For example, when Paul writes in Romans 10:13 he says, “for everyone who calls upon the Lord will be saved.” Well, that’s a quotation from the book of Joel, and if you look back at the book of Joel that word Lord is actually the divine name, the unspeakable, ineffable name of God, four letters in the Hebrew. And not only to Jesus but in a sense to the saving actions of Jesus. And that, to me, was kind of a marker to say what an incredibly high Christology that has to be, to take the very name of God and associate that Jesus. What I noticed is that there were a number of places in Paul’s letters when he is quoting the Old Testament, a passage that refers to the divine name, he also made application of that to Jesus. So the name of God became a very precious thing. There was a commandment, “do not take the name of the Lord God in vain,” right? And so that meant, for some people, they never said it, they never wrote it, when they talked about God, they just sort of approximated it. For those who don’t know, the divine name at the time of Jesus and early Christianity was treated with utmost respect. I’ve been studying Paul, Fred, for a number of years and very interested in his letters and I began to be interested in the fact that when he made Old Testament quotations that contained the divine name, how he did that and what that meant. What is the focus of your study, and what is the contribution you are hoping to make? Tell us in broad overview what your book is about. I’ve been working on this question for awhile, but it’s been of interest to me I guess for at least twenty or twenty-five years. Thanks so much, it’s been a long time coming. Capes’ first time with us, and I’m eager to talk to him about his new work.ĭavid, welcome, and congratulations on your new book! I’m Fred Zaspel, executive editor here at Books At a Glance, and that’s the topic David Capes takes up in his book, The Divine Christ: Paul, the L ord Jesus, and the Scriptures of Israel. Just what do we mean when we confess that Jesus is “Lord”? What should we mean when we say it?
An Author Interview from Books At a Glance
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