Source: Crispin Fletcher-Louis, Jesus Monotheism: Christological Origins: The Emerging Consensus and Beyond, vol. 1 (Eugene, OR: Whymanity Publishing, 2019), 128–157.
The ORIGINS of New Testament Christology.wav
This podcast critically examines prevailing scholarly views on the origins of early Christian beliefs about Jesus, particularly the phenomenon of Christological monotheism, where Jesus is included within the unique divine identity and receives worship. The author challenges the idea that there was no precedent in pre-Christian Judaism for such high Christology, arguing that scholars like Hurtado and Bauckham overlook potential continuities with Jewish messianic and mediatorial traditions. Furthermore, the podcast questions Hurtado's theory that religious experiences, like visions of the risen Jesus, were the primary catalyst for Christ devotion, suggesting a lack of textual evidence and social-scientific support for this claim, and highlighting evidence that early Christians prioritized the historical actuality of Jesus' life and death over mystical experiences as the source of revelation. The podcast proposes that a more robust explanation for Christological origins must account for the lack of evidence for internal conflict or surprise surrounding the emergence of devotion to Jesus
The source introduces the work of scholars like Larry Hurtado and Richard Bauckham, who are key figures in an "emerging consensus" regarding the nature of early Christian devotion to Jesus and how it existed alongside their belief in one God, often termed "Christological monotheism" or "binitarian" monotheism. This consensus acknowledges that earliest datable Christian material demonstrates genuine worship of Jesus. However, the source immediately flags that there is less agreement on how this situation came about. The author intends to show weaknesses in the approaches taken by Hurtado and Bauckham regarding the origins of this phenomenon. This sets the stage for the subsequent detailed critiques of specific aspects of their models.
A significant point of debate discussed is the issue of whether pre-Christian Judaism provided any precedent for the early Christian treatment of Jesus as a divine figure and the inclusion of a second figure within the divine identity. Hurtado and Bauckham, central to the emerging consensus, are presented as believing that the high Christology and Christ devotion of the New Testament had no real precedent in pre-Christian Judaism. They argue that while Judaism had designated agents like prophets, priests, and kings, none were treated or included in the divine identity in the way Jesus was by early Christians. While agreeing that the full pattern of "Christological monotheism" is unique, the author challenges the claim that there is no significant precedent. The source suggests that a substantial amount of evidence has accumulated over the last half-century indicating that pre-Christian Judaism did conceive of messianic and mediatorial figures in ways that, at least partially, anticipated early Christian beliefs about Jesus and his treatment as a divine figure. The author contends that Hurtado and Bauckham sometimes take idiosyncratic positions on relevant Jewish texts and do not engage sufficiently with specialist treatments of this material, arguing that recognizing continuity, alongside the radical novelty, is essential for understanding the historical origins of Christological monotheism.
The source explores the argument, notably raised by scholars like James Dunn and James McGrath, that the lack of clear evidence for opposition to early Christian Christology from non-Christian Judaism presents a problem for the "emerging consensus" view that a high Christology, involving genuine worship of Jesus, was present very early. The reasoning is that if early Christians were treating Jesus as divine and including him within their monotheistic framework as claimed, one would expect strong, explicit opposition from Jews for whom strict monotheism was paramount. The author reviews Hurtado's attempts to find such evidence of opposition, for instance, behind passages in John's Gospel or in Paul's letters and Acts. However, the author argues that Hurtado's case for non-Christian Jewish opposition specifically targeting Christ devotion is surprisingly weak. Evidence in Paul's letters, Acts, and the Gospels points to opposition based on other issues like resurrection belief, claims of divine power/authority, perceived threats to Torah and Temple, or the scandalous nature of a crucified messiah, but not explicitly against the worship of Jesus as divine. The author suggests that the absence of this expected controversy leaves a puzzling gap that challenges the emerging consensus model of origins, leading to the possibility that perhaps first-century Jewish monotheism was more prepared for such beliefs than the consensus allows.
