The Origin of Divine Christology / Andrew Ter Ern Loke.

includes index and biblioraphy

1. Introducing the Theories and Approaches concerning the origin of Divine Christology ........1 Significance of the Question ..........1 Introducing various types of Theories concerning the origin of Divine christology ..............3 Introducing the issues of Jesus Self-Understanding ...........6 The approach of this book .........9 Clarification of Key terms ...........12 An Overview of the Rest of this book .......21 2. The highest christology was present among the earliest christians : The Evidence ...............24 1 Corinthians 8: 6..........26 Philippians 2: 6-11............33 Evidence from devotional Practices ........41 Evidence from expressions of Spiritual desire for christ ................45 3. Replies to objections involving various exalted figures in Second temple Judaism ..........48 The Importance of the Creator - Creature divide ..........53 Concerning the angel of the Lord ...........66 Concerning Kings, Messiahs and Others .......68 4. Replies to other Objections concerning the highest christology of the earliest christians .......79 Concerning the clain that accoring to acts the earliest christians did not worship Jesus ........79 Concerning the claim that Jesus was distinguished from and subordinated to God ..............80 Concerning the claim that adoptionism / Exaltation christology was present earlier ......83 Concerning the claim that Jesus was merely venerated, not worshiped ..............94 Concerning the claim that sacrifice is never said in the new testament to be offered to christ ........95 5. The Extent of Highest christology in Earliest christianity .....100 The argument for widespread extent ...........101 Is there absence of Jewish objection to paul`s Divine christology .......103 Argument from silence ..........107 Reply to objections by bart ehrman and others .....110 Examples of Theories which fail to explain the widespread extent ..........131 6. The best explanation for the origin of Highest chrostology ..........134 The earliest christians were evidently concerned about passing on the traditon of Jesus Teachings ..........134 The difficulty of the Idea of Regarding a Human Jesus as also truly divine ...........137 The Issue of Falsification of Jesus Intention ..........140 The Best historical Explanation for a Diversity of other Peculiar beliefs and Practices of the Earliest christians is that they originated from Jesus ........144 It is likely that Jesus was Perceived to have Given clear Indications that he regarded himself as Truly Diving by a Significant Number of Disciples ............146 The Role of Early christian thinking about intermediary figures .....147 7. Assessing the evidence for the Origin of Highest christology in the Gospels ............153 Counter - Evidence in the Gospels ..........153