The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ - The Case for Jesus

Dr. Pitre has gone beyond what would be considered excellent scholarly work. In the process, he deposes many modern scholars and unseats their theories in setting the record straight on the historicity and reliability of the gospels and the biographical data we can draw from them about Jesus. It is not unlike uncovering evidence in great detective investigative research but also mixed with fresh new scholarship to meet the challenges that skeptics have thrown into biblical scholarship for decades now. Pitre shows a commanding grasp of his subject, presenting his conclusions in a format that the everyday person can absorb.

The author masterfully uses a popular language to explain the rather difficult objections modern paganism attacks Christianity in our day and age. The simple language used doesn't take away the credibility of the sources nor does it diminish the intensity of the subject at hand, but it helps the reader, regardless of their education background, grasp fundamentally the evidence presented for the Case of Jesus. This book is a weapon that every Catholic or honest scholar should have in their arsenal of faith and reason. Wonderful book!!!

The Case for Jesus begins with Dr. Pitre telling us about his time in undergraduate classes at LSU and how he was blown away and confused when his professor told him that the Gospels were all anonymously written and that it wasn't until centuries later that the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were added to them. He then tells us about how he graduated from Vanderbilt being a bit lost and confused with his faith. Thankfully for the Catholic Church, he did not, or else we would not have his great mind and book. Instead, he entered a PhD program in New Testament studies. Through those studies, he learned three things. 1. The Gospels were not anonymous. 2. Jesus did claim to be God. 3. The confusion about Jesus and who He claimed to be is everywhere! Years later, he decided to write this book for anyone who has ever wondered, "Who did Jesus claim to be?"

The book then takes us through early Christianity and the Gospels. Dr. Pitre tells us that the Gospels were not anonymous, who the authors actually were, what the Early Church Fathers had to say about the Gospels, the dating of the Gospels, and apocryphal gospels. The chapter "Jesus and the Jewish Messiah" was the most fascinating to me, In this chapter, Dr. Pitre walks us through the Old Testament book of Daniel and how these prophecies related to Jesus. There are sections on the Kingdom of God, the Son of God, and even the Death of the Messiah. Truly a fascinating chapter and one I had to read again and will have to visit again the next time I read through the book of Daniel. The book then concludes with chapters on who Jesus thought He was, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

This book is a solid read for those looking for who Jesus was. It is straight-forward, but intelligent, and you can read it at two different levels. The first level is just reading the book. The second level is turning to the notes at the end and diving deeper by reading some of the sources that Dr. Pitre used in writing this book. I personally loved the book, and it is a great book for Catholics. At the same time, this book is a bit like preaching to the choir. Catholics will have a great book to bolster their faith and be more informed on a subject they didn't know a lot about before. Conversely, atheists and skeptics will see the title for this book, and dismiss it without even giving it a chance, which is a shame, but reality.