The New Testament Christological Hymns: Their Historical Religious Background (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)

THE NEW TESTAMEN T

CHRISTOLOC I CA L HYM NS T H EIR HISTORI CA L RE LI G I OUS BACK G ROUND

JAC K T . SAl'iDERS

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AT TH E UN IVERSITY PRESS '97'

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H """''"'''t;o,,", 'hItlry of Religjono School uplj", that e t.,Oll '" ..... man' iu Eph.ii. '5' "fh.racttha tt ""autho'~mpJ..,).. ,hio term",i'J.ou' aoy explanation TOOodCTO i \impl\>b~b l . th a'i\· ' l""ngr,.,." toio r:ln""Y ·' Nor can the tf;rm be. xpla i ""d ~.;on In\, ..nd tloe othc, mythical roocq>" tha t will """".m u. h.",i n . lI prob>bilityh. d their origi n in p"". IJbt;'liOJ, rt!igiouociccl tl. Toddinc,hcoecirdtluacruto'cly "poooibleiJ,hepurpooeoftJ.io work. I wiJhtoe(Qclaimedamongtlte na'ions,

lI'as oclic>.:d un in 'he world, W as.~l;~ " up ;"taglory. The fOrm,l"ructureoJlhi'pM'l>gc p""""tanQ Probl<m,and .heonegi"enabo\·ci.g"".r;'llyagrero ul"'n (.he.'e,..., ;..... prin.cd inC
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lawful Wo..d'.' T bcrt io Jacking;IlBabylonaod Auyria,ho,." ~"
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. . . 000~b.My""O!"kiothocuringtheaoooci.,;on w ;th .h. LogooofJ ohni, bu. 'w. have a dirtt. tquiva!.n' to Mtmra ;n

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(or

K'"ll""1)'.nu.,too,appcan~cifiod .

HuJLiri",r. ' ,',0: Th<Word.me~ rromthJltage in,hi.p,,:,",,,,... Onc might ohjcOJIlexindofunificd .. ~I ~. nat,o" "rd ,. ""toric~1 ,dijJ:;"'" badgroundofaJJ th. bymn. togc1hcr,llOt ofanyoncin;oolation.

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bet....""nth.J.W'i.h Son ol"'.n doctrillO and thcJohanninc Logoo'J>"Colation"

of!i:':C;':'~'":.~l(:;.j;ni::,,~~ !':":!:~::d ~:'!!':'r:

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Lohmeycr', in'eres' in ,hi. hymn wao l'rim",'ly wi,h i" ' ... Ii_ gimu"",.ning', bulin ntdtr '0 anal)"Ze 11", I" ....gc(rom 'hat painl ohi<w I>c found i, n=ary ",di",.,.. to IOme a'cn' Ihe ,..ligiouo parallel .. Th .. eparallclo,,,.epn,,,.d~,anrl

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The """""PlO of th~ earthly and tb. hea" cnly man, thonwhiohw • ...,al "':tdyhcginning . obl t1 te~ul , '" wdl as hil.womic ",le," Thi,inrcrprcration,that .., 6--8rtf~r,otl>c .woAdams, .he h ea'·"tIY3ndthc conhly,.lIowod IIering ,orntcrprct'.1aJ1 .pa,;a· pv.pil>. I>ow.

aIyte"""Phil·',5"II· , P·&I

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COLOSS I ANS i . 15-20 A CO "" n ().NC ~ O."O·". " " A R T' ND1 U L! U'

WlK:n Onc nex' ",c," toth. li'e,..turerdat«i 'o'h< hymn of Col. i. ' 5- 1ha'lhcChri"ologyof Phil.ii.S- r'callnotb< ~xpl ai"«i mC"'ly frum 'be O ld Tes'ament. I "h;.t:J.cu .......".i'lctl' T h.I'TacD'a'ionofChru, u Worid Sonla"d World en,.lor',MarliD DibeJiu>'oI,••,.,,«I ,I..."bi>

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\SI"""~'1""',o~d&>o . ",""" _6"1~*o&o"""., ,,,,_,",,, ~.".b-rly.~".""IIo"",~~,\",",I~~w>y" . '" ........ """''''''''''' , ..x"...._&>gof lh. "~ ,",, " w,lh tlte Maualt, but ""h« "itlt "WiocofWi>dorn.Prnv.,iii 'Dil>d; ... " .... C_.p.,6.'!1.;OOhlt.,.,.Opioriooo( .l.I.noo>,p.,!16. ,t.., the ...;;...,.,.,"' .... _i"Cd.i.,'."~"'''."yinll''m''''r-n b·.nlanmyth.o!oo;"""'h,...,.,.I Al....,., g;'...... '3_'7),r.'k.oI""" ....

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_.Ian_ red""m« . Dibdiu . ..~. un~ble to ".plain where, whe", ~otd undcr .... ha.circu """' '''''''.hc lraniatlrn}~hofth"primal Man ",dumn might h,·e come into p.-e-Chriotian J udaism; and it furth.,. n il! rcm~ i", ""dcar whothor rh< .. pWoo.tioonolohc"""'"""' ... ''''''o.,,~inCd.;.

