A Cosmic Leap of Faith
An Authorial, Structural, and Theological Investigation of the Cosmic Christology in Col 1:15-20
by V.A. Pizzuto
Among the array of christologies embodied within New Testament literature, the so-called “hymn” of Colossians 1:15-20 offers a unique and invaluable contribution to contemporary theological and inter-religious discourse. This is because it conveys what is arguably the highest christological affirmation within the canon. Pizzuto contends that the hymn is a creative and faith-filled composition by the same deutero-Pauline author of the Colossians epistle itself and demonstrates that there is an inextricable relationship between the chiastic structure of Col 1:15-20 and a proper understanding of its provenance, authorship and theology. Although the hymn echoes theological motifs consistent with Second Temple Judaism and loosely reflects a number of syncretistic influences, it is fundamentally the novelty of the “Christ-event,” – the historical impact of Jesus of Nazareth – that has been most influential in determining the christological categories of Col 1:15-20 and its larger epistolary framework. Pizzuto thus defends the overall integrity of the hymn against those who would assert that it reflects a pre-Christian or pre-Colossians origin. He concludes that Col 1:15-20 represents something of a “leap” beyond Pauline christology into a new and unequivocal conviction of the cosmic implications of the Cross.
- By (author) VA Pizzuto
Other Titles in this Series
My Shepherd, though You Do not Know Me
The Persian Royal Propaganda Model in the Nehemiah Memoir
Volume 78
The Old Greek of Isaiah: Issues and Perspectives
Papers read at the Conference on the Septuagint of Isaiah, held in Leiden 10-11 April 2008
Volume 55
From Worshipping, Sacrificing and Mourning to Praising and Praying
Key Concepts of the Greek Bible
Volume 120
Jesus, the Eschatological Temple
An Exegetical Study of Jn 2,13-22 in the Light of the Pre 70 C.E. Eschatological Temple Hopes and the Synoptic Temple Action
Volume 58
A Divine Round Trip
The Literary and Christological Function of the Descent/Ascent Leitmotif in the Gospel of John
Volume 79
Oh God of Battles! Steal My Soldier’s Hearts!
A Study of the Hebrew and Greek Text Forms of Jeremiah 10:1-18
Volume 83
Qumran and the Bible
Studying the Jewish and Christian Scriptures in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Volume 57
Between Israelite Religion and Old Testament Theology
Essays on Archaeology, History, and Hermeneutics
Volume 80
Insights into Editing in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East
What Does Documented Evidence Tell Us about the Transmission of Authoritative Texts?
Volume 84
Like Nails Firmly Fixed (Qoh 12:11)
Essays on the Text and Language of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures Presented to Peter J. Gentry on the Occasion of His Retirement
Volume 115
Law, Prophets, and Wisdom
On the Provenance of Translators and their Books in the Septuagint Version
Volume 68
Transformations in the Septuagint
Towards an Interaction of Septuagint Studies and Translation Studies
Volume 47
Heilige oder Hure?
Die Rezeptionsgeschichte von Juda und Tamar (Genesis 38) von der Antike bis zur Reformationszeit
Volume 48
Texts and Contexts of Jeremiah
The Exegesis of Jeremiah 1 and 10 in Light of Text and Reception History
Volume 82
In Spirit and Truth
An Exegetical Study of John 4:19-26 and a Theological Investigation of the Replacement Theme in the Fourth Gospel
Volume 46
Similar Books
‘For You I Study, For You I Work, For You I Live, For You I Am Ready To Even Give My Life’
Essays in Honour of Francis (Frank) J Moloney, SDB
A Late Antique Harrowing of Hell and Its Medieval Reception
Eusebius of Alexandria's Sermons 15 and 17 (CPG 5524; 5526) and their Latin Rewritings
Volume 99
Drunk the Potion, No Whit Charmed
The Doctrine of Pure and Perfect Souls from Iamblichus to Damascius
Extracanonical Traditions and the Holy Land
Texts, Rituals, and Material Culture in Late Antique Palestine
Fear, Fear of God, God-Fearers
Philological and Historical Perspectives on the World of Ancient Judaism and Christianity
Legal Visuality
Exegesis, Ambiguity, and Dissimulation of the Donation of Constantine in the Early Modern Period
Liturgia semper reformanda
Adaptations and accommodations in the liturgy in light of canon 838 of the Code of Canon Law
Pre-Christian Religions, Rituals, and Beliefs in Central and Northern Europe
Interdisciplinary Investigations
Volume 5
Punning in Odd or Elegant Constructions in Jeremiah
The Convergence of Linguistics, Rhetoric, and Textuality in the Hebrew Text of Jeremiah
Shame in the Worlds of the Hebrew Bible and Akkadian Texts
A Linguistic Study and Its Implications
Volume 33
The Body
Lived, Cultured, Adorned: Essays on Dress and the Body in the Bible and Ancient Near East in Honor of Nili S. Fox
