Was Jesus God?

by Richard Swinburne

Overview

One of the world's leading philosophers and a staunch defender of religious faith, Richard Swinburne argues compellingly that if there is a God, then the main doctrines which the Christian Church teaches about God are very probably true. In particular, he shows that there is strong philosophical support for the belief that Jesus, while remaining God, acquired a human nature and lived on earth for thirty years as a human being. In virtue of his omnipotence and perfect goodness, the author shows, God must be a Trinity, live a human life in order to share our suffering, and found a church which would enable him to tell all humans about this. It is also quite probable that he would provide his human life as atonement for our wrongdoing, teach us how we should live, and tell us his plans for our future after death. Among founders of religions, Jesus uniquely satisfies the requirement of living the sort of human life which God would need to have lived.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199580446
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	02/08/2010
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Richard Swinburne was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Keele, Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, University of Oxford, and Fellow of the British Academy.

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART 1 God Loves Us
1. God
2. God is Love
3. God shared our human nature
4. God atoned for our wrongdoing
5. God taught us how to live
6. God offers us Heaven
PART 2 God shows us that He loves us
7. The Life and Teaching of Jesus
8. The Resurrection of Jesus
9. Provisional Conclusion
10. The Church
11. The Bible
12. Final Conclusion
Index

Editorial Reviews

Swinburne, British philosophy professor and the author of books on religious belief, the philosophy of mind and epistemology, explains the point of this book: to show that God conforms to specifically Christian definitions of God and that Christian doctrines and theology are true. By comparison with the author's earlier Is There a God? this book focuses particularly on the foundational Christian doctrine that Jesus was (and is) God. Swinburne uses the Nicene Creed as a road map, but the defining paradigm is God's love, particularly how God's love for us characterizes God and necessitates Jesus. Despite the sophistication of his argument, Swinburne depends on a sympathetic audience predisposed to his conclusions. For example, not everyone will agree that we exist in a state of original sinfulness from which we can only be reconciled to God by "offering a perfect human life which might well... end in a death by execution." Although regular use of boldface words and phrases help direct readers through Swinburne's reasoning, many will find the academic language of philosophy daunting. (Nov.)

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Publishers Weekly

"...in this formidably argued analysis, readers see a powerful mind defending Christian faith as both rational and coherent."—Booklist

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