Source: Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (London; New York: T&T Clark: A Continuum Imprint, 1993), 118–149.
The worship of Jesus Revelation.wav
This podcast examines the significant development of Jesus' worship in early Christianity, particularly within the context of strict Jewish monotheism, which reserved worship exclusively for God. The author highlights the tension this created, suggesting early Christians had to either reject worshipping Jesus as idolatry or accept it, setting the stage for later theological developments. Crucially, the source analyzes how early Christian texts like the Apocalypse of John and the Ascension of Isaiah, while explicitly prohibiting the worship of angels (a traditional safeguard against idolatry), simultaneously depict and affirm the worship of Christ in heaven, effectively placing him on the divine side of the crucial distinction between God and creatures.
1. The Significance of Worship in Jewish Monotheism and the Emergence of Jesus' Worship: The sources highlight that in the Jewish religious tradition, unlike some other forms of monotheism, worship served as the crucial test of monotheistic faith in practice. There was a strict distinction drawn between God, who alone must be worshipped, and all creatures, however exalted (such as angels or intermediary beings like the Logos). Given this exclusive monotheism, the acknowledgment of Jesus as worthy of worship within the early church is presented as a remarkable and significant development. This practice posed a potential conflict with strict monotheism, which could be seen as either idolatry or, with hindsight, a foundational step towards later Trinitarian theology (like Nicene theology). Possible explanations for this emergence, such as early Christianity developing from a less strict form of Judaism or being influenced by Hellenistic syncretism, are mentioned but ultimately found not to fully fit the evidence presented in certain key texts.
2. The Tradition of Angels Refusing Worship as a Safeguard Against Angelolatry: A prevalent theme across various Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic and mystical texts is the portrayal of an angel who refuses worship from a visionary. This tradition serves as an explicit safeguard against the potential danger of angelolatry (worship of angels). In visionary encounters, reactions to powerful heavenly beings often included fear and prostration, which, while sometimes just gestures of respect, could blur the line towards worship due only to God, especially given the radiant, awe-inspiring appearance of angels which shared divine glory and could evoke a response akin to that directed towards the numinous. The sources provide examples from texts like Tobit, Apocalypse of Zephaniah, Joseph and Aseneth, Apocalypse of Paul, and the Apocryphal Gospel of Matthew, where angels explicitly decline prostration or attempts at worship, directing the visionary's attention and praise towards God as the true object of worship. Even in texts where angels are highly exalted, like Metatron in 3 Enoch and Cairo Genizah Hekhalot A/2, this tradition or similar warnings against mistaking the angel for God and worshipping them appear, demonstrating the ongoing need to reinforce monotheistic boundaries within traditions that focused heavily on heavenly intermediaries.
3. The Apocalypse of John's Use of the Angel-Refusal Tradition to Affirm Divine Authority and Justify Christ's Worship: The Apocalypse of John incorporates the motif of an angel refusing worship multiple times (Revelation 19:10; 22:8–9). The sources analyze this as a deliberate literary device used by the author, John, to make significant theological points. By having the angel refuse worship and state they are a fellow-servant, John differentiates between the transcendent source of prophetic revelation (God and Jesus) and the creaturely instruments (angels and human prophets) through whom it is communicated. The command given to the visionary is to "worship God!". In the context of the Apocalypse, this rejection of angel worship reinforces the message that God is the ultimate authority behind the prophecy. Crucially, the sources argue that by contrasting the worship of angels (which is forbidden) with the portrayal of Christ receiving explicit divine worship in the heavenly throne-room (Revelation 5:8–12), John implicitly places Jesus on the divine side of the monotheistic distinction between God and creatures. The joint worship of God and the Lamb (Revelation 5:13) and the careful grammatical usage when referring to God and Christ together also indicate John's sensitivity to monotheism while affirming Christ's unique, worship-worthy status.
4. The Ascension of Isaiah's Distinct Approach to Angelolatry and the Worship of Christ and the Spirit: The Ascension of Isaiah is presented as another early Christian text that, despite its affinities with Merkabah mysticism (describing ascent through heavens, angelic hosts, transformation of the seer), actively counters the potential for angelolatry. The work seems to deliberately reject aspects of mysticism that relied on knowing and invoking angelic names, emphasizing instead that Isaiah's ascent is a unique divine privilege, not something achievable through human technique. Like the Apocalypse, it includes an incident where Isaiah attempts to worship an angel and is forbidden, being directed instead towards the worship in the seventh heaven. However, its use of the tradition is distinctive because the prohibition of angel worship is directly linked to the command to worship Christ (often called "the Beloved") and "the angel of the Holy Spirit" in the highest heaven. This contrasts the forbidden worship of other angels with the commanded worship of these two figures, placing them alongside God as recipients of worship. While also portraying Christ and the Spirit as ultimately worshipping God, showing a form of subordination, the sources argue that this structure clearly positions Christ and the Holy Spirit on the divine side of the boundary drawn by strict monotheism. The Christology here is less characterized by angelomorphic ideas (though elements might be present) and more by the combination of prohibiting angel worship and commanding the worship of Christ and the Holy Spirit.
5. Worship as the Critical Test for Christology: The sources conclude that the emergence of Jesus' worship was a complex phenomenon within early Christianity, particularly challenging given the strictures of Jewish monotheism. While formal pre-Nicene liturgies might not explicitly feature it, evidence from hymns and spontaneous worship suggests it occurred. The authors argue that the significance of this devotional attitude should not be underestimated. They posit that the highest Christological claims, including sometimes applying divine titles to Jesus, often arose first in contexts of worship. Far from making these claims less serious, the sources suggest that because worship is the practical test of monotheism, the devotional stance towards Jesus in worship becomes the critical benchmark for understanding and evaluating early Christology. The texts analyzed, by combining the explicit rejection of angel worship with the portrayal or command to worship Jesus (and the Holy Spirit in Ascension of Isaiah), demonstrate a conscious effort by some early Christian writers to navigate the tension between affirming Christ's divine status and maintaining fidelity to monotheism, using the crucial sphere of worship to delineate the boundary between God/Christ/Spirit and all creatures, including the highest angels.
Why is the worship of Jesus a significant development in early Christianity?
In the context of Jewish monotheism, worship was the ultimate expression of faith, reserved exclusively for God. The early Christian practice of worshipping Jesus was remarkable because it acknowledged Jesus as worthy of this divine honor, setting him apart from all created beings, including highly exalted figures like angels. This development challenged the strict distinction between God and creation that was central to Jewish religious practice.
How did early Christian writings like the Apocalypse of John and the Ascension of Isaiah navigate the potential conflict between worshipping Jesus and maintaining monotheism?