This controversial book traces the origin and history of the idea that the king and later the messiah is the Son of God, from its origins in ancient Near Eastern royal ideology to its Christian appropriation in the New

Testament. King and Messiah as Son of God is distinctive in its range, spanning both Testaments and informed by ancient Near Eastern literature and Jewish non-canonical literature.

The authors argue that Jesus was called 'the Son of God' precisely because he was believed to be the messianic king. This belief and tradition, they contend, led to the identification of Jesus as pre-existent, personified Wisdom, or a heavenly being in the New Testament canon. However, the titles Jesus is given including 'son of God,' 'son of man,' and 'Christ' are historical titles tracing back to Egyptian New Kingdom ideology. Therefore the title 'Son of God' is likely solely messianic and not literal.

Table of Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

1 The King as Son of God 1

2 The Kingship in Deuteronomistic and Prophetic Literature 25

3 Messiah and Son of God in the Hellenistic Period 48

4 Messiah and Son of Man 75

5 Jesus as Messiah and Son of God in the Letters of Paul 101

6 Jesus as Messiah and Son of God in the Synoptic Gospels 123

7 Jesus as Son of Man 149

8 Messiah, Son of God, and Son of Man in the Gospel and Revelation of John 175

Conclusion 204

Bibliography 214

Index of Modern Authors 241