Source: Peter Schäfer, “Two Gods in Heaven: Jewish Concepts of God in Antiquity”, Princeton University Press.
This podcast examines binitarian ideas within pre-Christian Jewish literature, exploring figures like the Son of Man in Fourth Ezra, the firstborn angel Jacob/Israel in the Prayer of Joseph, and the divine Logos in Philo's writings. It argues that these concepts, which describe a divine or semi-divine figure alongside God, formed a conceptual "pool" that New Testament Christianity later drew upon for its understanding of Jesus. While acknowledging scholarly debates about the novelty of Christian ideas compared to contemporary Judaism, the text contends that binitarian thought persisted and was debated within early rabbinic Judaism as well.
1. The Son of Man-Messiah figure in the Fourth Book of Ezra, including his origin, appearance, and actions The Fourth Book of Ezra, likely written around 100 CE, refers back to the concept of the Son of Man found in the Book of Daniel. In Ezra's sixth vision (chapter 13), he sees a figure described as being "like the figure of a man" or "like a human being." This figure is first seen coming up out of the heart of the sea, which is stirred by a wind. He then flies with the clouds of heaven. When he looks, everything under his gaze trembles, and when his voice is heard, those who hear it melt like wax. Unlike the figure in Daniel 7 who is brought to God to receive dominion, this figure in 4 Ezra fights for dominion and brings redemption to Israel. A multitude from around the world gathers to make war against him.
2. The identification of this figure as the Davidic Messiah and the Son of God in 4 Ezra The man seen in the vision, who comes up from the sea, is explained by God to Ezra as the one "whom the Most High has been keeping for many ages, who will himself deliver his creation" and "direct those who are left." He is referred to as "my son (filius meus)" by God. This figure is explicitly identified as the Son of Man-Messiah. In a preceding vision, he is also described as "the Anointed One" (unctus) who will arise from the posterity of David, thereby identifying him as the Davidic Messiah. The text thus presents the Son of Man-Messiah as God's son. This designation as Son of God is highlighted as a bold statement that goes beyond typical early Jewish ideas of the Messiah. Some scholars have considered this designation a later Christian revision, as the book is extant only in translations. However, the Latin translation consistently uses filius ("son"). While one Arabic translation uses "my servant" and another "my youth," the term "my son" is also documented in the Hebrew Bible as an honorary title for the Davidic king, seen in Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14. Therefore, the source argues there is no reason to reject the claim that divine sonship, originally for the Davidic king, was transferred to the Messiah in 4 Ezra. This figure is not an earthly figure or an angel, but a heavenly savior hidden with God who acts on God's behalf and even takes on God's task of judging and destroying nations. At one point, he is even called "my son, the Messiah," which in Latin is rendered filius meus Jesus, though "Jesus" is considered an obvious Christian interpolation. Nevertheless, this addition suggests Christian readers understood this figure to be Jesus Christ. The title "son" in 4 Ezra is argued to go far beyond biblical metaphor and is to be understood literally, portraying the Messiah as truly a son of God, a "younger God alongside his father, the older God."
3. The unique role of the Law/Torah as the Messiah's weapon in 4 Ezra The Son of Man-Messiah in 4 Ezra fights the multitude gathered against him not with physical weapons. Instead, he sends forth from his mouth a stream of fire, a flaming breath from his lips, and a storm of sparks from his tongue. These elements mingle and fall upon the approaching multitude, burning them up completely into dust and smoke. God's explanation of the vision identifies this fire as "the law," meaning the Torah. The Messiah destroys the nations "without effort by the law (which was symbolized by the fire)." This depiction of the Messiah destroying his enemies with the fire of the law is presented as going far beyond the typical framework of early Jewish messianic ideas.
4. The Prayer of Joseph and the figure of Jacob/Israel as a high angel and the "firstborn" The Prayer of Joseph is an enigmatic text known only from fragments, notably quoted by Origen. The hero is the patriarch Jacob, who is identified with Israel and is described as an angel of God and a ruling spirit. The text has Jacob/Israel saying, "I, Jacob, whom men call Jacob (but) whose (real) name is Israel, am he who[m] God called Israel, which means, a man seeing God, because I am the firstborn (protogonos) of every living thing to whom God gives life." In this text, the angel Jacob/Israel claims a preeminent position in the celestial hierarchy, stating he is "the archangel of the power of the Lord and the chief captain (archichiliarchos) among the sons of God... the first minister before the face of God." He is depicted as disputing hegemony with other angels, like Uriel. This presents Jacob/Israel not just as a high angel, but one who claims to be the firstborn in creation, a supreme preexisting spiritual being who takes human form in Jacob.
