Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: God Crucified : Monotheism and Christology in the New Testament by Richard Bauckham, Richard J. Bauckham ISBN: 0-8028-4642-4 Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Pub. Date: April, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Be careful of counter arguments
Comment: Just as we must be careful not to believe every word that this author says, we must also remember that just because something gives a counter argument, it does not mean that the book has been refuted.
For example, an earlier reviewer states, "Jesus defends his position by confirming others are called 'gods' by Almighty God." This is not necessarily true, since the passage referred to is probably a sarcastic argument against the denial of Jesus being God. That is, "Ah! If you think of yourselves as 'gods', then why are you all so worked up when I call myself God's Son?"
Another example is when the same reviewer states, "When we consider the whole of the scriptures and who they say Jesus is, we must study both the verses that seem to imply Jesus is God and the hundreds of verses that imply he is not." But are there really ANY verses that imply that Jesus is not God, let alone HUNDREDS of them? Note that when a verse says or implies the humanity of Christ, it does not necessarily entail the non-deity of Christ, since the doctrine of the Incarnation can be correct in saying that Jesus is God taken on a human nature, so that all verses referring to his humanity and human limitations refer to the human nature. Unless this is disproved, then there are no verses implying that Jesus is not God, but there are many that imply that he has a human nature because of the Incarnation.
So be careful of arguments that may look good to you, but that really do not necessarily lead to the person's desired conclusion. ...
Rating: 5
Summary: Very Satisfying
Comment: At a time when I was questioning how to understand the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and, by extension, the deity of Christ, this little book gave me the answers I was looking for in a simple and non-technical way. The author has made this book accessible to a wide audience, it's short and the arguments are easily understood. I highly recommned this book.
As others have stated, now that I understand his basic arguments, I hope for a larger and more comprehensive discussion from this author on this subject. I think he is on to something very important here for Christian theology, Christology, and Christian apologetics.
Rating: 3
Summary: Arguments not well substantiated
Comment: Richard Bauckham has taken a stand somewhat unusual to most presentations of the deity of Christ, as he himself admits. Bauckham argues that, based on 2nd temple Jews beliefs, early Christians were not so much interested in the functional or ontological relationship of Christ to God but rather, the identity of God and how Christ fits in with it. However, I feel, as another reviewer did below, that Bauckham too easily and quickly dismissed any evidence that seemed to go against his theory.
For instance, he dismisses the 'intermediary' figures in the scriptures that speak of angels and exalted humans as serving in the role of God. This is a big dismissal because if it can be shown that Jews understood angelic beings and exalted humans (ie. Kings) were referred to as god(s), a serious question oversets the meaning of the scriptures that refer to Jesus as god. Bauckham, recognizing this, argues that even though there are scriptures that state angelic authority or that humans are referred to as gods, we should dismiss them due to their relatively small quantity. The careful reader will proceed with caution under such a recommendation.
Bauckham did not really prove why we would be inclined to treat as lesser the scriptures that go against his theory, nor did he present an overwhelming amount of evidence for his theory. In fact, I found his scriptural evidence and arguments quite insufficient.
For instance, he states that angels, particularly the archangel Michael, did not have any authority over other angels. He states this in spite of (and in acknowledgement of) 1 Enoch 9:1; 10:1-11; 20:1-8; 40:3-10; 54:6; 71:8-9; Tob 12:15; Rev 8:2. He also dismisses scholars like A.F. Segal, Hurtado, Hayman and Barker who recognize angelic authority in the scriptures. And he does this with no evidence provided as to why we should not accept the scriptures that speak of such. In addition, he explicitly states that Michael has no authority over any other angels but never mentions to his readers the account in Rev 12:7-"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its angels battled."
There is no doubt that the dragon, Satan, is depicted as having authority over the other fallen angels, as is testified elsewhere in the scriptures (Matt 12:24). So we see a comparison between the dragon and his "angels" and "Michael and his angels." It seems most reasonable that Michael has authority over these angels. And few would argue Jesus doesn't have authority over angels based on Matt 24:31, which uses wording similar to Rev 12. In addition, Michael is said to be the "Great prince" of God's people at Daniel 12:1. The reader is thus forced to choose between Bauckham's opinion or the scriptures and, ultimately, Jesus' own words at John 10:34-36 where he confirms the function of god being placed on humans.
Bauckham then states, "What Jewish monotheism could not accommodate were precisely...divinity by delegation participation." (pg 27-28) Even though he offered no proof of such, Bauckham may be on to something here based on Jesus' words at John 10. Jesus asked the religious leaders "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said: "You are gods"'? If he called 'gods' those against whom the word of God came, and yet the Scripture cannot be nullified, do You say to me whom the Father sanctified and dispatched into the world, 'You blaspheme,' because I said, I am God's Son?"
Note what is happening here and what Bauckham doesn't consider in his discussion. Jesus defends his position by confirming others are called "gods" by Almighty God. Did the religious leaders have an attitude like what Bauckham states they did (about not allowing "divinity by delegation")? Perhaps! But here is the point Bauckham missed. Jesus addresses their potential attitude by reminding them that the scriptures could not be "nullified"! So maybe the Jewish religious leaders did want to dismiss intermediary agents, even as Bauckham asks us to do, but Jesus reminded them that the scriptures did refer to others in that position (put there by none other than Almighty God) and that these scriptures that state such could not be nullified.
The writer of Hebrews may have also used the intermediary application of "God" at Hebrews 1:8 when he applied Psalm 45:6, originally applied to king Solomon, to Jesus Christ. That Bauckham would dismiss both Jesus' words and the application at Hebrews is, in my opinion, unfortunate. Despite Bauckham's arbitrary dismissal of the scriptures that show the opposite of his theory, Jesus uses one of these very scriptures to highlight delegated authority.
Bauckham then undertakes the argument that Jesus' participating in creation and receiving worship is proof that he should be identified as Almighty God. One cannot obviously address such arguments in a review limited to only 1000 words but I will say this. When we consider the whole of the scriptures and who they say Jesus is, we must study both the verses that seem to imply Jesus is God and the hundreds of verses that imply he is not. If we limit our study to a few verses we might very well conclude Peter and Judas are Satan the Devil. (John 6:70, Matt 16:23)
It should be stated that Bauckham admits this small book is not thorough and that he is working on a larger volume. I hope he will keep these comments and honest differences of opinion in mind as he proceeds. For a more in-depth look at the identity of Jesus, see the book, "Jesus-God or the Son of God?", available here at Amazon.com.
 |
Title: Windows on the World of Jesus: Time Travel to Ancient Judea by Bruce J. Malina ISBN: 0664254578 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: November, 1993 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Poet and Peasant Through Peasant Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey ISBN: 0802819478 Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Pub. Date: June, 1983 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
 |
Title: The Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences by Richard Bauckham ISBN: 0802844448 Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Pub. Date: November, 1997 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
 |
Title: The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N. T. Wright ISBN: 0830822003 Publisher: Intervarsity Press Pub. Date: November, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
 |
Title: The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, 3) by N. T. Wright ISBN: 0800626796 Publisher: Fortress Press Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
