Early Jewish and Christian Monotheism

Early Christology must focus not simply on "historical" but also on theological ideas found in contemporary Jewish thought and practice. In this book, a range of distinguished contributors considers the context and formation of early Jewish and Christian devotion to God alone-the emergence of "monotheism". The idea of monotheism is critically examined from various perspectives, including the history of ideas, Graeco-Roman religions, early Jewish mediator figures, scripture exegesis, and the history of its use as a theological category.

The studies explore different ways of conceiving of early Christian monotheism today, asking whether monotheism is a conceptually useful category, whether it may be applied cautiously and with qualifications, or whether it is to be questioned in favor of different approaches to understanding the origins of Jewish and Christian beliefs and worship.

• Table of contents
• Abbreviations
• Introduction - Loren Stuckenbruck and Wendy Sproston North
• PART 1 The Religious World of the New Testament
  • Jewish and Christian Monotheism in the Herodian Age - William Horbury
  • 'Angels' and 'God': Exploring the Limits of Early Jewish Monotheism - Loren Stuckenbruck
  • Alexander the Great's Worship of the High Priest - Crispin Fletcher-Louis
• PART 2 The New Testament
  • Was Jesus a Monotheist? A Contribution to the discussion of Christian Monotheism - James Dunn
  • YHWH Texts and Monotheism in Paul's Christology - David Capes
  • The Lord Is One: Reflections on the Theme of Unity in St John's Gospel from a Jewish Perspective - C.T.R. Hayward
  • Monotheism and the Gospel of John: Jesus, Moses and the Law - Wendy Sproston North
  • Monotheism and Christology in Hebrews 1 - Richard Bauckham
  • Jesus and Worship, God and Sacrifice - Lionel North
• PART 3 Problems in Terminology
  • The Origins of 'Monotheism' - Nathan MacDonald
  • How Appropriate Is 'Monotheism' as a Category for Biblical Interpretation? - R.W.L. Moberly
  • Early Jewish and Christian Monotheism: A Select Bibliography - James McGrath and Jerry Truex
• Index
• Scripture Index