Description
Book SynopsisEarly Christology must focus not simply on historical but also on theological ideas found in contemporary Jewish thought and practice. In this book, a range of distinguished contributors considers the context and formation of early Jewish and Christian devotion to God alone-the emergence of monotheism. The idea of monotheism is critically examined from various perspectives, including the history of ideas, Graeco-Roman religions, early Jewish mediator figures, scripture exegesis, and the history of its use as a theological category.
The studies explore different ways of conceiving of early Christian monotheism today, asking whether monotheism is a conceptually useful category, whether it may be applied cautiously and with qualifications, or whether it is to be questioned in favor of different approaches to understanding the origins of Jewish and Christian beliefs and worship.
This is volume 1 in the Early Christianity in Context series and volume 263 in the Journal for
Trade ReviewReview ~ International Review of Biblical Studies, vol 51, 2004/05
Overall, Early Jewish and Christian Monotheism is a welcome contribution to the field, and a welcome addition to the student/scholar's library. Anyone who has read widely in early Christology or Second Temple monotheism will have noticed just how often the essays in this volume are cited in recent literature, and with good reason, they all merit engagement in one way or another. Those readers looking to examine a variety of explanations for the early devotion given to Jesus will profit greatly by consulting this volume.' —Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
"Of interest to scholars, this series of essays by a variety of noted authors concentrates on the issue of how the high Christology of the New Testament writings that affirm in some way the divinity of Jesus relates to traditional Jewish convictions of monotheism. The leading section situates Jewish monotheism within the wider Mediterranean world, and subsequent groupings deal directly with the New Testament materials and with the wider implications of this issue." - The Bible Today, Nov/Dec 2005 * Bible Today, The *
'...this rich collection of essays is not just important for New Testament exegesis and theoology but also offers a lot of impulses for systematic theology.' Volume 116, Number 3 -- Tobias Nicklas * Expository Times *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Loren Stuckenbruck and Wendy Sproston North PART 1 The Religious World of the New Testament 1.Jewish and Christian Monotheism in the Herodian Age: William Horbury 2.'Angels' and 'God', Exploring the Limits of Early Jewish Monotheism: Loren Stuckenbruck 3.Alexander the Great's Worship of the High Priest: Crispin Fletcher-Louis PART 2 The New Testament 1.Was Jesus a Monotheist?: James Dunn 2.YHWH Texts and Monotheism in Paul's Christology: David Capes 3.The Lord Is One, Reflections on the Theme of Unity in St John's Gospel from a Jewish Perspective: C.T.R. Hayward 4.Monotheism and the Gospel of John; Jesus, Moses and the Law: Wendy Sproston North 5.Monotheism and Christology in Hebrews1: Richard Bauckham 6.Jesus and Worship, God and Sacrifice: Lionel North PART 3 Problems in Terminology 1.How Appropriate Is 'Monotheism' as a Category for Biblical Interpretation?: R.W.L. Moberly 2.The Origins of 'Monotheism': Nathan MacDonald Bibliography: James McGrath and Jerry Truex Index Scripture Index
