Divine Christology in the Epistle to the Hebrews: The Son as God (The Library of New Testament Studies, 656)

third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes. This book, and the original thesis on which it is based, represents a project in which I have received much support, encouragement and prayer from others, to whom I am greatly indebted. The thesis was begun in Dunedin, New Zealand, and the Department of Theology at the University of Otago provided a truly congenial atmosphere for research. Particularly significant were my supervisors, Paul Trebilco and Chris Holmes, whose kindness, efficiency and acumen helped the project greatly. At a personal level, the friendship of fellow doctoral students in the department, particularly my office-mate Jono Ryan, provided much solace and support through the process. The closing stages of thesis writing saw the family and I move to Australia, and the staff and students at Queensland Theological College showed their kindness, through both interest in the work and the support of colleagues. The final stages of revision of the book for publication happened during a further move to teach at Westminster Seminary California, and it seems a fitting locale in which to complete it, among a faculty who have had a formative influence on my own thinking. I am greatly thankful to my mother and father who, along with my parents-inlaw, have been greatly supportive of my studies, and us as a family, during the rather peripatetic last decade. Inge, my wife, deserves the greatest thanks of all. Her constant help, encouragement and selfless hard work are the stays of daily life; without her I would be a much poorer man. And last of all, thanks and praise are due to God, Father, Son and Spirit, whose presence enables all my work-may the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. "Nick Brennan investigates the depiction of the Son's divine nature in the Epistle to the Hebrews; despite little attention being directly given to the Son's divinity in recent study of Hebrews, Brennan argues that not only is the Son depicted as divine in the Epistle, but that this depiction ranges outside the early chapters in which it is most often noted, and is theologically relevant to the pattern of the Author's argument. Beginning with a survey of the state of contemporary scholarship on the Son's divinity in Hebrews, and a discussion of the issues connected to predicating divinity of the Son in the Epistle, Brennan analyses the application of Old Testament texts to the Son which, in their original context, refer to God (1:6; 10-12), and demonstrates how the Pastor not only affirms the Son's divinity but also the significance of his exaltation as God. He then discusses how Heb 3:3, 4 witnesses to the divinity of the Son in Hebrews, explores debates on the relation of the Son's “indestructible life” (Heb 7:16) to his divinity, and demonstrates how two key concepts in Hebrews (covenant and sonship) reinforce the Son's divinity. Brennan thus concludes that the Epistle not only portrays the Son as God, but does so in a manner which is a pervasive aspect of its thought, and is theologically salient to many features of the Epistle's argument" Nick Brennan investigates the depiction of the Son in his divine nature in the Epistle to the Hebrews; despite little attention being given toto the Son’s divinity, Brennan argues that not only is the Son depicted as divine in the Epistle, but that this depiction ranges outside the early chapters in which it is most often noted, and is theologically relevant to the pattern of the Author’s argument. Beginning with a survey of the state of contemporary scholarship on the Son’s divinity in Hebrews, and a discussion of the issues connected to predicating divinity of the Son in the Epistle, Brennan analyses the application of Old Testament texts to the Son which, in their original context, refer to God (1:6; 10-12), and demonstrates how the Pastor not only affirms the Son’s divinity but also the significance of his exaltation as God. He then discusses how Heb 3:3, 4 does witness to the divinity of the Son in Hebrews, explores the debate on the relation of the Son’s “indestructible life” (Heb 7:16) to his divinity, and demonstrates how two key concepts in Hebrews (covenant and sonship) reinforce the Son’s divinity. Brennan thus concludes that the Epistle not only portrays the Son as God, but does so in a manner which is a pervasive aspect of its thought, and is theologically salient to many features of the Epistle’s argument. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1 Introduction 2 The Son as divine eschatological saviour (1:6, 10–12) 3 The Son as divine eschatological builder (Heb 3:3, 4) 4 The Son as bearer of the divine life 5 The Son as divine surety 6 Polyvalent sonship and the divine Son 7 Conclusion Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors "This book explores the depiction of the Son as divine in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and how this concept is particularly present in, and theologically necessary to, the Epistle's argument"-- Provided by publisher