Some exegetical notes on the “worship” of Jesus, the “trinitarian” formula, and the “end of the age” in Matthew 28:16-20

In the last paragraph of the Gospel of Matthew, the risen Jesus is “worshipped” by his disciples, whom he sends into the world to baptise new disciples “in the name of Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:16-20). This has been a foundational text both for global mission (the “Great Commission”) and for the doctrine of the Trinity.

I think that the Greek church was bound to resolve the Father, Son and Spirit conundrum on Greek terms, and that the global mission was inevitable. But I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. The theological reinterpretation of scripture should not be done at the expense of the work of reconstructing historical perspectives.

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Against Wright and Bird: among other things, why the wolf dwelling with the lamb is not new creation
In chapter three of Jesus and the Powers, N. T. Wright and Michael Bird explain how they understand the “powers” of the book’s title. They are “what we would call ‘earthly’ or ‘political’ rulers and what we might call any ‘non-human’ or ‘supernatural’ quasi-personal ‘forces’ that stand… ()
N. T. Wright and Michael Bird on the church between Jesus and Caesar
At the end of chapter one of their book Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, Wright and Bird make—or one or the other of them makes—the important point that the end of one story is also the beginning of another… ()
N. T. Wright and Michael Bird on kingdom, empire, and the God of history. Hurrah!
I think that N. T. Wright and Michael Bird may slowly be coming round to seeing things my way, even if they’re not aware of the fact. In the first chapter of their co-authored book, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional… ()
The Evangelical Alliance UK commentary on Paul’s discussion of same-sex relationships in Romans 1:26-27
I had reason to look at the UK Evangelical Alliance’s latest report on same-sex relationships this week: Relationships Matter: Affirmations Commentary. It was published last year and updates previous reports (1998, 2012) following the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013. It is… ()
Paul and Philo (within Judaism) within paganism
It looks like the next phase in the study of Paul, after the New Perspective on Paul and Paul within Judaism, will be Paul (within Judaism) within paganism. See, for example, Paul Within Paganism: Restoring the Mediterranean Context to the Apostle, edited by Chantziantoniou,… ( | 2 comments)
Further reflections on the resurrection of Jesus
David has provided a very nice commentary on my previous post about the resurrection of Jesus on the third day. He has made it clear that he gets the main contention about the historical framing: “Too often we read the New Testament as if it dropped out of the sky rather than emerging… ()
He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
If we think that the resurrection of Jesus is the climactic event in the testimony of the early church, constituting the triumph of life over death for all humanity, we are missing the point.At the beginning of an extensive discussion of resurrection, Paul recapitulates the “gospel” which he had… ( | 3 comments)