The Jewish Roots of Divine Christology: The Divine Word Before Jesus

Abstract

The Jewish traditions about the Word of God play a central role in the development of early Christology. By examining Philo of Alexandria’s Logos and the Targumim’s Memra, this article aims to illustrate the interplay between continuity and discontinuity of New Testament Divine Christology within its Jewish context. Within a frame of overarching continuity, the Incarnation introduces a genuine novelty, reshaping established notions about the Word. The radical nature of this novelty demands a historical explanation. Further studies could explore the correlation between historical events and the development of these ideas.