Israel's Lord

Yhwh as "Two Powers" in Second Temple Literature

By: David E Wilhite, Adam Winn

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Hardcover | 15 July 2024

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Hardcover
310 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 2.06

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Israel's Lord addresses the nature of Jewish monotheism in the Second Temple period, especially in relation to a concept known as "two powers" in heaven. Wilhite and Winn review the various figures that were depicted as the second power in heaven, such as God's Word, God's Wisdom, the Angel of the Lord, the Son of Man, and others. By establishing a set of criteria by which to evaluate whether ancient Jews from this period would consider a certain figure divine, the authors re-assess the various candidates, finding some, but not all, to be rightly described as the second power in heaven - that is, the figure who appeared in Israel's scriptures and was also called YHWH. This two powers paradigm provides a way forward for studying this period in general and the rise of Christianity in particular. The debate about Jesus' divinity depends in large part on what options were available for the earliest Christians when considering his titles and status. Since a second power figure is found in a wide array of sources, the authors contend that this should inform any reading of New Testament texts and their varying depictions of Jesus as the "Lord" of Israel.

Industry Reviews

David Wilhite and Adam Winn have embarked on an epic enterprise to tell the story of the background, origins, and development of early Christology. This volume proceeds with remarkable acumen and attention to detail as it explores various mediator figures in second temple Judaism who were something of the petri dish from which Christian devotion to Jesus organically emerged from its Jewish and Greco-Roman environs. A landmark publication.

--Rev. Michael F. Bird, Ridley College

Wilhite and Winn propose "a two powers paradigm" for understanding the Jewish monotheism within which the Christology found in early Christianity came to be expressed. While their "two powers" label for this complex monotheism may not be welcomed by all, the evidence from Second Temple Jewish texts that they present about the Word, Wisdom, the Angel of the Lord, and other figures is certainly important pieces for solving the puzzle of how some Jews rapidly came to understand and confess Jesus to be within the mystery of YHWH.

--Charles A. Gieschen, Concordia Theological Seminary

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