Paul's Divine Christology

by Chris Tilling

Chris Tilling makes a fresh contribution to the debate about whether or not Pauls Christology is divine. To this end he analyses the Pauline data that details the relation between the risen Lord and Christians. With reference to contemporary debates regarding Jewish monotheism, he argues that the Pauline Christ-relation corresponds - as a pattern - solely to language concerning YHWHs relation to Israel in Second Temple Judaism. This is the case, Tilling maintains, even in texts such as Sirach 44-50, the "Life of Adam and Eve" and the Similitudes of Enoch. In dialogue both with concerns that one cannot properly speak of a Pauline Christology, and recent studies in Pauls epistemology, Chris Tilling presents Pauls Christology as fully divine, but in a particular way: the Christ-relation is Pauls divine-Christology expressed as relationship. In light of this, he not only reengages arguments deployed by those disputing a Pauline divine-Christology, but also draws additional conclusions relating to the interface between biblical and systematic theological concerns.

Genres: New Testament, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Theology

335 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Tilling did a fantastic job of wading through the scholarly discourse on a well contested subject--whether and how Christ might have been thought Divine by the earliest Christians. Truly, his breadth of engagement with a broad swath of scholarship, and his charity to others even in disagreement, award him 3 Stars automatically. More importantly, his argument throughout is thoroughly convincing, if redundant at points, which awards him the final 2 Stars. This is not to say that Tilling was infallible, and I believe three areas could make Tillings argument stronger: 1) an understanding of how relations were conceived in the 1st Century Mediterranean {Tilling defaults to a broad, contemporary definition of relation, that does not sufficiently comprehend the particularities of tenor relations in the ancient world}; 2) a more thorough study of Paul's contemporaries [e.g. Philo, Josephus, Luke, etc.] and whether this pattern of God-relation really could have been recognized in the first Century {for that matter--what does Tilling mean by pattern? I get the sense he means ubiquitous presentations of the same info, but I cannot be certain}; and 3) a more systematic comparison of the Christ- and God- relations in Paul [and his contemporaries]. I will probably forever be attempting to understand the Afterword, which engages Systematics, something that has always baffled me. But, it doesn't detract from the very convincing argument of the main portion of the book.

[Timothy Bertolet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book exploring Paul's Christology. It interacts with current scholarship. Tilling points out some of the weaknesses in recent treatments by Gordon Fee and Richard Bauckham, to put to a few. He also responds critics that Paul had a "divine Christology." His unique contribution to the field his to show how Paul adapts the God-Israel relationship of the OT (and found in Second Temple Judaism) into a Christ-church relationship, putting Christ on the "God-side" of the relationship. He also has a very helpful treatment of the Son of Man in Enoch, responding to arguments that it was a deified/worshipped human.

It's a very good book and should be read by those interested in Pauline studies, Christology, and NT theology in general.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-argued case for a Pauline divine Christology. Anyone who wishes to deny that Paul thought of the Lord Jesus Christ as divine will need to confront the arguments in this book.