Source: Crispin Fletcher-Louis, Jesus Monotheism: Christological Origins: The Emerging Consensus and Beyond, vol. 1 (Eugene, OR: Whymanity Publishing, 2019), 158–165.
Theological Problems Posed by the Emerging Consensus.wav
This podcast explores the significant theological challenges raised by the "emerging consensus" regarding the origins of devotion to Jesus among early Christians. Specifically, it questions whether the reliance on religious experiences as the historical source of early Christ worship provides a strong enough foundation for the centuries of Christian practice, potentially risking it being dismissed as mere communal delusion. Furthermore, the podcast probes the crucial issue of idolatry, asking how Christians can be certain that their worship of Jesus is not a form of projection of human ideals onto him, lacking a robust theological justification beyond subjective experiences. Ultimately, it emphasizes the need for the emerging consensus to address these profound questions to provide a sound basis for Christological monotheism and discern between faithful and potentially idolatrous worship of Jesus.
1. The Theological Problems Posed by the Emerging Consensus on Christological Origins:
The source highlights that the recent findings and the emerging consensus regarding the origins and nature of the earliest Christian beliefs about Jesus and how they expressed devotion to him pose significant questions for Christian theology and practice today. While the preceding discussion in the larger work focused on historical issues, the shift here is to issues of hermeneutics and Christian theology. For many who study these historical origins, the inquiry is pressing because they are practicing Christians who regularly engage in devotion to Jesus Christ. The findings of this consensus necessitate exploring theological warrants for these practices, discerning the nature of "worship" of Jesus, and considering the implications of early Christ devotion for various aspects of Christian life, such as discipleship, relationships, ecclesiology, political theology, and missiology. The source notes that while a leading figure in the consensus like Hurtado does not explicitly frame his work as theological, his Christian commitments are evident, and his research implicitly aims to provide a historical foundation for orthodox Christology, and others have certainly used his work for this purpose. Therefore, considering the theological implications of his model, such as those related to religious experience and idolatry, is presented as appropriate and necessary.
2. The Nature and Requirements of Christian Worship of Jesus:
A fundamental question explored is whether Christians are actually required, as followers of Jesus, to "worship" him. If they are, the source asks how they should properly do this. It questions what this "worship" of Jesus truly entails. Given the diversity of views within Christian traditions and evolving theological positions regarding the essentials of Christian theology, the source also considers what the findings of the emerging consensus definitively state about the nature of the Jesus Christians worship in relation to God, humanity, the world, and history, and how this impacts how worship should be conducted. The very act of Christian life is described as regularly engaging in various expressions of devotion to Jesus Christ, which calls for a theological basis for this behavior.
3. Discerning Between Faithful Worship of Jesus and Idolatry:
A significant and recurring concern is the ability to discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate forms of devotion to Jesus, distinguishing between a faithful worship and one that is sinful or idolatrous. Drawing on the concept of "strange worship" (avodah zarah) from rabbinic tradition, the source asks how a Christ-centered theology and spirituality can help discern forms of worship that are heterodox and idolatrous. This is identified as a question that has historically dominated theological debate throughout church history. The source notes that this question is particularly pressing for the emerging consensus because, specifically concerning Hurtado's model, the behavior described of the earliest Christians appears structurally similar to idolatrous worship. The source suggests that discerning the difference between genuine, healthy, and theologically valid worship of Jesus and a heterodox, dysfunctional, or idolatrous one is not readily apparent, especially in the context of this model.
4. The Reliability of Religious Experience as the Origin and Warrant for Christ Devotion:
The source raises concerns about appealing to religious experience, such as visions, dreams, and similar events, as the primary origin of Christ devotion, as suggested by Hurtado's model. While acknowledging that an early origin based on experience might offer historical simplicity, the source questions why present-day Christians should follow the example of the earliest Christians if their worship of Jesus is founded solely on powerful religious experiences, which are described as a "notoriously shaky foundation for religious belief." The source draws a parallel to Bousset's idea that early high Christology might have arisen from a psychological resolution to the crisis caused by Jesus' death. It poses the question of how one can be sure that these early experiences were not merely a communal delusion stemming from grief and cognitive dissonance after the crucifixion, leading followers to misinterpret their experiences as a command to worship Jesus as a unique manifestation of God. Christian theology traditionally grounds revelation in historical events like the Incarnation and resurrection, rather than religious experiences, and the source suggests Hurtado's model, by focusing on experience over the life of Jesus, may miss the essentially incarnational shape of early Christian theology. Trusting in the subjective and potentially unreliable testimony of a group of Jewish visionaries for something as significant as the worship of Jesus is presented as a substantial challenge, especially since the New Testament itself doesn't explicitly ask for Jesus' divine identity to be accepted on this basis.
5. The Relationship Between Christological Origins (Especially Based on Experience) and the Charge of Idolatry:
Building on the previous points, the source directly links Hurtado's model of Christological origins to the problem of idolatry. It cites James Dunn's warning that fixing attention solely on Jesus in worship risks idolatry. The source notes that Hurtado himself observes that first-century Christian worship of Jesus occurred despite the likely charge of idolatry from non-Christian Jews. The question then becomes why "orthodox" Christ devotion is not, in fact, idolatry, as critics have charged throughout history. The source observes that Hurtado does not explain why Jesus' followers today are immune to this charge. Based on Hurtado's model, the justification for worship seems to stem from the early Christians' belief that God instructed them to worship Jesus through their religious experiences and their encounters with an exalted Jesus. This implies that present-day Christians would worship Jesus based on the authority they give to the New Testament descriptions of these experiences and their trust that the earliest followers correctly interpreted what they saw and heard. This reliance on the subjective experiences of others for the warrant of worship is presented as a potential structural resemblance to idolatry, particularly if, as Hurtado's account might suggest, the earliest Christians projected divine attributes onto the post-resurrection Jesus that were not intrinsically his, especially since Hurtado argues the historical Jesus did not claim these attributes for himself. The source questions how this differs from the worship of Roman emperors or the modern idealization of celebrities, sports stars, and dictators, all of which could be seen as forms of projection. Placing the weight of two thousand years of Christian tradition on such subjective group experiences is questioned, especially when considering that other ancient groups also believed their worship practices, including idol making, were divinely commanded.