The source examines the role of Psalm 110, particularly verse 1, in shaping early Christian belief about Jesus' exalted status and his identification with Yhwh-Kyrios. Richard Bauckham emphasizes this psalm, suggesting that the early Christian reading of Psalm 110:1, which places Jesus at God's right hand, was largely responsible for the development of a divine identity Christology. The author acknowledges the psalm's significance in the New Testament (where it is the most cited Old Testament passage) but raises problems with it being the primary source for identifying Christ with Yhwh-Kyrios. The author points out that in Jesus' own reported use of Psalm 110:1 in the Gospels, he distinguishes between the first "Kyrios" (representing Yhwh) and the second "kyrios" (referring to the Messiah), suggesting a subordinate relationship. While early Christians clearly came to apply language associated with the first Kyrios to Jesus, the author argues that Psalm 110:1 itself, especially in its original context and Jesus' reported use, doesn't straightforwardly necessitate this full identification. The source also notes that some early texts clearly identifying Jesus with Yhwh-Kyrios (like 1 Corinthians 8:6 or Philippians 2:9-11) do not explicitly allude to Psalm 110:1, adding to the puzzle of how this identification originated.
The origin of the belief that Christ had a personal role as an agent in the original creation of the world is another major topic discussed. The source notes that the "emerging consensus" has highlighted the centrality of this belief in early high Christology texts (e.g., 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-16, John 1, Hebrews 1) but finds that its origins lack adequate explanation within this consensus. While acknowledging that the language used might reflect Greco-Roman thought forms, the author argues against Hellenism or even Wisdom traditions as the generative influence, primarily because this belief appears in thoroughly Jewish contexts and is presented in the New Testament as an unquestioned presupposition. Richard Bauckham's explanation that this belief arose from a desire for theological consistency—that if Jesus participates in divine sovereignty, he must be eternal and involved in creation—is presented and critiqued. The author uses comparative Jewish texts, such as the Similitudes of Enoch and the "Worship of Adam" story, as "control cases." These texts show figures (like the Enochic Son of Man or Adam) who are exalted, receive worship, or are associated with the divine name, but are not said to be agents of creation. This comparison suggests that for Jewish thought, inclusion in divine identity or receiving worship did not necessarily entail participation in creation, thus challenging Bauckham's consistency argument. The author concludes that this aspect of Christology remains exceptional and hard to explain fully within the emerging consensus framework.
A substantial part of the source is dedicated to a detailed critique of Larry Hurtado's theory that powerful religious experiences, specifically visions of the risen and exalted Jesus, were the decisive factor triggering early Christian Christ devotion. The author argues this theory suffers from several problems. Firstly, it lacks direct textual support; the New Testament texts cited by Hurtado do not clearly show visions causing devotion. Accounts of visions (like Stephen's in Acts 7 or Paul's in 2 Corinthians 12) do not primarily focus on a high Christology that would necessitate worship or are presented in ways that subordinate visionary experience to the historical reality of Jesus. Secondly, the source points to evidence in the New Testament (Gospels, Colossians, 2 Corinthians, Luke-Acts) suggesting a widespread tendency in early Christianity to differentiate between and sometimes subordinate visionary or mystical experiences to the revelation found in the historical, incarnate Jesus. This caution about visions mitigates against them being the primary source of a radical theological innovation like Christ devotion. Thirdly, the author argues that social-scientific studies on religious innovation do not provide analogies for the purported historical pattern: a rapid, widespread, and apparently unanimous adoption of a radical theological shift like Christ devotion across multiple individuals and communities without significant internal conflict or dissenting voices. Drawing parallels with the intense debates and processes surrounding the resurrection and the inclusion of Gentiles/Torah observance, the author argues that the lack of similar recorded controversy around Christ devotion tells against a model where it arose from subjective, novel religious experiences rather than being rooted in something more foundational.
1. What is the "emerging consensus" regarding the origins of New Testament Christology?
The "emerging consensus" among New Testament scholars posits that the earliest Christian materials demonstrate both genuine worship of Jesus and a concept of "Christological monotheism," which involves the inclusion of Jesus within the unique identity of the one God of Israel. While this consensus acknowledges the existence of these phenomena from a very early period, there is significant debate regarding how this remarkable situation came about.