Jesus and YHWH-Texts in the Synoptic Gospels

Scott Brazil examines the practice of applying Old Testament YHWH-texts to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels, arguing that it evidences a high Christology in the primitive church that traces back to Jesus himself. This contradicts the modern critical theory that a high Christology took many decades to develop in the early church. Brazil surveys the Synoptic Gospels, exegeting dozens of passages, and concludes that the early deliberate employment of YHWH-texts to Jesus, the likelihood that Jesus is the source of the practice, the high Christology of the Synoptics, and the redemptive-historical metanarrative that Jesus is the divine interpreter and central figure of the Jewish Scriptures cannot be neglected.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Scott Brazil delves into the intriguing practice of applying Old Testament YHWH-texts to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. He argues that this phenomenon reveals a profound Christology in the early church, dating back to Jesus himself. In contrast to the modern critical theory that posits the development of a high Christology took many decades in the early church, with John being the sole Gospel to exhibit it, Brazil finds a striking contradiction in this Synoptic practice.

Brazil conducts a comprehensive survey of the Synoptic Gospels, exegeting numerous passages where OT texts originally referring to YHWH are explicitly or most likely applied to Jesus. He observes the prevalence, diversity, and widespread occurrence of this practice, as well as its extensive use of various OT source materials and its similarity to the NT practice of applying OT messianic texts to Jesus. From the data he presents, Brazil draws several significant conclusions, including the early intentional employment of YHWH-texts to Jesus, the likelihood of Jesus being the originator of this practice, the high Christology evident in the Synoptics, and the redemptive-historical metanarrative that portrays Jesus as the divine interpreter and central figure of the Jewish Scriptures.

Ultimately, Brazil contends that neglecting to understand the extensive application of OT YHWH-texts to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels would result in a truncation of genuine NT Christology. His study sheds light on the rich tapestry of Christology in the early church and challenges prevailing theories regarding the development of this doctrine.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780567713957