RBL 06/2017

Crispin Fletcher-Louis

Jesus Monotheism: Volume 1: Christological Origins:

The Emerging Consensus and Beyond

Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2015. Pp. xx + 368. Paper.

$43.00. ISBN 9781620328897.

Blake A. Jurgens
Tallahassee, Florida

The first of a four-volume project, this work by Crispin Fletcher-Louis introduces his
massive project and provides the necessary prolegomenon. More specifically, volume 1 of
Jesus Monotheism intends to analyze the so-called emerging consensus that the early
Christian movement held a predominately high Christology and to offer a critique of this
consensus, prefacing Fletcher-Louiss own approach to be presented in the forthcoming
volumes. The final goal of the entire endeavor for Fletcher-Louis is to ultimately offer
a new paradigm that describes and accounts for the origins of the belief of [Jesuss]
deity (xiii).

Following a preface laying out the overarching scope of his larger venture, chapter 1
furnishes a basic summary of the emerging consensus for an early high Christology as
advocated by scholars such as Martin Hengel, Richard Bauckham, and, most noticeably,
Larry Hurtado. After analyzing various components of these scholars research, including
the concept of Christological monotheism and the crucial role played by Christ
devotion and worship in its development, Fletcher-Louis presents both Hurtados and
Bauckhams basic understandings of the origins of this early Christology. In his second
chapter Fletcher-Louis concisely addresses what he refers to as unconvincing objections
to this early high Christology (i.e., Maurice Casey, Adela Yarbro Collins, James McGrath,
James Dunn) and then spends a majority of the chapter (3956) providing a numerical

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analysis of 1 Cor 8:6 based upon the work of Casper Labuschagne. According to Fletcher-
Louis, 1 Cor 8:6 (minus the initial ) consists of twenty-six words (divided into two
thirteen-word halves) whose numerical value is a deliberate numeric allusion to the
Tetragrammaton. Fletcher-Louis ties this into his prior proposal in chapter 1 that 1 Cor
8:6 essentially splits and reworks the Shema in order to show that the one God the
Father and the one Lord Jesus Christ constitutes the identity of the one God, Yhwh-
Kyrios (46). While undoubtedly fascinating, Fletcher-Louiss proposal certainly ventures
off the beaten path, and only time will tell how seriously this creative interpretation will
hold among future readers.

After a brief introduction to the next section, chapter 3 addresses questions and problems
concerning the shape of New Testament Christology. A substantial amount of the chapter
evaluates the views of Bauckham and especially Hurtado (for Hurtados response to this
critique, see his RBL review). First, Fletcher-Louis rails against what he perceives as a
downplaying of the incarnation in the emerging consensus. According to Fletcher-Louis,
Hurtado and Bauckham ignore the incarnational element of New Testament Christology,
a central factor to the shape of the earliest Christology (e.g., 67), and thus incorrectly
posit a basis for Christ devotion that views the incarnation and preexistence of Jesus as
secondary, post-Easter developments rather than defining characteristics (6688).
Second, Fletcher-Louis asserts that the emerging consensus has insufficiently accorded
New Testament Christology a distinctive separation of agency between God the Father
and Jesus Christ. Using James Dunn for support, Fletcher-Louis criticizes what he sees as
a tendency to coalesce the identity of Christ with God the Father, thus ignoring Jesuss
own distinct agency as seen in the personal language used to describe Jesus in the New
Testament (88101). Finally, Flecher-Louis disputes Hurtados minimalist approach to
the expression the Son of Man in the New Testament, noting that while Hurtado does
make some valid points in his relegation of the phrase to a self-referential one of Jesus,
there is nevertheless a significant amount of apocalyptic terminological baggage tied to
the expression (cf. Dan 7:13; 1 En. 3771; 4 Ezra 13) which, he argues, possesses a titular,
connotative force in the New Testament (10126).

Chapter 4 addresses questions and problems regarding the origins of New Testament
Christology. Like chapter 3, this chapter also focuses primarily on the work of Hurtado,
particularly arguing against the tendency of the emerging consensus to isolate the high
Christology of the New Testament from its first-century Jewish context and thus construe
it as lacking any pre-Christian precedent. Noting the lack of any expected Jewish
opposition to early Christ devotion, as well as the lack of concrete textual support for
Hurtados own origin theory (i.e., powerful visionary experiences), Fletcher-Louis
proposes that what is needed is an explanation of the origins of Christ devotion that

This review was published by RBL 2017 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
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accounts for all the evidence for the beliefs, behaviors, and history of the early Christian
movement (156), presumably a lacuna that his forthcoming volumes intend to fill.

