The Gospels record that Jesus purported to forgive sins. What significance would such a claim have had for his contemporaries and what would the implications have been for his identity as a first-century popular prophet? Tobias Hägerland answers these questions and more as he investigates the forgiveness of sins in the mission of the historical Jesus. The Gospels are interpreted within the context of first-century Judaism as part of a broader reconstruction of Jesus' career as a healer and prophet, and rhetorical criticism is introduced as a tool for explaining how the gospel tradition about Jesus and forgiveness developed. Hägerland combines detailed exegesis and rigorous methodology with a holistic view of the historical Jesus, evaluating recent scholarship about first-century Jewish prophets and utilizing previously neglected textual evidence to present a thorough investigation of the theology of forgiveness in early Judaism and primitive Christianity.

'[Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins] is excellent at collecting data and interacting with past scholarship and has the potential to gain credence in historical Jesus scholarship in this regard.'

Beniamin Pascut Source: Religious Studies Review

'… this is an interesting thesis, which present[s] a well structured cumulative argument.'

Source: The Expository Times

'This is an exemplary piece of work, a rich resource for discussion, and a well-argued thesis that deserves respect as a fine contribution to historical Jesus research.'

William R. G. Loader Source: Review of Biblical Literature

'I believe that this book will be extremely valuable for both ardent biblical scholars and other enquiring theologians with an interest in Christology and soteriology. It is well written, superbly structured, and a valuable scholarly contribution to the field.'

Dion Forster Source: Review of Biblical Literature