Christologische Hoheitstitel by Ferdinand HahnReview by: Howard C. KeeJournal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 83, No. 2 (Jun., 1964), pp. 191-193Published by: The Society of Biblical LiteratureStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3264534 .

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BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS

is correct, then we can no longer choose between a legalistic discipleship and a generalized ethic of principles. There is then a concreteness to NT ethics, the form of which emerges in the life of Jesus himself. This theme has been elaborated by Wolfgang Schrage (Die konkreten Einzelgebote in der paulinischen Pardnese, Giitersloh, 1961) which Larsson was able to use with benefit.

For a translation the style in the book is tolerable, and the abundance of footnotes and an extensive bibliography add to its value. Both in the area of exegesis and in Pauline ethics this book is worth consulting.

WILLIAM KLASSEN

BIBLICAL SEMINARY, NEW YORK

Christologische Hoheitstitel, by Ferdinand Hahn. G6ttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1963. Pp. 442. DM 32.

Among the important studies produced by younger NT scholars today, none achieves so consistently high a level as those produced by the students of Gunther Bornkamm of Heidelberg. The two studies included with Bornkamm's own work in Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew and H. E. T6dt, Der Menschensohn in der

synoptischen Uberlieferung, are cases in point. Joined now by the book of Hahn under

review, all these works are devoted to the analysis of the redaction of the synoptic tradition in the interests of tracing the development of the special theological concerns of the evangelists. All provide fresh insights on familiar material.

Hahn's book might appear superficially to resemble Cullmann's Christology or Vincent Taylor's Names of Jesus, in that all three authors are concerned with christo-

logical titles. But Hahn differs from the others in two important respects: (1) his

primary focus is on the titles within the synoptic tradition, and chiefly within Mark; (2) his method is to trace within this tradition the stages of christological development, moving from Jesus to the Palestinian church, to the hellenistic-Jewish church and

finally to the hellenistic-gentile church. No attempt is made to localize these develop- ments geographically, such as Lohmeyer and B. W. Bacon did in an earlier generation of synoptic studies. Where it is thought to be illuminating, comparison with non-

synoptic materials is included. The major titles studied are Son of Man, Kyrios, Christ, Son of David, and Son of God. In addition, excurses are included on the Vicarious

Suffering Servant, the interpretation of Ps 110 1 in relation to the exaltation of Jesus, the pericope on the confession of Peter, the high priestly Messiah, and an analysis of the transfiguration and baptismal accounts. A long appendix examines the figure of the

eschatological prophet. The title, Son of Man, is presented as probably a technical term in late Judaism

which was taken over by Jesus and the early church. Only the apocalyptic Son of Man

words have any firm claim to authenticity. Neither their lack of connection with

statements about the kingdom (cf. P. Vielhauer) nor the unusual formal structure of

such a word as Luke 12 8 (so Kasemann) is adequate grounds for denying their au-

thenticity. This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that the coming Son of Man con-

tinues to be spoken of in the third person even after Jesus has been identified with the

is correct, then we can no longer choose between a legalistic discipleship and a generalized ethic of principles. There is then a concreteness to NT ethics, the form of which emerges in the life of Jesus himself. This theme has been elaborated by Wolfgang Schrage (Die konkreten Einzelgebote in der paulinischen Pardnese, Giitersloh, 1961) which Larsson was able to use with benefit.

For a translation the style in the book is tolerable, and the abundance of footnotes and an extensive bibliography add to its value. Both in the area of exegesis and in Pauline ethics this book is worth consulting.

WILLIAM KLASSEN

BIBLICAL SEMINARY, NEW YORK

Christologische Hoheitstitel, by Ferdinand Hahn. G6ttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1963. Pp. 442. DM 32.

Among the important studies produced by younger NT scholars today, none achieves so consistently high a level as those produced by the students of Gunther Bornkamm of Heidelberg. The two studies included with Bornkamm's own work in Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew and H. E. T6dt, Der Menschensohn in der

synoptischen Uberlieferung, are cases in point. Joined now by the book of Hahn under

review, all these works are devoted to the analysis of the redaction of the synoptic tradition in the interests of tracing the development of the special theological concerns of the evangelists. All provide fresh insights on familiar material.

