Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus

by Murray J. Harris

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2008

Overview

Jesus as God stands as one of the significant exegetical-theological contributions of the century. With linguistic and exegetical skill befitting his ranking as a leading international scholar, Murray J. Harris discusses the New Testament use of the Greek term theos (“God”) as a Christological title.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Discusses the New Testament’s use of the Greek word theos
• Examines individual New Testament verses in which theos may refer to Jesus
• Answers questions about whether the Gospels meant to refer to Jesus as God

Contents

• The Word Was God, John 1:1
• The Only Son, Who Is God, John 1:18
• My Lord and My God! John 20:28
• The Church of God, Acts 20:28
• God blessed Forever, Romans 9:5
• Our Great God and Savior, Titus 2:13
• The Throne of God, Psalm 45:7-8
• The Throne of God, Hebrews 1:8-9
• Our God and Savior, 2 Peter 1:1
• The True God, 1 John 5:20
• Other Texts
• Conclusions: Theos as a Christological Title

Top Highlights

“Nonetheless it is my contention that the titles of Jesus again and again encapsulate the early Christian understanding of the role and status of Jesus. While no single title sums up the full revelation of God contained in Jesus, each title contributes distinctively to the multifaceted picture of the man from Nazareth drawn by NT authors.” (Page 10)

“From all this one may enunciate the general principle that when a writer wishes to highlight divine qualities (viz., godhood), θεός (not ὁ θεός) will often be used.⁸⁷ This accords with the fact that the anarthrous state of a noun may draw attention to the characteristic quality of the person or thing specified.” (Pages 39–40)

“Rather it is an exclamatory address, an exclamation specifically directed to Jesus as its subject and recipient.” (Page 111)

“Customarily, (ὁ) θεός denotes the Father, but exceptionally it refers to the Son.⁹² That (ὁ) θεός generally refers specifically to the trinitarian Father is clearly seen in each strand of the NT, but particularly in the testimony of John and Paul.” (Page 42)

“The very rarity of the designation of Jesus as ‘God’ is evidence that θεός never becomes a proper name when used of Jesus but remains a descriptive title.” (Page 274)

Praise for the Print Edition

It is difficult to imagine a more careful, comprehensive, or detailed discussion of this controversial aspect of Christology than Dr. Harris has provided. The issues are largely syntactical, and this is a field in which he has already shown his mastery. With the publication of this book, a neglected topic has at last received the attention it deserves. This is a major work of scholarship from an outstanding able scholar.

—I. Howard Marshall, professor emeritus of New Testament exegesis at the University of Aberdeen

I have read Jesus as God with very great admiration. The author has shown a logical and judicious mind, a most impressive mastery of the biblical language, an exhaustive knowledge of the relevant secondary literature, as well as theological perceptiveness. I regard this as a really important contribution to New Testament scholarship, which no one who is seriously concerned with Christology can afford to ignore.

—C.E.B. Cranfield, professor emeritus of theology at the University of Durham

Learned, thorough, and provoking. It treats a neglected subject in a largely convincing way. Especially important is the intensive exegesis of the discussed texts.

—Martin Hengel, late emeritus professor of New Testament and early Judaism, University of Tübingen

Product Details

• Title: Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus
• Author: Murray J. Harris
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Pages: 379
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Jesus Christ › Divinity--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600; Bible. N.T. › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Theos (The Greek word)
• ISBNs: 9781606081082, 9780801021954, 160608108X, 0801021952
• Resource ID: LLS:JESUSASGOD
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:51:07Z

About Murray J. Harris

Murray J. Harris is professor emeritus of New Testament exegesis and theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.