Christology • Christianity • Advanced
Pauline Christology
Primary question: Did Paul, writing within roughly two decades of the crucifixion, present Jesus as a divine figure worthy of worship alongside God?
Argument map
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Common mistakes
Don't say
Treating Paul's Christology as a late, Hellenized corruption of a simple Jewish teacher's message.
Instead
Recognize that Paul's letters are the earliest Christian documents, dated within about two decades of the crucifixion, and already display high Christology, shifting the burden of proof onto later-development theories.
Don't say
Assuming 'Lord' language in Paul is generic and therefore theologically insignificant.
Instead
Examine the specific Septuagint quotations Paul redirects to Jesus, which show a deliberate and repeated pattern rather than incidental usage.
Don't say
Reading Philippians 2 in isolation from Paul's broader pattern of Shema-inclusion and worship texts.
Instead
Consider the cumulative case across multiple independent letters, since convergence strengthens the historical inference beyond what any single text could establish.
What would change my mind? — Christian position
Discovery that Paul's key Christological texts (Phil 2, 1 Cor 8:6, Rom 10) were late interpolations absent from the earliest manuscript tradition would substantially weaken the case for early high Christology.
What would change my mind? — Skeptical position
Convincing evidence that these formulas describe only functional agency, paralleled by uncontroversial Jewish veneration of intermediary figures without cultic devotion, would support a lower, more gradual Christology hypothesis.
Why does this matter?
If Paul's letters show a fully worshiped, pre-existent, divine Christ within two decades of the crucifixion, then high Christology cannot be dismissed as a late legendary accretion requiring centuries to develop. This significantly affects debates about the historical Jesus, the reliability of early Christian testimony, and the plausibility of naturalistic explanations for the rise of Christian belief. It also shapes how later Nicene formulations are understood, either as faithful development of apostolic teaching or as departure from it.
For further study
Primary and secondary sources on both sides of this question. Reading the strongest opposing case is part of the work, not a concession.
Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity — Larry W. Hurtado
A comprehensive study of the origins and shape of early Christian worship of Jesus.
Jesus and the God of Israel — Richard Bauckham
Develops the 'divine identity' Christology thesis with detailed exegesis of key Pauline texts.
How Jesus Became God — Bart D. Ehrman
Presents the exaltation Christology model and a more skeptical timeline for high Christology.
The Christology of the New Testament — Oscar Cullmann
A classic mid-century survey tracing functional titles applied to Jesus across the New Testament.
The Epistle to the Philippians (NIGTC) — Peter T. O'Brien
A detailed technical commentary addressing the Philippians 2 hymn and pre-existence debate.