Deity of Christ
- Blog
Upcoming Events
Rob’s Other Publications
Rob Online
Category Archives: Jesus and Christology
Four Contrasts between Joseph Smith’s Four First Vision Accounts and the Four Gospels
The first article in the recent Book of Mormon Central “Insight” series provides an overview of “Joseph Smith’s Firsthand Accounts of the First Vision.” These include the 1838/1839 canonical account in Joseph Smith–History (part of the collection known as the … Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Studies, Jesus and Christology, Mormonism
Tagged First Vision, Gospels, Joseph Smith
Leave a comment
How Do We Know Jesus Died on the Cross? The Strong Hand in Defense of the Historicity of the Crucifixion
It is surely one of the oddities in the history of human thought that millions of people today deny that Jesus died on the cross. The historical evidence that Jesus died by crucifixion at the order of Pontius Pilate is about as strong as it could be for any historical event in the ancient world. However, today many skeptics and most Muslims dispute this historical fact. We should therefore be prepared to present good reasons in defense of this fact, which is so basic to our hope as Christians (1 Peter 3:15). I can think of no better day to reflect on the evidence than Good Friday. Continue reading
EASTER: The Evidence
How do we know that Jesus rose from the dead? Several years back I put together a simple outline of the main lines of evidence using the word EASTER. Each point is tied to Paul’s important defense of the hope … Continue reading
Posted in apologetics, Jesus and Christology
Tagged appearances, Easter, empty tomb, resurrection, Saul of Tarsus
2 Comments
Jesus as God and Distinct from God: A Reply to Kegan Chandler
In his book The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma, Kegan Chandler repeats Dale Tuggy’s critique of Richard Bauckham’s “divine identity Christology,” which is essentially that the idea is logically contradictory. As part of his critique, Chandler offers … Continue reading
Posted in Jesus and Christology, Trinity, Unitarianism
Tagged Dale Tuggy, Kegan Chandler, Richard Bauckham
Leave a comment
Six Hints that the “Baby Jesus Stories” of the Gospels Were Not Late Additions
Gerard van Honthorst, Adoration of the Shepherds (1622) Every December, articles circulate online (and often in major news magazines) calling into question the truth of the virgin birth of Christ. This year, a blog article posted on December 19, … Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Studies, Jesus and Christology
Tagged atheism, Christmas, deity of Christ, infancy narratives, Valerie Tarico, Virgin Birth
3 Comments
Are You Smarter than a Trinitarian? Part One: Responding to Mormon Misdirection on the Trinity
Ronald Kimmons is a Latter-day Saint businessman with political ambitions, a self-described “digital marketing professional, linguist, and smartypants” who has also spent a lot of time answering questions on the popular Q&A website Quora. According to his Quora profile, Kimmons, … Continue reading
Posted in Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus and Christology, Mormonism, Trinity, Unitarianism
Tagged heresy, Latter-day Saints
6 Comments
Jesus the Divine Bridegroom: Michael Tait’s Case for a High Christology in Mark
Tait, Michael. Jesus, the Divine Bridegroom, in Mark 2:18-22: Mark’s Christology Upgraded. Analecta Biblica 185. Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2010. Michael Tait is a former schoolteacher and headmaster with two doctorates who sought but never … Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Studies, Jesus and Christology
Tagged Christology, deity of Christ, Gospel of Mark, Jesus
2 Comments
Lydia McGrew on Credentials and New Testament Scholarship
Lydia McGrew is a scholar trained in the study of literature (her Ph.D. was in English literature), an accomplished author of peer-reviewed publications in philosophy (including epistemology and philosophy of religion) including some directly relevant to Gospel scholarship, and recently … Continue reading
Looking for a Low Christology in the Gospel of John: A Review Article
Kim, Yung Suk. Truth, Testimony, and Transformation: A New Reading of the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2014. Yung Suk Kim is Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at … Continue reading
Posted in Biblical Studies, Jesus and Christology
Tagged Christology, deity of Christ, Gospel of John, I am, John 1:1-18, John 8:58
3 Comments
Did Jesus Exist before He Was Born?
Critics of the Trinitarian view of Jesus Christ as God incarnate sometimes argue that Jesus could not have existed before he was born. They point out that Jesus received his name “Jesus” when he was born (Matt. 1:21, 25; Luke … Continue reading