Hahn's book might appear superficially to resemble Cullmann's Christology or Vincent Taylor's Names of Jesus, in that all three authors are concerned with christo-

logical titles. But Hahn differs from the others in two important respects: (1) his

primary focus is on the titles within the synoptic tradition, and chiefly within Mark; (2) his method is to trace within this tradition the stages of christological development, moving from Jesus to the Palestinian church, to the hellenistic-Jewish church and

finally to the hellenistic-gentile church. No attempt is made to localize these develop- ments geographically, such as Lohmeyer and B. W. Bacon did in an earlier generation of synoptic studies. Where it is thought to be illuminating, comparison with non-

synoptic materials is included. The major titles studied are Son of Man, Kyrios, Christ, Son of David, and Son of God. In addition, excurses are included on the Vicarious

Suffering Servant, the interpretation of Ps 110 1 in relation to the exaltation of Jesus, the pericope on the confession of Peter, the high priestly Messiah, and an analysis of the transfiguration and baptismal accounts. A long appendix examines the figure of the

eschatological prophet. The title, Son of Man, is presented as probably a technical term in late Judaism

which was taken over by Jesus and the early church. Only the apocalyptic Son of Man

words have any firm claim to authenticity. Neither their lack of connection with

statements about the kingdom (cf. P. Vielhauer) nor the unusual formal structure of

such a word as Luke 12 8 (so Kasemann) is adequate grounds for denying their au-

thenticity. This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that the coming Son of Man con-

tinues to be spoken of in the third person even after Jesus has been identified with the

191 191

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192 JOURNAL OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE

future Son of Man. The present-working Son of Man words are very old, but did not

originate with Jesus. Rather, they result from the supposition that, since the Son of

Man will confirm Jesus' words and works, the earthly Jesus - who has confirmed

his own works by his resurrection appearances - was already on earth the Son of Man.

The earliest suffering Son of Man words limited themselves to predictions of the passion, and only later mentioned the resurrection and the details of the passion story as well.

These words were developed in large measure on the basis of the fulfillment of scripture. In the Palestinian church, kyrios was used as a title for Jesus, not as divine, but as

a man of authority, in keeping with the OT connotations of plpN. Later, this became a

true christological title by virtue of the unique authority of Jesus. This view was then

extended to his coming manifestation in power (cf. maranatha) and finally transmuted

under hellenistic influence so that Jesus is thought of as divine, and thus over against both the mystery cult deities and the emperor cult.

In the midsts of the shifting views of the Messiah in late Judaism, there remained

three constant elements: that he was human, that he was scion of David, and that he

assumed a political kingdom. This view does not flow into the apocalyptic hopes in

such a way as to identify Messiah with the Son of Man. Both strands of hope persisted side by side and must be presupposed in the NT. Although Jesus was no zealot and

though he never aimed at arousing political hopes, he was condemned as Messiah in

the proper sense of that title. Accordingly, the concept of kingly Messiah was avoided

by the oldest community, but was later reintroduced in a Christianized version of

Messiah, whereby the exalted Lord was already seen to be ruling as king, and the

authoritative acts of his earthly ministry could be attributed to him as Messiah on earth.

Jesus was in fact born of the Davidic line, so that it was a simple matter to ascribe

to him the messianic title, even though that created a tension between the worldly messianism and the apocalyptic hope. The hellenistic-Jewish church developed a two-

stage messianism by which Jesus' exaltation replaced the eschatological messiahship and "David's son" was attached to the earthly activity of Jesus, especially in his

proleptic entry into kingship on Palm Sunday. Here Rom 1 3 is the chief text, according to which Jesus' birth from David launches him on his earthly work; his exaltation is

the beginning of his existence Kara rv ev a a'ytoavvrus as God's Son and Messiah.

The resurrection marks the temporal turning point from humiliation to exaltation.

This two-stage christology aided in the transformation of the "Son of God" from a

messianic designation in the Jewish sense to its meaning in the hellenistic-Jewish

church, where the title is used of Jesus as the powerful instrument of God's will during his earthly ministry. And finally in the hellenistic-gentile church, Son of God is con-

ferred upon Jesus as a divine person. This development culminates in the doctrines

of incarnation and pre-existence. This brief sketch cannot do justice to the wealth of exegetical detail and form-

critical analysis that Hahn has incorporated in his book. In so comprehensive a study some points are bound to be less convincing than others. Those sections dealing with

the 0OLOS a&vrp are among the least persuasive, since there are no biblical texts where

anything like the term appears, and no parallels outside the NT (other than Bultmann!) are cited. One may not agree with Kasemann (quoted on the dust jacket) that Hahn's

work is "the" christology for contemporary critical NT study, but one cannot miss the

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BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS

fact that in this book we have a significant, new method and program for analyzing the christological elements in the gospels particularly and for comprehending the

process by which these titles were both preserved and transformed in the changing situa- tions in which the tradition about Jesus was interpreted and recorded.

HOWARD C. KEE

THE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, DREW UNIVERSITY

Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew, by Ginther Bornkamm, Gerhard Barth, and

Heinz Joachim Held, tr. by Percy Scott. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963. Pp. 307. $6.50.

