Early 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 the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series
Loren T. Stuckenbruck is Professor of New Testament at Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, Germany. Dr. Wendy North, formerly of Hull University, is a New Testament scholar.
Introduction: Loren Stuckenbruck and Wendy Sproston NorthPART 1 The Religious World of the New Testament1.Jewish and Christian Monotheism in the Herodian Age: William Horbury2.'Angels' and 'God', Exploring the Limits of Early Jewish Monotheism: Loren Stuckenbruck3.Alexander the Great's Worship of the High Priest: Crispin Fletcher-LouisPART 2 The New Testament1.Was Jesus a Monotheist?: James Dunn2.YHWH Texts and Monotheism in Paul's Christology: David Capes3.The Lord Is One, Reflections on the Theme of Unity in St John's Gospel from a Jewish Perspective: C.T.R. Hayward4.Monotheism and the Gospel of John; Jesus, Moses and the Law: Wendy Sproston North5.Monotheism and Christology in Hebrews1: Richard Bauckham6.Jesus and Worship, God and Sacrifice: Lionel NorthPART 3 Problems in Terminology1.How Appropriate Is 'Monotheism' as a Category for Biblical Interpretation?: R.W.L. Moberly2.The Origins of 'Monotheism': Nathan MacDonaldBibliography: James McGrath and Jerry TruexIndexScripture Index
Review ~ International Review of Biblical Studies, vol 51, 2004/05