The History of Christian Theology

Lecture 2: Early Christian Proclamation

it means that he is no longer dead. The underlying story (told at Easter) is not

about an immortal soul but about a resurrected body. Astonishingly, Jesus at

God’s right hand is a living man. Believers in Jesus expected a resurrection

like his—a resurrection of the body which is not so much life after death as

the reversal and defeat of death itself.

Early Christian theologians, even in the New Testament, suggested that there

was something scholars called the “preexistence” of Christ. This means

that before Christ was born as a man, he was already seated at God’s right

hand. Although he was of the very essence of God, he humbled himself and

took on the form of a servant. Thus, God has exalted him and given him a

name that is above all others—the name of the Lord. The earliest Christian

confession consists in this naming of Jesus as Lord. Ŷ

Book of Acts, chaps. 1–3.

Letter to the Philippians, chap. 2.

Bauckham, God Cruci¿ ed.

Hurtado, At the Origins of Christian Worship.

1. Why did the early Christians worship Jesus—what were they
   hoping for?


2. How is early Christian worship of Jesus compatible with the Jewish
   commitment to monotheism?

Suggested Reading

Questions to Consider