Chapters 57 constitute the third section of Fletcher-Louiss study and present three
separate case studies elucidating what Fletcher-Louis sees as a continuity shared
between Jewish beliefs and practices and the emergence of New Testament Christology
(16770). Chapter 5 explores the Similitudes of Enoch, its presentation of the Son of Man,
and its affinities with the New Testament. According to Fletcher-Louis, part of the
problem facing the emerging consensus lies in its relative disregard of the Similitudes and
Enochic scholarship in their christological theories (esp. Hurtado). Chapter 6 engages the
work of William Horbury on the Jewish appropriation of conventions of Hellenistic ruler
cults and divine kingship. Although Fletcher-Louis rightly tempers his use of Horburys
model with some well-directed critiques, he nevertheless holds that the influence of ruler
cults served at least as a partial precedent to the earliest Christology in conjunction with
developing Jewish messianic ideas oriented around the concept of the royal priesthood
and a priestly messiah. Lastly, chapter 7 primarily assesses chapters 1216 of the Life of
Adam and Eve and, against Hurtado and Bauckham, argues that the Worship of Adam
Story (not the entire Life) is pre-Christian, portrays the prelapsarian Adam as actually
worshiped by the angels (sans Satan), and is thereby important insofar as it partly explains
the shape of the earliest Christology. One of the constant themes extant in all three of
these chapters is that early Jewish texts provide a complex but relevant background
undergirding the development of an early Christology in which Jesus is a preexistent,
incarnate, divine being (292). Yet, as Fletcher-Louis rightly nuances, this does not entail
that early Christology is solely the product of earlier Jewish ideology.

As a whole, Jesus Monotheism presents a formidable and well-researched launching point

for what will expectedly be a much-discussed work, especially once Fletcher-Louis begins
plotting out his own approach. In this sense, it is consequently difficult to effectively
judge at this time just how successful Fletcher-Louiss entire project will be. Throughout
the volume Fletcher-Louis does provide hints illuminating just where the trajectory of his
argument will travel. This will most likely include an emphasis upon Jesuss distinct
identity vis--vis God the father (e.g., 8890), the proposition of a Christology of
preexistence and incarnation in the gospels (e.g., 67, 83), an approach to the titular Son
of Man that perhaps connotes the new Adam (e.g., 126), and a heavy methodological
stress upon the critical role of early Jewish texts for our understanding of early Christ
devotion. Future readers and reviewers of this study will no doubt benefit in keeping
these topics in mind as subsequent volumes reach publication.

Finally, while reading this volume, at least three larger methodological issues do arise.
First, in a number of places Fletcher-Louis brings up the relationship between practice

This review was published by RBL 2017 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
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and belief. For example, Fletcher-Louis notes that Hurtados inclination to overemphasize
the importance of demonstrable practices over theology preemptively delimits his
ability properly to discern the continuities (and discontinuities) of pre-Christian
precedents with New Testament Christology (e.g., 279). However, Fletcher-Louis does
not actually lay out a detailed methodological or theoretical approach to practice and
belief in this volume, much less address whether or not this dichotomy can adequately
or accurately describe the emergence of early Christology, two important gaps insofar as
Fletcher-Louis appears to believe that the message of the historical Jesus, in conjunction
with post-Easter theological reflections and Second Temple traditions (i.e., beliefs),
thereby motivated and led to Christ devotion and worship (i.e., practice). Second, and
tied to the first issue, Fletcher-Louis never addresses how text traditions relate to practice
or historical events, a complex issue most certainly but one that would seem necessary to
his project. Third, at times Fletcher-Louiss discussion of the emergence of Christianity
could use a little more nuance in describing the admittedly porous boundaries extant
during the first couple centuries (cf. also the term pre-Christian). Perhaps a section laying
out the complexity of this period and Fletcher-Louiss own use of certain terminology
would help alleviate this.

For those interested in early Christology, this praiseworthy project will certainly be a
must-have, not only in terms of Fletcher-Louiss new approach to early Christology, but
also in terms of his detailed engagement with the last twenty years of academic discourse
that underlies his own analysis. Once completed, this immense work will certainly be
worthy of mention in any future studies of early Christology.

This review was published by RBL 2017 by the Society of Biblical Literature. For more information on obtaining a
subscription to RBL, please visit http://www.bookreviews.org/subscribe.asp.