The NT Library series has displayed excellent taste in selecting this collection of studies for translation. Strangely, the major English language journals have thus far tended to neglect this book, although the first German edition appeared at the end of 1959 and was soon reissued with minor corrections and supplements in 1961. The

appearance of this translation should help to rectify this oversight. The correct, but all too general title of this anthology perhaps does a disservice

to its actual contents. It is, more precisely, a concentrated attempt by three scholars who agree in their basic methodology (form-critical) and presuppositions for gospel study (priority of Mark, Q) to move beyond the individual pericopes of Matthew and to uncover the editorial glue which now binds the pericopes together and which has often governed their Matthean form (Redaktionsgeschichte). Thus a more revealing- and more interesting- title might be something like "Editorial Technique as a Key to Theological Motifs in Matthew," or "Interpretation and Reinterpretation of Tradi- tion in the First Gospel."

Bornkamm has contributed the first two essays which set the stage for the relatively more lengthy and more detailed dissertations (literally dissertations -at Heidelberg in 1955 and 1957) of his students, Barth and Held. An earlier German form of Born- kamm's "End-expectation and Church in Matthew" (pp. 15-51) is already widely known - at least by title - through its appearance in the Dodd Festschrift (Cambridge, 1956, pp. 222-69). Here, Matthew is seen to develop the concept of the church and of Christian discipleship with a view to the expected eschatological consummation in which all men will stand before the judgment seat. To fulfill the intent of the law, to do the will of the Father, to follow Jesus - this is the task of the community. The theme of discipleship is examined from a different perspective in Bornkamm's brief second essay, "The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew" (pp. 52-57; this originally appeared in German in Wort und Dienst, 1948, pp. 49-54).

Next, Barth works out with a great deal of precision what he finds to be "Matthew's

Understanding of the Law" (pp. 58-164). For the first evangelist, Christians are re-

sponsible to observe the whole law, as the will of God, by appropriating the special understanding available to them and by following the Christ who is present in his commands - especially in the command of love. This emphasis on the abiding validity of law apparently was formulated in opposition to some sort of early Christian an-

fact that in this book we have a significant, new method and program for analyzing the christological elements in the gospels particularly and for comprehending the

process by which these titles were both preserved and transformed in the changing situa- tions in which the tradition about Jesus was interpreted and recorded.

HOWARD C. KEE

THE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, DREW UNIVERSITY

Tradition and Interpretation in Matthew, by Ginther Bornkamm, Gerhard Barth, and

Heinz Joachim Held, tr. by Percy Scott. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1963. Pp. 307. $6.50.

The NT Library series has displayed excellent taste in selecting this collection of studies for translation. Strangely, the major English language journals have thus far tended to neglect this book, although the first German edition appeared at the end of 1959 and was soon reissued with minor corrections and supplements in 1961. The

appearance of this translation should help to rectify this oversight. The correct, but all too general title of this anthology perhaps does a disservice

to its actual contents. It is, more precisely, a concentrated attempt by three scholars who agree in their basic methodology (form-critical) and presuppositions for gospel study (priority of Mark, Q) to move beyond the individual pericopes of Matthew and to uncover the editorial glue which now binds the pericopes together and which has often governed their Matthean form (Redaktionsgeschichte). Thus a more revealing- and more interesting- title might be something like "Editorial Technique as a Key to Theological Motifs in Matthew," or "Interpretation and Reinterpretation of Tradi- tion in the First Gospel."

Bornkamm has contributed the first two essays which set the stage for the relatively more lengthy and more detailed dissertations (literally dissertations -at Heidelberg in 1955 and 1957) of his students, Barth and Held. An earlier German form of Born- kamm's "End-expectation and Church in Matthew" (pp. 15-51) is already widely known - at least by title - through its appearance in the Dodd Festschrift (Cambridge, 1956, pp. 222-69). Here, Matthew is seen to develop the concept of the church and of Christian discipleship with a view to the expected eschatological consummation in which all men will stand before the judgment seat. To fulfill the intent of the law, to do the will of the Father, to follow Jesus - this is the task of the community. The theme of discipleship is examined from a different perspective in Bornkamm's brief second essay, "The Stilling of the Storm in Matthew" (pp. 52-57; this originally appeared in German in Wort und Dienst, 1948, pp. 49-54).

Next, Barth works out with a great deal of precision what he finds to be "Matthew's

Understanding of the Law" (pp. 58-164). For the first evangelist, Christians are re-

sponsible to observe the whole law, as the will of God, by appropriating the special understanding available to them and by following the Christ who is present in his commands - especially in the command of love. This emphasis on the abiding validity of law apparently was formulated in opposition to some sort of early Christian an-

193 193

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