Brant Pitre

Brant J. Pitre
Born	1975 (age 50–51) New Orleans, Louisiana, US
Academic background
Education	Louisiana State University (B.A.) Tel Aviv University (G.C.) Vanderbilt University Divinity School (M.T.S.) University of Notre Dame (Ph.D)
Academic work
Discipline	Theology
Sub-discipline	New Testament Early Christianity Historical Jesus
Institutions	Augustine Institute Notre Dame Seminary Our Lady of Holy Cross College University of Notre Dame Loyola University New Orleans

Brant James Pitre (born 1975 in Houma, Louisiana) is an American New Testament scholar and Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute. He has written extensively on the historical Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Paul the Apostle, the origin of the Eucharist, and the canonical Gospels.

Education

After receiving his B.A. in Philosophy and English Literature from Louisiana State University in 1997, Pitre engaged in biblical studies: he received a G.C. in biblical archaeology in 1998 from Tel Aviv University, a M.T.S. from Vanderbilt University Divinity School in 1999 and, eventually, his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. While at Vanderbilt, Pitre studied under Professor Amy-Jill Levine, while at Notre Dame he met and studied under Father John P. Meier.

Career

He was assistant professor of theology at Loyola University New Orleans from 2003 to 2005. From 2005 to 2009, he was adjunct professor of Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary, Visiting professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and Donum Dei Professor of Word and Sacrament and assistant professor of theology at Our Lady of Holy Cross College. From 2009 to 2018 he served as Professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary, before moving to his current position at the Augustine Institute. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Catholic Biblical Association.

In his works, Pitre has consistently defended the Catholic dogma of transubstantiation, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the divinity of Jesus, and traditional authorship of the Gospels. His books have been praised by Bishop Robert Barron and several Roman Catholic leaders. He was also a contributor to the Dictionary of Jesus And the Gospels, where he wrote articles about Jewish eschatology in regard to Jesus.

Reception

Brant Pitre's work has been praised by various scholars, including Dale Allison, Chris Tilling, Tucker Ferda, and Christine Jacobi. Matthew Levering described Pitre as "the preeminent Catholic historical-Jesus scholar alive today—and indeed as one of the most important Christian thinkers of the twenty-first century."

The Imaginative Conservative says that Pitre's book The Case for Jesus is a work of apologetics.

Personal life

Pitre is a Catholic and currently lives in Louisiana with his wife Elizabeth and their five children.

Bibliography

• Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile, Mohr Siebeck, 2005, , .
• Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told, Crown Publishing, 2014, .
• Jesus and the Last Supper, Eerdmans, 2015, .
• The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ, Crown Publishing, 2016, .
• A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, Ignatius Press, 2018.
• Paul, a New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology, co-authored with Michael P. Barber and John A. Kincaid, Eerdmans, 2019, .
• Introduction to the Spiritual Life: Walking the Path of Prayer with Jesus, Crown Publishing, 2021, .
• Jesus and Divine Christology, Eerdmans, 2024, .