Jesus and the God of Israel

In this academic work, Richard Bauckham brilliantly explores the way early Christians came to understand Jesus Christ as God and the way this relates to their Jewish context with regard to monotheism. He declares in the book that in Second Temple Judaism, Jews were highly self-consciously monotheistic, theologically clear in understanding God's uniqueness, and understood intermediary figures (such as angels) were not equal with God. He believes that Jewish monotheism and high Christology were naturally compatible and well established in pre-New Testament writings by noting that the teaching of Jesus' role as co-Creator and Sovereign, the Old Testament exegetical evidence (cf. Isaiah 40-55), Jesus' exaltation with God above angels, His sharing of God's divine name and titles (cf. Deut. 32:8-9) and attributed worship (prayers, doxologies, hymns) are not uncommon to Jewish thought, yet entirely consistent with God's revealed character. Bauckman notes that early Jewish Christians understood Jesus in a monotheistic framework. Such teachings aligned, not afflicted Jewish reasoning as exampled in first central rabbinical thought in the christianising of the Shema (cf. Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:6). Bauckham's analysis of the consistency and unity of the Old Testament teachings of divine identity with Christological monotheism of pre-New Testament thought and eventual writings reveal early Jewish Christians contextually understood Jesus as Israel's God. Well worth reading for the academic.