Was Jesus’ Claim to Forgive Sin Unique in Ancient History?
By Dr. Mikel Del Rosario
Intro
When an Uber driver asked what conference I was attending and what I did for a living, I told him, “I’m a professor who studies Jesus as a figure in ancient history.” That sparked a 45-minute conversation. He wasn’t religious, but he liked history—and he had questions. “Weren’t there all kinds of miracle workers back then?” he asked. “Was Jesus really any different?”
These are fair questions, especially since people often hear that miracle workers were “a dime a dozen” in the ancient world. But a closer look at the evidence reveals something remarkable about Jesus’ actions that sets Him apart.
A Unique Kind of Miracle Worker
Ancient sources consistently describe Jesus as a miracle worker. But the way He performed miracles—and the authority He claimed in doing so—makes Him stand out.
Take the account of the paralyzed man in Mark 2:1–12. Before healing him, Jesus said, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5b, ESV). He addressed the man’s spiritual condition before his physical one. In a society that often marginalized those with disabilities, Jesus’ response was deeply compassionate—but it also carried a shocking theological claim.
Who could forgive sins but God alone?
To see just how radical this was, let’s compare Jesus to other figures of His time: Greco-Roman miracle workers and Jewish priests.
Greco-Roman Miracle Workers
Greco-Roman culture had no shortage of healers and “divine men.” Yet none made claims like Jesus.
In Theios Anēr and the Markan Miracle Traditions, Barry Blackburn surveys ancient accounts of healers such as Asclepius, Machaon, Podarlirius, and Apollonius of Tyana. None claimed to forgive sins. Most didn’t even speak during their miracles—they simply acted.
For instance, one inscription tells of a lame man named Nicanor who was healed when a boy snatched his crutch and ran off, forcing him to walk (see Inscriptions Graecae 4.1.121–122 in Wendy Cotter’s Miracles in Greco-Roman Antiquity). While interesting, this story doesn’t include divine pronouncements or moral implications.
Jesus’ words—“Your sins are forgiven”—have no Greco-Roman parallel. His claim was unprecedented in both content and context.
Jewish Priests and Forgiveness
Some argue that Jesus’ forgiveness saying wasn’t a divine claim, but a priestly one. Bart Ehrman, in How Jesus Became God, suggests Jesus was asserting an authority similar to Jewish priests who mediated forgiveness through temple sacrifices.
But the historical evidence doesn’t support that view. Jewish priests didn’t personally forgive sins; they performed rituals and prayed on behalf of the people. As Daniel Johansson notes in his dissertation Jesus and God in the Gospel of Mark, there’s no evidence that priests ever pronounced forgiveness. The Letter of Aristeas even notes that priests performed sacrifices in silence.
While Leviticus 12:6–8 mentions priests “making atonement,” this referred to ritual purification, not moral forgiveness. And when Jesus forgave the paralytic, He wasn’t in the temple, no sacrifice was offered, and He didn’t appeal to God in prayer. He simply declared forgiveness Himself.
This was not priestly language. It was divine language.
The Unprecedented Nature of Jesus’ Claim
One obscure Jewish text, The Prayer of Nabonidus (4Q242), has prompted debate about whether any Jewish figures pronounced forgiveness. Yet even scholars who cite it—like Blackburn—acknowledge that interpretations vary widely. No clear precedent exists.
When we examine both Greco-Roman and Jewish traditions, Jesus’ words in Mark 2 stand alone. His claim to forgive sins was not only extraordinary—it was a direct challenge to established categories of divine and human authority.
Conclusion
Jesus wasn’t simply another ancient miracle worker. His miracles weren’t displays of power for their own sake; they were theological statements. By forgiving sins, He claimed the very prerogatives of God.
In a world filled with competing truth claims, Jesus’ actions still confront us with the same question His audience faced: Who can forgive sins but God alone?
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