Hurtado Critiques N. T. Wright's Programme

Larry Hurtado's contribution to the latest Wright-in-review volume takes issue with a central theme in Tom's work: in Jesus, YHWH returns to Zion. Given the recent fodder on early-high Christology at this blog over the past two weeks, I thought that the link would be appropriate. NB: Hurtado is here taking issue with Wright's reading of Paul's letters.

Larry summarizes his critique:

https://larryhurtado.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/yhwhs-return-of-zion/

The entire summary is worth a read as (am I sure) the larger volume will be as well. Here is an excerpt:

"I judge his claims faulty, unsupported by the evidence. What I see is that the earliest use of the OT theme of YHWH’s return to Zion/Israel, in Paul’s letters (our earliest texts), posits that it is in Jesus’ “second coming” (parousia) that this is fulfilled. See, e.g., the use of such imagery in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, where Jesus will come (again) “with all his holy ones” (μετά πάντων τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ), which seems to draw this phrasing from Zechariah 14:5 (one of the “YHWH’s return” passages)."

Indeed, the volume is probably worth the cover price just for this one essay.

-anthony