Israel’s Lord

YHWH as “Two Powers” in Second Temple Literature

David E. Wilhite, Adam Winn, University of Mary Hardin

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English

Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
15 July 2024

History of religion; Christianity; Judaism: sacred texts

"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."

By: David E. Wilhite, Adam Winn, University of Mary Hardin
Imprint: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781978712300
ISBN 10: 1978712308
Pages: 310
Publication Date: 15 July 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Chapter 1: Re-assessing Monotheism in Light of a Two Powers Paradigm Chapter 2: God’s Word in Second Temple Literature Chapter 3: God’s Word’s as a Second Power in Heaven Chapter 4: God’s Wisdom Chapter 5: The Angel of the Lord Chapter 6: Other Abstract Figures Chapter 7: The Son of Man Chapter 8: Melchizedek and Enoch Chapter 9: Exalted Humans Chapter 10: Conclusions and Looking Forward

David Wilhite is professor of historical theology at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. Adam Winn is professor of Christian studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Reviews for Israel’s Lord: YHWH as “Two Powers” in Second Temple Literature

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