In His Own Words: The Testimony of Jesus regarding Himself

Over fifty years ago, my college professor told our class, "Jesus never said He was the Son of God." Just a few years ago a young college student came to me puzzled and confused because her teacher had said the same thing. Where do they get such nonsense? Jesus did say that He was the Son of God, and He accepted that title from others. Moreover, on page after page of the Gospels, He said things that would be outrageous and blasphemous if He were not divine. This book looks at what Jesus said about Himself. The first few chapters rely mainly on the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) since they often receive less attention in discussions of Christ's deity. Later chapters examine a few crucial texts in the gospel of John. When we examine these sayings in the light of their Jewish background, it becomes impossible to turn Jesus into a simple peasant preacher of morality. Neither can we justify turning to second and third century Gnostic gospels for a reliable picture of Jesus.