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p. '7' cf. '~ J""" Mu;"""'-"l! . ·1.". Son ~,;.,i:::..~and'htiluh,·elybou " d ' ''tIetloer ;" .he myth of th. primal Man woo io .hc red""n",,' Kil$ema,u' think> th .. '.10•• tlper.bi.wic and me.aphyuml d",ma of the gnoI"(Ie6;:Whe",thcn, in Philo'the d oc"';ne of Sophi a"," ] .ogosandor pr imal j\fa nb lcnd togetherin "'~3c1 ,

;:':.:.,~~~t:;:?!",cPt can "'ppcar direetly '" a " ni.ing bond

It i, thi,ba«>ri'> and Log"" K.aXwv&e Anthrol"" i. Iow: adlVlllc l>eing.,IoeclrleotSo ll tofGud,andplaysarole ... mc-diator"ccrc.'lio,,'-n.u. he ith ~:m: t1", same ".,...,.,,,,,"'i i n" .. lhot

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hther i,,,,,Ued Noii;.the l\l" o ;'calledl""""'S [i.,S] ." Eh"'tc'thuo,"",i l.oe.tod ,e·.ih~ prtdic.ation oj" ,he Losos' i nH.U."i>1 ;<J uda ..... t .. oroots'hata •• n •• rly th • • am'_ .. t h. twosourceo Dil.oeli u• •uggested for Col. i. , ~--->o.O""io'in t],. dUC1ri H" of Su l'hi. __ ,Thcsccotldrool 1i« in,hedoctrin.of1)te m with the idea of a "",mic "",,-,nciliation? Had 11" j twioh WISdom_lilt figHT" ahadymerged "-itharoomicr,,.Io<merill,.,m"lUy

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in 1I-.!COItId ""'yhe Ch.Ti.u:",. Tha'wch a v"",· j, credible hut ''''' HOOirion ...il.,..~ ..... ......, ..... 'yd~ ............ " . . . r_,.,.di,,::~:: f"",;ni,,,, na,u"""n man ,hat is the ,ubj "'" or(A< .... ""n.,_J;ou.-a(FRLAt>T ,N ,0'· '1)(G..";"p...

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151r. "nd PhiL ii. Sir., cvidcmly urric. farth ...

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i: 3 and Phi!. ;, . 6-1 1 maybe eo'." mort do.dy related.'

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grouP" biot:c'oo ,he myth as 'hoy found i" '>.king only 'be coOC
Thore i. ;o]oo

"~U"l() U' . AC"G ~ O"'c h,tllopcned m y linrtlJ)" hi, i i8 kt. ,\ " ,1 10
torlarh "", } "h" i . 5,is 10 lJe COlIl p=dOJe:!.~.

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h ;. raY'h.",,~f,ed mc up,

hu lit hr ha,hJi'pcllcd aUJ",k",,,, from my fucc.

Hut I " ,ill b< ""itl, those who love m. Th .... para ]] .l. with tlte New Te.lament Chri"iogic.alloymn. , ,.., '" cl""" ."to i mp lr"i,hc rinHu cnu:from on~tothc oth ~, ,,r { ... pdofJob" ·;. 'h....""'kd in'ho Od .. of~ond ~'iw': _ "" I """""(.""'T.P _ 3 7 )

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~::ce:~; ~~~~:I~r~~ec~~~.~.p:~'7.:by ir>ogatl""' lh" llIingstru.'arebe,w'" The poooibilily I.... ' 'he mylh iu ,1Le NewT.. tam ...n, L'ltri, \l)o ~ogical hymll.w .. al""'dy in"':Cl.pri,-,rlO i .. u," by Chri!tia nily " " il1 rurlhcrincr< ... dwhcn" ...... n'h:o' thcred ... mc:rm)~), oCtho Qd", ofSoJo""oniJ conn
:g.~t'ci...!:~, '::'~;,=.:~::t. (lIoonam >.,r.• "00 ~kd .. ,,·hich is to !>o\'ld no1kro'hcTru'h,Whoareth ... ? Andltc oaidtome . .. • ' &I>po ,~bc

...,w_""'''' -.ciooo. in'''''Oo.Ie

't'.tlr« ofT'u,h·,of CGursc(GT ,6,33),is.termfam i!i.,. from Ode Sol, xli. 9· When ,6, 3477, 4 'hen oar.. 'Tnnh ;" the mou,hof'hl~ L I' " ()'''

n .H,W>l"l' ND

'~~l;~l\':j~;= :~i;:"·~~~ving. .

f or thou

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' oe rrom d .. 'rltction

ancl,""",,,lCmo froman cvil p~ght. Th~refo,.., I will ~j,-c t h3n h to thee ""cl

ptabli>hcd to knowkd_~ j t.» way, (ma
or T .n W,"DO\[ .e llOOI.

Abo, Apocriphon of John 35, ':r Ib 011',.,.,

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I honor and pr-a' "" ),y im,,,ihl" p ir il, foe bccauI< ofthoe hvcall 'hi nj« COme '0 hr, and all thing. (. tTi.d) tow,,,u,h...

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19 13' . · &.Jomo.Od"'I.'I'''1>,Rio:h, 1959 Ilultmann. R..doIf.·l h,uT,60.ileTlln. [955.

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It. I NDEX OF

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AUTHORS

Ill. I NDEX OF SUBJECTS