Seeing the Lord's Glory: Kyriocentric Visions and the Dilemma of Early Christology

by Christopher Barina Kaiser

Overview

The "dilemma of early Christology," Kaiser observes, is found in the early Christian claims to have "seen the Lord" and "beheld his glory" - expressions that in early Judaism would have pointed unequivocally to visions of Israel's God. The shift of those claims onto the figure of Jesus is usually explained either as a result of the resurrection of Jesus, presumed as a historical event, or on the influence of pagan polytheism. Kaiser examines the phenomenon of "kyriocentric" visions in Second Temple Judaism, asking whether such traditions are sufficient to account for the shape of early claims regarding the divinity of Christ.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451484298
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Christopher Barina Kaiser is professor emeritus of historical and systematic theology at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan, and the author of numerous books in theology and science, including Creational Theology and the History of Physical Science (1997), The Doctrine of God: A Historical Survey, second edition (2001), andToward a Theology of Scientific Endeavour (2007).

Table of Contents

Abbreviations|vii

Deity Christology in a Jewish Context 1

Part I Kyriocentric Visions in the Context of Crisis and Performative Prayer

1 Kyriocentric Visions in Early Judaism: Experiential, Literary, or Performative? 25

2 Motifs Associated with Kyriocentric Visions in Apocalyptic and Early Rabbinic Literature 43

3 Kyriocentric Prayers and Devotions as the Context for Visions among Early Disciples of Jesus 81

Part II Kyriocentric Visions as the Impetus for Early Deity Christology

4 Condition? under which a Kyriocentric Vision Might Be Identified with a Deceased Human Being 101

5 Traces of Kyriocentric Visions in the New Testament 121

6 Kyriocentric Prayers and Devotions in the New Testament 149

Part III Modifications of the Lord-Jesus Identification in the New Testament and the Early Church

7 Superposing Jesus Traditions and Deity Christology 179

8 Four Alternative Tradition Histories or Textures in Early Christology 179

9 Three Movements that Marginalized Visions of the Anthropic Form of the Lord 265

Conclusion: Accomplishments and Some Unresolved Issues 303

Bibliography 309

Index of Contemporary Authors 349

Index of Biblical and Post-Biblical Texts 353