5. The concept of the "Firstborn" figure across different texts The title "firstborn" appears in several contexts discussed in the sources, applied to different figures but often indicating preeminence and a unique relationship with God or creation. In the Prayer of Joseph, Jacob/Israel claims to be the "firstborn (protogonos) of every living thing to whom God gives life." This title also refers back to Exodus 4:22, where "Israel is my firstborn son" (prototokos in the Septuagint), though the Prayer of Joseph applies it to the angel Jacob/Israel rather than the people. The source notes a striking similarity between the description of Jacob/Israel as "the firstborn of all creation" and the archaic hymn in the Epistle to the Colossians (1:15), which calls Jesus "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (prototokos) of all creation." Furthermore, Philo of Alexandria refers to the Logos as God's "First-born (protogonos)." This recurring concept of a "firstborn" being is highlighted as a Jewish concept potentially borrowed by Christianity.
6. Philo of Alexandria's concept of the Logos Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish philosopher influenced by Platonic philosophy. His concept of God is one of absolute transcendence, referred to as "that which exists" or "the Uncreated One," whose essence is unknowable. Emanating from this transcendent God are "forces" or "powers" (dynameis) that mediate between God and the visible world. Among these forces, the Logos (Word) and Wisdom (sophia) are the most prominent. The Logos is responsible for the emergence of the intelligible world of ideas (kosmos noētos). Philo's concept of the Logos is a key part of his philosophical system explaining how the transcendent God interacts with the created world.
7. The description and functions of the Logos in Philo's philosophy Philo describes the Logos as God's actual creative power, intimately close to God and, as the creator of the intelligible world, identical with God in a certain sense (the intelligible world being nothing other than God's Word in the act of creation). Philo uses biblical language alongside philosophical terms to describe the Logos, calling it "God's First-born (protogonos)," "the Word," the "eldership (presbytatos)" among angels, "their archangel (archangelos) as it were," and a "ruler (hyparchos) with many names." These names include "the Beginning" (arche), the "Name of God (onoma theou)," "His Word (logos)," "the Man after His image (ho kat' eikona anthrōpos)," and "he that sees" (ho horōn), which is identified with Israel. Humans, unable to call themselves "Sons of God," can call themselves "Sons of His invisible image," which is the most holy Word, the "eldest-born image of God." The Logos is even denoted as a "second God (deuteron theon)," because nothing mortal can be made in the likeness of the Most High, but only in that of His Logos, the second God. The Logos acts as a mediator between God and humans, linking the human soul (which is bound in the body) with God and enabling its return to the world of ideas after death.
8. The overarching theme of binitarian ideas developing in pre-Christian Judaism The source argues that pre-Christian Judaism saw the development of "binitarian ideas," concepts involving a godlike or semi-godlike figure existing alongside God. This pool of ideas is seen as the source from which New Testament Christianity drew. Various texts illustrate this, including the angel Michael in Daniel 7 (seen as a source for later developments), Qumran texts (where angels are sometimes called "gods"), the Prayer of Joseph (presenting Jacob/Israel as a godly or godlike figure beside God, although an angel), wisdom literature (emphasizing personal attributes and premundane creation of a second godlike being), and the Fourth Book of Ezra (with its Son of God). While some figures are explicitly angelic (Michael, Jacob/Israel), others like Wisdom, the Son of Man in Similitudes, and the Son of God in 4 Ezra are presented without this angelic connotation. Philosophically influenced texts like the Wisdom of Solomon and Philo draw on Platonic ideas of emanation to describe this second figure.
9. The perceived relationship and similarities between these pre-Christian Jewish ideas and New Testament Christology The source highlights striking similarities between the figures and concepts discussed in early Jewish texts and descriptions of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, suggesting that Christianity appropriated and developed these existing Jewish ideas. Examples include: the Son of Man concept from Daniel and 4 Ezra aligning with the Son of Man in the Gospels; the description of Jacob/Israel as the "firstborn of all creation" in the Prayer of Joseph resembling the description of Jesus as "the firstborn of all creation" in Colossians; and Philo's concept of the Logos as God's Word, creator, mediator, and "second God" showing proximity to the prologue of the Gospel of John, where the Word (Logos) is with God, is God, and through whom all things were created. The main difference noted between Philo and John is that John states the Word became human, which was unthinkable for Philo. The source suggests that these Jewish concepts provided the terminology and framework that Christians then applied to Jesus. The addition of "Jesus" in 4 Ezra 7:28 in Latin translations is seen as evidence that Christian readers readily interpreted the Son of God-Messiah figure in this text as Jesus.
10. The continuation, rejection, and scholarly debate regarding binitarian ideas in Judaism The source addresses the history of scholarship and the trajectory of these binitarian ideas within Judaism. It notes that for a long time, scholars of rabbinic Judaism often considered binitarian ideas irrelevant to Judaism because they were seen as having been usurped by Christians. However, recent research is cited as showing that these ideas did continue to exist in rabbinic Judaism and early Jewish mysticism, being adopted by certain circles while being harshly rejected by others (which were reportedly the majority). This indicates a complex and debated history of these concepts within Jewish thought after the rise of Christianity. The source also touches upon ongoing debates among scholars regarding the relationship between New Testament Christianity and contemporary Judaism, with some highlighting novelty in the New Testament and downplaying connections to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, while others emphasize the connections to Second Temple Judaism, viewing Christianity as deeply rooted in this context.