Larry W. Hurtado > Quotes

“But Christianity did not become successful through Constantine giving it imperial approval. Instead, Constantine adopted Christianity likely because it had already become so successful despite earlier efforts to destroy the movement.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World

“unusual in the Roman period.2 In the eyes of many of that time, early Christianity was odd, bizarre, in some ways even dangerous. For one thing, it did not fit what “religion” was for people then. Indicative of this, Roman-era critics designated it as a perverse “superstition.” Yet the very features of early Christianity that made it odd and objectionable in the ancient Roman setting have become now unquestioned assumptions about religion in much of the modern world.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World

“By contrast, the growth of Christianity in its first three centuries, the most crucial period, was largely by a combination of the power of persuasion, whether in preaching, intellectual argument, “miracles” exhibiting the power of Jesus’ name, and simply the moral suasion of Christian behavior, including martyrdom. Granted,”
― Larry W. Hurtado, Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World

“That is, Galen admired Christians for exhibiting qualities that he associated more with the philosophical elite of the time and that he regarded as requiring training in philosophy.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World

“In Paul's discourse about the new situation of believers in Romans 8, it is very interesting to note how he interweaves references to Jesus and the Spirit. He proclaims "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (8:1 NRSV) and summons them to live "according to the Spirit" and set their minds on the Spirit (8:4-6). Paul declares that they are "in the Spirit" and indwelt by the Spirit (8:9, 11) and also that "Christ is in you" (8:10).”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“in Philippians 2:9-11, Jesus' exaltation by "God" even involves him being given "the name that is above every name" (NRSV) and being designated as the one whom all of creation is to acclaim as "Lord.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“this far greater frequency and prominence of references to the Spirit in the NT likely reflects the religious life and discourse of early Christian circles generally.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Levison pointed out, however, that in ancient Jewish texts the divine Spirit is also associated with creation of the world, sanctification of the righteous, eschatological blessings, and human enablement.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“In the OT the divine Spirit is typically manifested as a special power from "God" given to individuals to enable them for particular tasks or roles.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“These are all theological claims that arose as reflective responses to the acts of this God that exhibit these qualities and attributes.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“that "God" can be known and described only in direct reference to this God's acts.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“God" explicitly features in christological expressions such as "Son of God," "Image [eikōn] of God," "Lamb of God," God's "Servant [pais]"; and in some other titles "God" is obviously implicit, e.g., (God's) "Messiah/Christ," (God's) "Word," and "the Son.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“repeatedly refers to believers as those who testify to and suffer for "the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 1:2, 9; 6:9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4). I trust that it is not necessary to illustrate the point further here.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“To cite one particularly striking example of this, note how in John 12:37-41, Isaiah's vision of "the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up" is taken to be a vision of Jesus.28”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“The first of these is that in the NT "God's" Spirit is much more prominently mentioned than in the OT or the texts of Second Temple Judaism.29 One”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Jesus is central in NT references to early Christian ritual/devotional practices.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“and those that reflect a more overtly Hellenized influence (Philo, but also Josephus). In his extensive analysis of references to the divine Spirit in selected Jewish texts, Levison concluded, "Among the effects of the [divine] spirit prophecy is most pervasive," noting that Philo, Josephus, and Pseudo-Philo even occasionally add references to the divine Spirit in discussions of OT prophets/prophecy,”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“from Jesus' resurrection onward, "God" in some profound way now includes a glorified human. That, I believe, represents quite a significant alteration!”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“that the Spirit is now freely bestowed on those who embrace Jesus as the divinely designated "Lord and Messiah" (Acts 2:36),”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying 'Abba, Father!' " (Gal 4:6).36 Not”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Early Christians (initially Jewish believers and then increasingly Gentile converts) claimed that the OT God was now to be identified with reference to Jesus and approached through him. Either implicitly or explicitly, this meant the relativization of all previous portrayals of and claims about this God, generating unavoidable (and understandable) tensions between the young Christian movement and the larger Jewish religious tradition.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Paul portrays "God's" redemptive purpose as the conforming of the elect to "the image of his Son, in order that he [Jesus] might be the first-born [prōtotokos] among many brothers" (Rom 8:29).”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“major emphasis in the NT is that the Spirit is now freely given by "God" and so is powerfully and regularly operative in the lives of believers individually and collectively. There is a rich variety of verbs used to describe the divine”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Yet in all the various presentations of Jesus' significance, "God" holds the overarching and crucial place. "God" is certainly not thrust into the background or sidelined. Indeed, as I indicated in an earlier chapter, Jesus' significance is typically expressed with reference to "God," and all the christological titles and claims of the NT really boil down to the one claim that Jesus is truly the unique expression and agent of "God.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Paul refers to "the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6 NRSV). Colossians 1:19-20 (NRSV) asserts that "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" in Jesus and through him God works to "reconcile to himself all things." In a cluster of christological claims in Hebrews 1:1-4, Jesus is presented as the surpassing eschatological revelation of "God," as constituted by "God" to be "heir of all things,”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" in the Pauline formula, "the”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“briefly earlier, two things stand out: on the one hand the unprecedented and programmatic place of Jesus and on the other hand his clear functional subordination to "God the Father.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“The OT deity was the "demiurge" (dēmiourgos, "worker" or "craftsman"), whose act of creating the world of sense and matter was intended simply to provide himself with a sphere in which he could rule and a domain”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“Yet it also remains the case that typically NT authors can distinguish "God" and Jesus. Jesus never displaces "God" in the NT, and the two are never pictured as in tension or competition with each other.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you.”
― Larry W. Hurtado, God in New Testament Theology