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Origins of New Testament Christology: An Introduction to the Traditions and Titles Applied to Jesus by Stanley E. Porter and Bryan R. Dyer
Glenn B. Siniscalchi
Stanley E. Porter and Bryan R. Dyer, Origins of New Testament Christology: An Introduction to the Traditions and Titles Applied to Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023. Pp. 278. $32.00, paper.
A significant component of interreligious dialogue has to do with clarifying the meanings of the distinctive claims pronounced by the world's religions. Discussions surrounding the uniqueness of Christianity are frequently centered on explaining the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. This book is a welcome addition to the recent resurgence of biblical scholarship that illustrates how the Second Testament writings are unanimous in upholding Jesus' ontological uniqueness for human salvation. Drawing upon Jewish and Greco-Roman concepts for understanding the background traditions and practices that helped to fashion the earliest portrayals of Jesus, Porter and Dyer maintain that the widespread use of designated titles indicates that the highest Christology pervades the relevant Second Testament texts.
Each chapter concentrates on a select title of Jesus (the Lord, Prophet, Son of Man, Son of God, Suffering Servant, Passover Lamb, Messiah, Savior, Last Adam, Word, and High Priest). Porter and Dyer do an excellent job of showing how the traditions behind and alongside the christological titles were instrumental in the final presentations of Jesus in the biblical texts: "the New Testament writers draw from familiar traditions and categories to help them articulate their understanding of Jesus. … [He] is presented as the Suffering Servant from Isaiah, the elusive Son of Man figure described in Daniel 7, the king-priest Melchizedek, the lamb slaughtered at Passover, and so forth" (p. xviii). Each [End Page 441] title contributes to forming a kaleidoscopic vision of the earliest church's understandings of Jesus. The book is mostly concerned with discussing and formulating a Second Testament Christology, rather than with ecclesiastical or spiritual readings of biblical texts.
Since the middle of the nineteenth century, major contributions to the study of christological origins have reflected one of two basic orientations. In one view, belief in the divinity of Jesus began with the groups and individuals who knew him during his lifetime. Jesus himself taught that he was divine. In another perspective, Jesus was a highly ethical and representative human being. Belief in the divine nature was fabricated as time went on among the earliest Christian communities, and the Second Testament writings epitomize the outcome of that evolutionary development. The authors conclude that the former should have precedent over the latter: "The depiction of Jesus as divine was not a later event but a reflection of how Jesus was seen by his first and earliest followers. … the question of when Jesus became God must … be answered in this way: it did not just happen early … but was a fact built into the very fabric of the New Testament from its earliest traditions. Some of these titles go back to Jesus himself" (p. 235).
Although the christological titles approach has mostly fallen out of vogue in recent decades, Porter and Dyer have provided the guild with an indispensable piece of scholarship that should be consulted by graduate students, biblical scholars, and competent participants who are involved with the dialogue between Christianity and other religions. This book can be utilized to clarify the original meanings that were assigned to Jesus' identity. In this way, it will be of tremendous service to answering a fundamental question that originated during the ministry of Jesus and continues to be asked around the globe: "Who is this man?"
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