Lord Jesus Christ : devotion to Jesus in earliest Christianity

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Lord Jesus Christ : devotion to Jesus in earliest Christianity

Larry W. Hurtado

Wm.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., c2003

  • : pbk

Available at  / 10 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 655-702) and index

Paperback edition 2005

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780802831675

Description

This outstanding book provides an in-depth historical study of the place of Jesus in the religious life, beliefs, and worship of Christians from the beginnings of the Christian movement down to the late second century. "Lord Jesus Christ" is a monumental work on earliest Christian devotion to Jesus, sure to replace Wilhelm Bousset's "Kyrios Christos" (1913) as the standard work on the subject. Larry Hurtado, widely respected for his previous contributions to the study of the New Testament and Christian origins, offers the best view to date of how the first Christians saw and reverenced Jesus as divine. In assembling this compelling picture, Hurtado draws on a wide body of ancient sources, from Scripture and the writings of such figures as Ignatius of Antioch and Justin to apocryphal texts such as the "Gospel of Thomas" and the "Gospel of Truth." Hurtado considers such themes as early beliefs about Jesus' divine status and significance, but he also explores telling devotional practices of the time, including prayer and worship, the use of Jesus' name in exorcism, baptism and healing, ritual invocation of Jesus as "Lord," martyrdom, and lesser-known phenomena such as prayer postures and the curious scribal practice known today as the nomina sacra. The revealing portrait that emerges from Hurtado's comprehensive study yields definitive answers to questions like these: how important was this formative period to later Christian tradition? When did the divinization of Jesus first occur? Was early Christianity influenced by neighboring religions? How did the idea of Jesus' divinity change old views of God? And why did the powerful dynamics of early beliefs and practices encourage people to make the costly move of becoming a Christian? Boasting an unprecedented breadth and depth of coverage - the book speaks authoritatively on everything from early Christian history to themes in biblical studies to New Testament Christology - Hurtado's "Lord Jesus Christ" is at once significant enough that a wide range of scholars will want to read it and accessible enough that general readers interested at all in Christian origins will also profit greatly from it.

Table of Contents

Preface Abbreviations Introduction Christ-Devotion Explanations A New religionsgeschichtliche Schule? This Study Forces and Factors Jewish Monotheism Was Jewish Religion Really Monotheistic? The Nature of Jewish Monotheism Monotheism in the New Testament The Effects of Monotheism on Christ-Devotion Jesus Religious Experience Revelatory Experiences in the New Testament The Religious Environment Summary Early Pauline Christianity Where to Begin? Key Personal Factors Paul's Jewishness Paul the Convert The Gentile Mission Christological Language and Themes Jesus as "Christ" Jesus' Divine Sonship Jesus as Lord Preexistence Jesus' Redemptive Death and Resurrection Jesus as Example Binitarian Worship Early Origins Worship "Binitarian" Summary Judean Jewish Christianity Pauline Evidence Paul's Acquaintance with Judean Christianity A Conspicuous Silence Judean Christian Tradition in Paul's Letters Judean Christ-Devotion in Acts Christological Categories Devotional Practice Hellenists and Hebrews Hellenists as "Proto-Paulinists" Hellenists as Jewish Christians Summary Q and Early Devotion to Jesus Untenable Options Kloppenborg's View of Q's Christology Historical Plausibility An Inductive Approach Is Q Peculiar? The Argument from Silence Devotion to Jesus in Q Centrality of Jesus Q's Narrative World and Jesus Jesus the Polarizing Issue Christological Terms Religious Life in Q Summary Jesus Books Shared Features of the Canonical Gospels The Literary Genre of the Canonical Gospels The Gospels and Early Christian Literature The Gospels and Jewish Literature The Roman-Era Literary Environment The Synoptic Renditions of Jesus Mark Matthew Luke Summary Crises and Christology in Johannine Christianity Jesus in the Gospel of John Some Literary Observations Messiah and Son of God Preexistence "I Am" The Son and the Father Jesus as/and the Glory of God Jesus as/and the Name of God The Name of Jesus Subordination and Distinction Jesus and the Spirit The Spirit and Johannine Christianity Christology and Controversy The Christological Crisis in Johannine Christianity Characterization of the Opponents The Christological Issue Jesus as Heavenly Visitor Jesus as Mystical Exemplar Historical Results Crises and Jesus-Devotion Other Early Jesus Books Jesus Books Rumors Secret Mark Fragments The Egerton Manuscript Gospel of Peter Infancy Gospels Protevangelium of James Infancy Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Thomas A Jesus Book Literary Character Secret Knowledge Revisionist Elitist Jesus and "Thomistic" Christianity Summary and Placement Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of John Revelation Dialogues Summary The Second Century -- Importance and Tributaries Christianity in the Second Century Approach and Focus Definitions First-Century Tributaries The Epistle to the Hebrews Late Pauline Texts Confluent Evidence Radical Diversity Valentinus and Valentinianism "Valentinianism" in Irenaeus Valentinian Innovations Valentinian Piety Nag Hammadi Texts Gospel of Truth Marcion Summarizing Reflections Proto-orthodox Devotion Finding Jesus in the Old Testament The Fourfold Gospel Visions and Revelations Revelation Ascension of Isaiah Shepherd of Hermas Worship and Prayer Outsiders and Critics Hymnody Prayer Martyrdom The Nomina Sacra Doctrinal Developments Jesus' Descent to Hades Jesus, Man and God The Divine Jesus and God Thereafter Bibliography of Works Cited Indexes Modern Authors Subjects Ancient Sources
Volume

ISBN 9780802860705

Description

Using the Early Christian knowledge of and devotion to Christ and his teachings as his guiding focus, Hurtado (New Testament language, literature, and theology, U. of Edinburgh, Scotland) describes, analyzes, and frequently critiques a vast array of primary materials and the scholarly research that

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