"Professor Hurtado traces the rise of ideas of Christ's divinity to Jewish sources. He shows that Christians naturally relied on Jewish concepts of a principal angelic helper to God to understand the meaning of Jesus' mission. As opposed to Philo and other Jews with concepts of divine mediator figures, Christians worshiped their mediator figure, thus ensuring an eventual break with Judaism. Professor Hurtado has written one of the most interesting Christologies of the decade."

-Alan F. Segal

Professor of the History of Religions

Barnard College

Columbia University

"This very informative, interesting, and revolutionary book gathers in a masterly manner the results of scholarly experts in many countries who are in some way forming a new "Religionsgeschichtliche Schule." I know of few recent books which promote our understanding of early Christology so much as this volume."

-Martin Hengel University of Tubingen