Paul and Jesus
First Century Jewish Monotheism
- In the first century monotheism was a way of saying that God of Israel was the only true God of the world and the pagan gods and goddesses were not. There could not be two lords. God would one day defeat these 'gods' and vindicate his true people. Since God is the creator of this world he would do what he has to do to restore it. The awaited kingdom would come and those who belong to this one true God would get to be a part of it and those who had died would be physically raised from the dead when it came.
- God is transcendent but he is also active and present in this world.
Jesus and the Spirit Within Paul's Jewish Monotheism
- Paul remained a monotheist but because of God's saving work in Christ montheism was redifined around Father-Son-Spirit.
- Paul took passages that spoke of the oneness of God (e.g. the shema) and placed Jesus firmly in the middle of it.
- The Spirit was the spirit of Jesus; God's presence to guide us in the wilderness
No comments:
Post a Comment