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Angelomorphic Christology: Antecedents and Early Evidence, by Charles A. Gieschen. AGJU 42. Leiden/Boston/Cologne: Brill, 1998. Pp. xvi + 403. $115.75.
The main purpose of this study (built upon Gieschen's 1995 Ph.D. dissertation supervised by Jan Fossum, University of Michigan) is to show that motifs, themes, and concepts from Jewish angel traditions were drawn upon in earliest Christology and had a "significant impact" in the period 50-150 CE. This basic argument has been made by jean Dani6lou and Richard Longenecker, but Gieschen here offers a much fuller discussion that should now be consulted by all interested in the earliest christological developments and the relevance of Jewish angel traditions.
Part 1 gives a history of research, defines key terms and categories, and lays out Gieschen's approach. "Angelomorphic" Christology means the use of angel motifs but does not necessarily involve categorizing Christ as an angel. In fact, Gieschen argues, angelomorphic Christology often involved a strong distinction between Christ and angels in early Christian sources.
In part 2 Gieschen surveys the Jewish "antecedents": "angelomorphic" depictions of God (e.g., Angel of the Lord traditions) and personified divine attributes (which Gieschen argues are sometimes "hypostases" and not merely personifications), principal-angel traditions, and angelomorphic humans (patriarchs, prophets, priest, lings, and others).
Part 3 is then devoted to the earlv Christian evidence, the main questions being whether, when, and what angelomorphic traditions were used in early articulations of Christology. Here Gieschen first surveys evidence from 150-325 CE (Justin Martyr, Theophilus, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus, Origen, Novatian, Lactantius,...