Lectio: The Case for Jesus with Dr. Brant Pitre
Do you follow Jesus ‘on the way’?
Can we trust the Gospels? Do we really know who wrote them? Do the Gospels communicate truth – or fabricated fables? Who is Jesus? Who did Jesus claim to be? Join Dr. Brant Pitre as he draws evidence from both early Christian and non-Christian writings attesting to the authenticity, authorship, and dating of the Gospels, and as he gives an in-depth look at the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s Crucifixion, Resurrection, and the proclamation of Christ’s divinity.
Dr. Pitre’s powerful presentation will strengthen your faith so that you can not only stand firm and profess that Jesus truly is “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” but also confidently respond to any skeptics you encounter.
Purchase a leader's guide here.
Purchase discounted guides for participants here.
Find guides for leaders and participants on
Catholic.Market
Find other leader resources here: https://leaders.formed.org/parishwide-studies/
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 1
Session 1: 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 evidenc...
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Episode 2
Session 2: 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.
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 3
Session 3: 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 ...
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 4
Session 4: 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? A...
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 5
Session 5: 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.
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 6
Session 6: 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...
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 7
Session 7: 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...
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 8
Session 8: 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.
-
Lectio: The Case for Jesus - Session 9
Session 9: Question and Answer
Dr. Pitre takes time to answer numerous questions regarding the material covered over the course of the study.
