A long awaited seminar class is finally underway in the Criswell College New Testament department entitled “Christology and Monotheism“. This is not a systematic theology class, nor a class reading the early christian creeds back into the text, but is a seminar exploring the early Jewish background to the Christology of the NT. I have been waiting patiently for a formal class on this particular topic for a couple of years and I am enlivened at the opportunity to delve into the Second Temple Jewish conception of the heavens and their populace for backgrounds of our understanding of how the NT authors articulate their comprehension of Jesus of Nazereth, who is called Son of God, Son of Man, Lord, Messiah, the Great High Priest, and even God.
Here is the outline for the topics the seminar is addressing in their respective order: Ancient Israelite Monotheism and Heavenly Beings; Exalted Humans in Second Temple Judaism: Adam, Moses, Kings, Priests; Principal Angel Traditions in Second Temple Judaism; Exalted Figures cont.; Exalted Enoch in Second Temple Judaism; Personified Divine Attributes in Second Temple Judaism: Logos/Wisdom/Memra/Glory/Name; NT Christology: reviewing Bauckham’s idea of Christ and the Divine Identity; NT Christology: reviewing Hurtado’s idea of early devotion to Jesus; NT Christology: questioning the consensus; and finally Patristic Christianity.
This has the potential of being the best class in my educational career. I am thoroughly enjoying it and we just begun.
