The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context

Preface

Preface This book is intended as a work of scholarship to advance our understanding of an important aspect of early Jewish and Christian belief, namely, the idea that God is “one.” It has nevertheless been my aim throughout the book to make its arguments accessible to those not already familiar with contemporary scholarship on this subject and thus not to presuppose extensive prior knowledge on the part of those first looking into this topic. I hope those reading this book with a strong background in the study of religion or theology will not begrudge the author the fact that he occasionally stops to explain some of the major concepts and debates. This book has been many years in the making. Its roots go back to my doctoral work on the Gospel of John. In rethinking whether the Christological debates in the Fourth Gospel were about monotheism, I soon realized that it would be necessary to engage in a wider survey of early Jewish and Christian literature if my interpretation of the Gospel of John were to prove convincing. Having now completed a second book, I suspect that much more remains unsaid on these matters than has found its way into either book. The discussion in chapter 4 of the relationship between Johannine Christianity and Jewish Christianity makes use of material that was published in an article in Koinonia journal, and chapter 6, coauthored by Jerry Truex, originally appeared in the Journal of Biblical Studies. Full information about both works can be found in the bibliography. The author would like to thank the library staff at Christian Theological Seminary and the Inter Library Loan staff at Butler University for McGrath_FINAL.indb vii McGrath_FINAL.indb vii 11/14/2008 12:08:25 PM 11/14/2008 12:08:25 PM Preface viii providing me with access to the books and articles I needed to complete work on this project. I would also like to thank many of the dialogue partners who, over the years, have discussed various aspects of this subject with me in various forums and/or have influenced my thinking on these matters in important ways, especially (but not limited to) Jerry Truex, James Dunn, Loren Stuckenbruck, Marianne Meye Thompson, Larry Hurtado (whose most recent book I have sought to interact with wherever possible, even though this volume was essentially finished when Hurtado’s study appeared; I sincerely regret not having had the opportunity to interact with many more of his points in far greater detail , as indeed his extensive study deserves), Richard Bauckham, Alan Segal, Frances Young, and Laurence Kant. It is my hope that, in taking account of the publications, arguments, and observations of these and many other scholars, my own presentation has taken on greater clarity of expression, even if it is still not found to be persuasive by one and all. It goes without saying that any and all flaws readers may find in this book, and any weakness in the arguments put forward, are entirely my responsibility. Furthermore, where at places I have expressed an opinion or interpretation of the evidence differently from that of other scholars working in the same field, it is my sincere hope that this will not be taken as a sign of any lack of appreciation on my part for their work or their arguments. I have come to view the evidence differently than I used to, and differently from how many of my mentors and colleagues view it, but if any of my own arguments are felt to be persuasive , it is only because I have been able to build on a strong foundation laid by those who have worked on this subject before me. It is therefore my hope that the arguments presented in this book will be accepted in a spirit of dialogue leading to further exploration of the subject. I welcome criticisms and corrections, and I anticipate that as a result of this ongoing conversation, my own views will continue to develop and evolve, even as they have done up until now. I also wish to thank the Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism and Hellenistic Judaism sections at the Society of Biblical Literature for allowing me to present a number of these ideas and receive feedback on them at annual meetings. At several points I have covered ground that I had touched on in earlier publications ; however, in each case I have sought to rework the material so that it is in a genuinely new form...