Ancient Jewish Monotheism and Early Christian Jesus-Devotion

Ancient Jewish Monotheism and Early Christian Jesus-Devotion harvests from Larry W. Hurtado's lifetime of study of the New Testament and the development of early Christianity. Hurtado's career of historical and literary research spans forty years and emphasizes both continuity and discontinuity in the origins of the Christian faith. This volume displays Hurtado's command of the nature, shape, and implications of Christ-devotion for understanding Christian origins. Hurtado begins with the scholarly framework for understanding Christ-devotionâengaging key figures from Bousset and Bultmann to Bauckham and Wright. The next section maps the first-century Jewish devotional, liturgical, and theological contexts in which the early church and its worshiping life first emerged. Phenomenological investigations follow that set Christian innovation in the context of ancient Jewish monotheism, focusing specifically on the experiential factors shaping early Christian faith and devotional practices. The focus turns finally to the surprising ways in which the innovative, Jesus-centered beliefs and worship formed early Christian self-expression and identity. The volume concludes with a survey of some significant concrete implications of the distinctive dyadic devotional pattern that erupted early and spread widely. Even as this collection traces the historical narrative of Christian origins through the lens of Christology and devotion, it also forms an inclusive testament to one scholar's outstanding contributions to the ongoing discussion of what made early Christianity powerfully unique in its historical setting. Quintessential Hurtado, this volume is a necessity for any attempt to understand the diversity of factors at play in the birth of Christianity.

"A lifetime of exceptional Jesus research in a bookthat is what Larry Hurtado presents us with in Ancient Jewish Monotheism and Early Christian Jesus-Devotion. The chapters in this book represent foundational studies published over Hurtados forty-year career on the question most central to New Testament and early Christian studies: How did Jesus come to share in divinity and become an object of worship? This book is a compendium on New Testament and early Christology, and an essential companion to Hurtados celebrated books, One God, One Lord (1988) and Lord Jesus Christ (2003)." April D. DeConick, Chair of the Department of Religion, Rice University and author of The Gnostic New Age: How a Countercultural Spirituality Revolutionized Religion from Antiquity to Today, "This collection of essays brings together some of the most stimulating and insightful research conducted during the prestigious career of Larry Hurtado on a key historical question: What are the origins of devotion to Jesus in early Christianity? They demonstrate why he is the leading light of the new History of Religion School. Hurtado is to the 21st century what Bousset was to the 20th." David B. Capes, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament, Houston Baptist University, Having access to these essays under one cover--along with his equally impressive monographs--reveals the remarkable contribution of this scholar to our understanding of early Christianity. -- Donald Senior, CP -- The Bible Today, Those who research or are otherwise interested in the scholarly discussion of Christian origins, early devotion to Jesus, and Christology will benefit greatly from this volume. -- Timothy Hein -- Expository Times, It is great to have this material brought together, both because of the importance of the topic, and because of the importance of the author's thinking on the topic. For young aspiring scholars it also shows what a lifetime of conscientious research can look like. -- David Wenham -- Journal for the Study of the New Testament

Larry W Hurtado is Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature & Theology in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Born in Kansas City (Missouri), he now lives in Edinburgh.