Jesus and Divine Christology by Brant Pitre Dr. Brant Pitre’s latest academic contribution to New Testament Christology tackles one of the most fundamental and debated questions in the field: *Did Jesus see himself as divine?* This question has long been a point of contention, with much of modern critical scholarship arguing that the notion of Jesus’ divinity was a later theological development rather than a self-understanding reflected in the historical Jesus’ own words and actions. Pitre, however, challenges this perspective head-on. He contends that the Synoptic Gospels—often viewed as presenting a lower Christology compared to John—as well as the Gospel of John itself, offer clear and compelling evidence that Jesus made implicit and explicit claims to his own divinity. More significantly, Pitre argues that these claims can be reliably traced back to the historical Jesus rather than being theological constructs of the early church. What makes Pitre’s work particularly noteworthy i...
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In his seminal work, De Doctrina Christiana, Augustine of Hippo articulates the sophisticated rhetorical nature of biblical language, asserting: "I would have learned men to know that the authors of our Scriptures use all those forms of expression which grammarians call by the Greek name tropes, and use them more freely and in greater variety than people who are unacquainted with the Scriptures, and have learned these figures of speech from other writings, can imagine or believe. Nevertheless, those who know these tropes recognize them in Scripture, and are very much assisted by their knowledge of them in understanding Scripture." Although Augustine does not provide an exhaustive taxonomy of these rhetorical devices, one that undoubtedly aligns with his observations is chiasmus (or chiasm). [1] This structural and stylistic feature derives its name from the Greek letter chi (Χ), which reflects its distinctive inverting pattern. As a rhetorical device, chiasmus is characteri...
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Structure of the Gospel of John John’s Gospel follows a clear yet deeply symbolic structure. The narrative can be broadly divided into two main sections: the Book of Signs (John 1–12) and the Book of Glory (John 13–21). Influenced by Rudolf Bultmann, C. H. Dodd affirmed the two-fold division of the Gospel. He considered chapters 2-12 as containing the account of the public life of Jesus characterized by miracles recorded by the Evangelist only as “signs” and thus called it “The Book of Signs.” Chapters 13-20 which contain the account of the passion as the culminating moment of the life and the mission of Jesus, Dodd called “The Book of the Passion.” [1] I. Introduction (Prologue): The Word Made Flesh in Jesus Christ (1:1–18) II. The Gospel Proper: From John’s to the Evangelist’s Witness (1:19–20:31) A. Act I (Sign Drama): The Messiah’s Signs and Rejection by His Own (1:19–12:50) 1. From John to Jesus: The Beginnings of Jesus’ Ministry (...
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John’s portrayal of Jesus as the new mediator of divine revelation fundamentally reconfigures the relationship between God and His people, positioning Christ as the ultimate source of divine knowledge, surpassing and, in some ways, displacing the Torah. This shift reflects a growing tension between early Christian identity and Jewish Torah observance, as John presents Jesus not merely as an interpreter of the Law but as its fulfillment and replacement. The prologue (John 1:1-18) introduces Jesus as the divine Logos, who embodies grace and truth in contrast to the Law given through Moses. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus functions as the direct means through which humanity perceives God (John 14:6-9), bypassing traditional Jewish mediatory structures. The emphasis on believing in Jesus as the sole path to the Father (John 3:16-18) implies that adherence to Torah alone is insufficient for divine knowledge, subtly undermining Jewish covenantal identity rooted in the Law.
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Philo, Allegorical Interpretation III, 81-82 Let us now see what account Moses gives of the mind itself, when it is set in motion in a way contrary to right reason (orthon logon). ... And, as a ship holds on her right course when the pilot has the helm in his hand and steers her, and she is obedient to her rudder, but the vessel is upset when some contrary wind descends upon the waves and the whole sea is occupied by billows; so when the mind, which is the charioteer or pilot of the soul, retains the mastery over the entire animal, as a ruler does over a city, the life of the man proceeds rightly. In this passage from Allegorical Interpretation III, 81-82 by Philo, he uses a metaphor to describe the mind's role in guiding a person's life and actions. Philo compares the mind to a ship's pilot or charioteer, responsible for steering the soul in the right direction, just as a pilot steers a ship or a charioteer controls a chariot. When the mind is in control, in harmony with ...
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James K.A. Smith, in You Are What You Love, argues that worship is not just about what we believe but about what we habitually do. Our liturgical practices, whether formal or informal, shape our long-term desires. Corporate worship trains our hearts in ways that individual devotion cannot fully replicate. Singing hymns, reciting creeds, praying together, and hearing the Word preached all reinforce our ultimate allegiance to Christ. Moreover, worship engrains spiritual disciplines into our daily lives. Just as athletes train their bodies through repetitive practice, worship trains our souls, forming habits that make us more Christlike. Worship is inherently communal. In the Old Testament, Israel’s identity as God’s chosen people was reinforced through feasts, sacrifices, and temple worship. In the New Testament, the Church is called the "body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27), united through shared worship. Corporate worship binds believers together, reminding us that faith i...
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Augustine of Hippo famously argued that the root of sin is disordered love—loving lesser things more than we love God. Worship corrects this by realigning our affections so that God is at the center. The first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3), is not merely a prohibition but an invitation to place God in His rightful place in our hearts. Regular worship fosters love for God and, in turn, love for others. Jesus emphasized this connection when He said the greatest commandment is to love God and the second is like it: to love one’s neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). True worship produces a life that reflects God’s love, mercy, and justice. Worship not only informs us but also transforms us by shaping our moral compass. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul urges believers to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice, which is their "spiritual worship," and to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Worship changes our perspective, helping...