up Jesus’s oft repeated promise to usher in the Kingdom of God.
October 22: Did Jesus Claim to Be God?
What answers can we give skeptics who think that the early Christians exaggerated stories about Jesus and made him out to be something he was not? Dr. Pitre takes an in-depth look at three particular New Testament passages that show Jesus’s revelation of his divinity and his disciples’ understanding that Jesus is the one true God.
October 29: The Crucifixion of Jesus
Why would Jesus, who preached about the love of God, detachment form worldly goods, and love of one’s neighbor, be so violently opposed that his enemies arranged his execution? In this session, Dr. Pitre looks at the details surrounding Jesus’s trial and Death and what these details reveal about Jesus and his mission.
November 5: The Resurrection of Jesus
What is the Resurrection? What do we mean when we say Jesus “rose from the dead”? Dr. Pitre lays out the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus, focusing on three things:the empty tomb, the appearances of Jesus to his disciples, and the fulfillment of scripture.