Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #633032 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 89 pages

Customer Reviews

THE INCLUSION OF JESUS IN THE IDENTITY OF GOD
Bauckham offers a new proposal for understanding Christology in its Jewish context; one in which the earliest N.T. Christology "includes" Jesus in the identity of God. He contends that, while this was a radically novel & unprecedented development, it was in no way a repudiation of the strict Jewish monotheistic faith.

He disagrees that second temple Jewish inter- mediary figures provide the proper category to understand Christian Christological conception. Such a category would make Jesus a second, lesser, demigod. His basic argument is, that too little attention has been given, in current discussion, to "who" God is, and that once we understand how second temple Judaism understood the identity of God, the N.T. Christological monotheism can be seen as compatible with strict Jewish Monotheistic thought.

Basically, he says, God is identified as Creator and Ruler, both of which are aspects of his absolute supremacy over all things. While there are other characteristics of God, these are ones that most readily distinguish God's absolute and unique identity. Since God alone is Supreme, exclusive worship is directed to him, and no other.

Primarily through an examination of Psalm 110:1 and Isaiah 40-55, and their reading as reflected in various N.T. passages, Bauckham argues that Jesus is portrayed as participating in the very functions of God that constitute his unique identity, and therefore shares in the identity of God--again, not as a second God alongside of God, but the identity of the one unique God.

Some concerns with this proposal would include: 1) He does acknowledge contrary evidence (e.g., some intermediary figures, as angels, do participate in the rule of God and receive homage), but dismisses it because it is not "typical" in the sources. 2) In his treatment of intermediary figures (i.e. principal angels and exalted humans), he argeus that the sources that portray them as exalted next to God also, in most contexts, make it clear they are only servants and are not included in the divine identity. Yet, most of the key N.T. passages (even I Cor. 8:6, which he cites as the earliest text that includes Jesus in the identity of God and uses to illustate the point), clearly distinguish between the one God, the Father, and the one Lord, Jesus Christ. However, rather than focus on this distinction, Bauckham points out that in the original O.T. passage (the Shema), both the word "God" and "Lord" refer to the one unique divine identity; therefore, he argues, by application of the word "Lord" to Jesus in this context, Paul is thereby including him in the identity of God.

The last half of the book works the identity in reverse: if Jesus is included in the identity of God, then God is now to be identified via the humiliation, suffering, etc. of Jesus. God's heart is opened to the world--this is the one true God, and no other.

Convincing analysis of early Christian thought
In this brief book, Bauckham attempts to prove that the earliest Church identified Jesus as the God of the Old Testament. To prove this, the author looks at how the Old Testament spoke of God (what terms were used, what wording was customary, etc.) and showed that the early Church (most of whom were Jewish converts--Paul was a rabbi) used the same termonology when writing about Jesus. He also looks at differences between Jewish/Second Temple Period references to God as opposed to angels (or any being that is less than God, but more than man) and shows that these types of references were not used when writing about Jesus.

There is an argument that the author too quickly dismisses many Scriptural passages that run counter to his argument. While this may be true, I don't think it was within the author's scope to fully treat each Biblical passage. This book is quite short, making it necessary for Bauckham to "get to the point" quickly. Furthermore, the book is intended to have people read the New Testament from a different perspective. In these things, Bauckham succeeded. It is an interesting read and I recommend it.

definitely worth a read
this is one of the simplest accounts of christology that i've ever read...
bauckham argues that the first Christians, without anything by way of mental tension, simply included Jesus within the identity of God. or, maybe better still, the identity of God is revealed to us via Jesus' activity on the cross (readers familiar with the theology of jurgen moltmann will be on familiar ground).
to me, the most rewarding thing about a christology such as this is the way it confronts the existential dilemma of modern man. i came away from this book with a new appreciation for the love that is God. needless to say, if bauckham is correct, the implications for theology are drastic (and refreshing). its certainly food for thought.
one drawback is how brief this book is. i found myself wishing it to be another one of those modern day 700 pagers. bauckham said that this is just an intro, and that he later hopes to write more fully on this issue. i, for one, can't wait. his approach is brilliant, and his finding a christology basically equal to Nicene christology via a return to Jewish thought categories is refreshing. i highly recommend it.