Dr. Jim Sweeney's presentation during the 2010 theological summit at Winebrenner Theological Seminary

1. Session Three:
“The Christ as seen by the Epistle Writers” –
Dr. James Sweeney

2. Outline of Presentation <1>
• Part 1: PRELIMINARY BACKGROUND DETAILS
• Part 2: SOME SAMPLES OF CHRISTOLOGY REFLECTED IN
THE NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS
• Part 3: THE RELEVANCE OF NEW TESTAMENT
CHRISTOLOGY FOR CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANS
• Part 4: THREE QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER THEOLOGICAL
AND PRACTICAL REFLECTION

3. Part One: PRELIMINARY BACKGROUND
DETAILS <2>
• Introduction
• A Look at the Shape of New Testament
Theology: What Does It Look Like?
• A Look at the Meaning of New
Testament Christology: What is It?
• A Look at the Shape of New Testament
Christology: Five Summary Points

4. The Shape of New Testament Theology <3>
• David Wenham: New Testament
theology is “all about the divine
mission to the world.”
• The four “C”s of New Testament
theology:
(1) Context (2) Center
(3) Community (4) Climax

5. The Meaning of New Testament
Christology <4>
• The differing foci of scholarly
approaches to NT Christology:
• Some focus on Christ’s person
• Others focus on Christ’s person &
work
• Still others focus on Christ’s
person & significance

6. The Meaning of New Testament
Christology <5>
• My preferred definition of Christology
(because of the interrelated ways in
which the NT authors speak of Christ):
• “The diverse ways in which the New
Testament authors present the person
and work of Christ and their
redemptive significance for their
readers (and themselves).”

7. Interrelation of Christ’s person, work
& their redemptive significance <6>
• Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with
Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ
who lives in me. And the life I now live in
the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.”
• Person: “Christ,” “Son of God”
• Work: “gave himself” (i.e. on the cross)
• Redemptive significance: “Christ lives in
me,” “loved me,” “gave himself for me”

8. Interrelation of Christ’s person, work
& their redemptive significance <7>
• 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace
[gracious act, NAB] of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, so that you
through his poverty might become rich.”
• Person: “Lord Jesus Christ . . . was rich”
• Work: “he became poor . . . through his
poverty” (Incarnation implied)
• Redemptive significance: “for your
sakes,” “that you … might become rich”

9. A Look at the Shape of New
Testament Christology <8>
• (1) It’s textually embodied in the NT
writings
• (2) It’s historical in context
• (3) It has a narrative framework (or
format)
• (4) It’s theological in its content
• (5) It’s diverse (variegated) in its
modes of presentation

10. The NT Writings in Overview <9>
• Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John
• One Early Church ‘history’: The Acts
of the Apostles (Luke-Acts is a 2 vol.
work of one author)
• Twenty-one Letters:
• Thirteen Pauline letters (Pauline Corpus)
• Eight Catholic (or General) letters
• One Prophetic-Apocalypse: Revelation (a
prophecy in the form of a circular letter)

11. Four prominent streams of cooperate
apostolic mission and their influence
on the origin of the NT writings <10>
Pauline
Mission
(Paul)
Petrine
mission
(Peter)
Jacobean
mission
(James)
Johan-
nine
mission
(John)
-Paul’s
letters
-Luke &
Acts
-Hebrews
-1 & 2
Peter
-Mark
-James
-Matthew
-Jude
-John
-1, 2 & 3
John
-Rev

12. The NT Letters in Overview <11a>
• Thirteen Pauline letters (organized
according to length):
• The Earlier Letters: Galatians, 1 & 2
Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians,
& Romans
• The Prison (or Captivity) Letters:
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon,
& Ephesians
• The Pastoral Letters: 1 & 2
Timothy, Titus

13. The NT Letters in Overview <11b>
• Eight Catholic (or General) letters:
Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3
John, Jude
• 1 Prophetic-Apocalypse: Revelation
• Note that Revelation is a prophecy
(1:3; 22:7, 10, 18–19) in the form of a
circular letter (1:11; chs. 2–3), written
in an apocalyptic style (1:1, 19)

14. Ben Witherington’s take on the
framework of Paul’s narrative
thought world <12>
• It exemplifies “four interrelated stories
comprising one drama”:
• (1) the story of the world gone wrong
• (2) the story of Israel in the world
• (3) the story of Christ
• (4) the story of Christians
• “Christ’s story is the hinge . . .”

15. The Multifaceted Nature of the
Christology Reflected through the
Authors of the NT Letters <13a>
• 1. Christology in the form of a re-
articulation of Israel’s ancient
confession of monotheism (the Shema‘ )
• 2. Christology in the form of a (pre-
Pauline) summary of the content of
gospel proclamation (kērygma)
• 3. Christology reflected in early Christian
confessional statements

16. The Multifaceted Nature of the
Christology Reflected through the
Authors of the NT Letters <13b>
• 4. Christology exemplified in examples
of the content of early Christian worship
• 5. Christology in the form of early
Christian anticipation of the Parousia
(Second Coming)
• 6. Christology reflected in John the
Seer’s vision of exalted worship in the
heavenly court (Rev 5:2–10)

17. The Multifaceted Nature of the
Christology Reflected through the
Authors of the NT Letters <13c>
• 7. Christology exhibited in John the
Seer’s vision of the victorious Christ
(Christus victor) (Rev 19:11–16)

18. Is New Testament Christology Actually
Important? <14>
J. J. Rousseau,
1712-1778
Rousseau’s Question
to Ministers of the
Gospel:
• “Why did your God
make these things
happen so far off, if
he would compel
me to know about
them?” (1762)

19. R. N. Longenecker, ed., Contours of
Christology in the New Testament
<15>
• “. . . we have prepared this volume
with the hope that a more responsible
treatment of Christology in the New
Testament will prove to be of help to
many earnest Christians who seek to
think and live in a more Christian
fashion, and thereby that it will have a
positive impact on the church at
large.” (p. vii; my underlining)