Israel’s Lord: YHWH as “Two Powers” in Second Temple Literature
Ebook
Israel’s Lord: YHWH as “Two Powers” in Second Temple Literature addresses the nature of Jewish monotheism in Second Temple literature, advancing an argument that much of the literature reflects the existence of two powers in heaven that are both rightly understood as YHWH. To this end, Wilhite and Winn review various figures such God’s Word, God’s Wisdom, the Angel of the Lord, the Son of Man, and others that bear features closely associate with the God of Israel. Using criteria related to these features they argue that most, though not all, of these figures are rightly identified as the figure who appeared in Israel’s scriptures and was called YHWH. Such a “two powers” paradigm is relevant for understanding early Christian commitments regarding Jesus. The debate about Jesus’ divinity depends in large part on what options were available for the earliest Christians when considering his titles and status. The authors contend that with such a “two powers” paradigm available to the earliest Christians, it should inform any reading of New Testament texts and their varying depictions of Jesus as “Lord.”
Chapter 1: Re-assessing Monotheism in Light of a Two Powers Paradigm
Chapter 2: God’s Word in Second Temple Literature
Chapter 3: God’s Word’s as a Second Power in Heaven
Chapter 4: God’s Wisdom
Chapter 5: The Angel of the Lord
Chapter 6: Other Abstract Figures
Chapter 7: The Son of Man
Chapter 8: Melchizedek and Enoch
Chapter 9: Exalted Humans
Chapter 10: Conclusions and Looking Forward
David Wilhite and Adam Winn have embarked on an epic enterprise to tell the story of the background, origins, and development of early Christology. This volume proceeds with remarkable acumen and attention to detail as it explores various mediator figures in second temple Judaism who were something of the petri dish from which Christian devotion to Jesus organically emerged from its Jewish and Greco-Roman environs. A landmark publication.
Wilhite and Winn propose “a two powers paradigm” for understanding the Jewish monotheism within which the Christology found in early Christianity came to be expressed. While their “two powers” label for this complex monotheism may not be welcomed by all, the evidence from Second Temple Jewish texts that they present about the Word, Wisdom, the Angel of the Lord, and other figures is certainly important pieces for solving the puzzle of how some Jews rapidly came to understand and confess Jesus to be within the mystery of YHWH.
- Title: Israel’s Lord: YHWH as “Two Powers” in Second Temple Literature
- Authors: David E. Wilhite, Adam Winn
- Publisher: Fortress Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781978712317, 9781978712300, 1978712308, 1978712316
- Resource ID: LLS:9781978712317
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-07-06T02:53:15Z
David Wilhite is professor of historical theology at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary.
Adam Winn is professor and chair for the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies at Samford University.