Introduction To The New Testament Christology

Examines "christology's"--Or evaluations of Jesus' identity and divinity--based upon his words, his public ministry, and the Resurrection.

The early followers of Jesus drew from Jewish and Greco-Roman traditions and titles to help them understand and articulate who Jesus was. This book opens a window into the Christology of the first century by helping readers understand the eleven most significant titles for Jesus in the New Testament: Lord, Son of Man, Messiah, Prophet, Suffering Servant, Son of God, Last Adam, Passover Lamb, Savior, Word, and High Priest. The authors trace the history of each title in the Old Testament, Second Temple literature, and Greco-Roman literature and look at the context in which the New Testament writers retrieved these traditions to communicate their understanding of Christ. The result is a robust portrait that is closely tied to the sacred traditions of Israel and beyond that took on new significance in light of Jesus Christ. This accessible and up-to-date exegetical study defends an early "high" Christology and argues that the titles of Jesus invariably point to an understanding of Jesus as God. In the process, it will help readers appreciate the biblical witness to the person of Jesus.

Why did some people want Jesus dead, while others came to honor him as the Christ? What does it mean to say that he was raised," and how did this belief get started? What about the classical expressions of Jesus' religious significance? Where did they come from and what do they mean? What does belief in Jesus have to do with justice for the poor, the women's movement, concern for the environment, and respect for other world religions? These are just a few of the questions that have given Christology a whole new shape in recent years. Through the process of inquiry, conversation, and debate, students, clergy, and other professional ministers receive a complete introduction into the current thinking about Jesus' religious significance the present stage of Christology. In The College Student's Introduction to Christology, Loewe focuses on Christology today, especially the religious significance of Jesus for culture and society. By surveying Jesus' life in light of the Easter experience and by tracing the Christological process the process whereby Christians seek to capture and communicate in words Jesus' salvific impact this work grasps current Christian, and especially Catholic, theological reflection on the significance of Jesus. Loewe focuses on becoming familiar with issues regarding how people discuss Jesus today; grasping the historical and cultural background from which these issues emerged; and developing an understanding of the methods for resolving them. Part One deals with the question of the historical Jesus, Part Two examines the origin and meaning of Christian belief in Jesus' resurrection, and Part Three uncovers the Christological process as it unfolds through the New Testament, classical patristic dogma, and today. The ways in which Christians have sought to express Jesus' religious significance offer insight for what those exThe College Student's Introduction to Christology offers individuals a method for encountering Christ in the world. William P. Loewe, Ph.D., is associate professor and former chair of the Department of Religion and Religious Education at The Catholic University of America. His teaching and writing focus on Christology, soteriology, and Lonergan studies. "

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In this systematic, book-by-book exploration of the theology of each New Testament writing, Frank J. Matera explores theological diversity and unity in the writings of the New Testament. After an introduction to the history and method of New Testament theology, he explains and describes the theologies of the Synoptic, Pauline, and Johannine traditions, as well as the rich theology of other New Testament voices: Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and the book of Revelation. Integrating both Protestant and Catholic approaches, this work provides students, pastors, and scholars a comprehensive view of the New Testament that is rich in exegetical and theological insight.

This book is invigorating to read, for it is how biblical theology should be written. Professor Cullmann has set a high standard of biblical scholarship in this book, and it will be a great resource for students of sacred Scripture.

`To present, in less than 400 pages (excluding the indexes), the whole sweep of New Testament thought is an excessively formidable task, calling not only for scholarship and learning but also for an artist's sense of proportion and economy of stroke. There are few who could have succeeded so well as Dr Richardson' (Journal of Theological Studies). `This book will stand for a long time as the indispensable handbook for the theological student who wants both to see the general picture of the apostolic Church's faith, and also to have a convenient and reliable digest of what the New Testament says about particular topics, such as, for example, Christology or salvation' (Church Times). `Alan Richardson is a theologian "whose praise in the gospel is (or deserves to be) in all the churches" on account both of the books which he has written himself and of those which he has edited. His latest work, An Introduction to the Theology of the New Testament, will probably be found more serviceable by students and teachers than anything he has previously produced' (Theology). Alan Richardson, who died in 1975, was for many years Professor of Christian Theology at Nottingham University and subsequently Dean of York.

A user-friendly introduction to the New Testament for beginning students