Did J esus Discover Forgiveness?

This essay explores H annah A rendt's claim that J esus was the “discoverer” of forgiveness. It assesses C harles G riswold's view that person‐to‐person forgiveness is in evidence in G reek culture and practice before J esus. The essay refines G riswold's view and suggests that person‐to‐person forgiveness is a cultural universal. The essay makes observations about the significance of the different words that denote person‐to‐person forgiveness; it also explores the implications of reading the N ew T estament writings on person‐to‐person forgiveness in the chronological order in which they were written. From a close reading of the early N ew T estament documents, the essay makes two suggestions about the W estern tradition of forgiveness. First, it suggests that Paul the apostle is the first to identify person‐to‐person forgiveness as a moral virtue. Second, it suggests that in the S ynoptic tradition, J esus is the first to identify person‐to‐person forgiveness as a discrete category of behavior distinct, for example, from pardoning, excusing, waiving, or ignoring the wrongs of others.