The Preexistent Son: Recovering the Christologies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke

by Simon J. Gathercole

In this challenging book, rising New Testament scholar Simon Gathercole contradicts a commonly held view among biblical scholars -- that the Gospel of John is the only Gospel to give evidence for Jesus' heavenly identity and preexistence. The Preexistent Son demonstrates that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were also well aware that the Son of God existed with the Father prior to his earthly ministry. Gathercole supports his argument by considering the "I have come" sayings of Jesus and strikingly similar angelic sayings discovered in Second Temple and Rabbinic literature. Further, he considers related topics such as Wisdom Christology and the titles applied to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels.

Gathercole's carefully researched work should spark debate among Synoptic scholars and extend the understanding of anyone interested in this New Testament question.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Biblical

356 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2006

About the author

Simon Gathercole (PhD, University of Durham) is senior lecturer in New Testament studies in the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge and Fellow and director of studies in theology at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England. A leading British New Testament scholar, he has written several groundbreaking books.

Reviews

[John]

So far, its good. The pre-existence of Christ in the Synoptics is not a topic I am enthusiastic about, since I think all of Scripture supports this claim. But it is helpful since Gathercole is approaching this topic with presupposition that Matt, Mark, and Luke use a historical-redemptive reading of the OT and Paul's high pre-existent christology for their accounts. Gathercole always has funny little remarks throughout his guild-language that keep the tone easy.

[Wyatt Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Gathercole argues that Jesus' "I have come" statements when used with a purpose statement following it shows that Christ preexisted. The main point in these statements is Jesus' mission, yet they presuppose that he came from somewhere.

Even though the Synoptics do not say phrases like "I came from heaven," that is not a problem. Angels say "I have come" but do not often say that they come from heaven (e..g., Dan 9:22–23). It's not really needed. And while John's Gospel spells out Christ's heavenly origin, these explanations do not mean that John writes to counter a low-Christology in the Synoptics.

In the Synoptics, the "I have come" statements on their own plausibly show that Jesus claims to have come from somewhere and thus preexisted. And given Paul's clear teaching that Jesus preexisted (2 Cor 8; Phil 2), it is not like this idea did not exist before the Gospels were written. Paul wrote earlier than the Gospels.

I found Gathercole's writing to be clear, concise, and persuasive.

[Daniel MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic final argument on Christology on the Gospels. Gathercole demonstrates that Mark has the exact same Christology as John, a fact which is bound to upset half of the academic field. The New History of Religion School has good reason to be growing!

Gathercole also includes interesting bits for the dates of Hebrews and Jude, and writes a little on the authenticity of Jude. I’ll be reading more on the studies he quotes, though the information he provides here has persuaded this reader that both letters originate before AD 70.

I also appreciated Gathercole’s exploration on Sea Miracles. Using the work of other contemporary scholars, he puts forward that the Sea Miracles in the Synoptics demonstrate power over creation (which is considerably high Christology). This alone should make the reader expect to find preexisting Christology in the Synoptics, let alone the rest of the evidence Gathercole provides.

[John Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "The Pre-existent Son: Recovering the Christologies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke", Simon Gathercole builds a convincing case that the “I have come” + purpose statements in the Synoptic Gospels indicate a heavenly preexistence for Jesus. The practical relevance for the follower of Christ is a deeper appreciation of "the paradoxical fact that the preexistent, heavenly Son (seen in his radiant glory in the transfiguration) is the very person who is sent by the Father into the world to be crucified by humankind and to give his life as a ransom for many." (p.20) I was also struck by "the significance of the interchangeability of the OT expression 'in the name of the Lord' with 'in the name of Jesus.'" (p.65) Simon has a thorough grasp of the continental scholarship yet, unlike many theologians, did not require me as a reader to have an understanding of German (or any other European languages) in order to engage fully with his arguments.

[Tim Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Within New Testament and Gospel studies, scholars often claim that the Synoptic Gospels, i.e. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, present a much lower form of Christology than the Gospel of John or Paul’s writings. Gathercole demonstrates that the Gospels present Jesus as the preexistent Son of God who has come from heaven to earth.

Gathercole investigates Jesus’ “I have come” and “I have been sent” statements to show they suggest his heavenly preexistence. Gathercole’s grasp of original languages, historical contexts, and modern conversations on the topic among German theologians provides a robust presentation of his argument.

A reader would need to be interested and informed about issues related to views about early Christology to fully engage with this work.

[Cbarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Academic work, and very beneficial. Christ's preexistence is a teaching popularly restricted to John's Gospel. In this work, Gathercole thoroughly and convincingly demonstrates that the Synoptic Gospels also teach the preexistence of the Son.