Table of Contents

PREFACE INTRODUCTION PART I: ISSUES AND APPROACHES How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God? Approaches to Jesus-Devotion in Earliest Christianity Devotion to Jesus and Second-Temple Jewish Monotheistic Piety To Live and Die for Jesus: Social and Political Consequences of Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity A "Case Study" in Early Christian Devotion to Jesus: Philippians 2:6-11 PART II: DEFINITIONS AND DEFENSE First-Century Jewish Monotheism Homage to the Historical Jesus and Early Christian Devotion Early Jewish Opposition to Jesus-Devotion Religious Experience and Religious Innovation in the New Testament EPILOGUE APPENDIX 1: Opening Remarks to the First Deichmann Annual Lecture Series Horst-Heinz Deichmann APPENDIX 2: Are There Good Reasons for Studying Early Christian Literature at Ben-Gurion University? Roland Deines INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS INDEX OF SUBJECTS INDEX OF SCRIPTURE AND OTHER ANCIENT SOURCES

About the Author

Larry W Hurtado is professor of New Testament language, literature and theology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His previous books include At the Origins of Christian Worship: The Context and Character of Earliest Christian Devotion. (Eerdmans)

Reviews

The Bible Today
"Written with clarity, cogency, and great erudition, [this book] is a joy to read and a strong challenge to much of contemporary scholarship." John Koenig
-- General Theological Seminary
"Larry Hurtado is changing the face of New Testament studies through his persistence in searching out the origins of the extraordinary devotion to Jesus by his earliest followers. Here he presents his arguments with force and clarity while adding an important chapter on the high cost of Jesus-devotion to first-century believers within their sociopolitical and family systems." Calvin Theological Journal
"The pendulum has finally swung back! In stunning and dramatic fashion, Larry Hurtado has shifted the Christian world away from tired questers into the direction of high Christology." Choice
"[How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God?] is the best short and mature introduction to the bulk of [Hurtado's] earlier work. . . Highly recommended." Westminster Theological Journal
"Not only enhances our understanding of NT Christology, but it also makes a valuable and unique contribution to our historical understanding of the origins of Christianity."