| Foreword | 9 |
| Preface and Acknowledgments | 11 |
| Abbreviations | 13 |
| Introduction | 15 |
| Christology in Context | 15 |
| The Proper Approach to the Subject, and the Limitations of Our Knowledge | 17 |
| Methods to Be Employed | 21 |
| The Outline of This Book | 29 |
| Part I. | The Earliest Material | |
| 1. | Early Christology in the Letters of Paul | 33 |
| References to Early Christological Statements in 1 Thessalonians | 33 |
| References to Early Christological Statements in Galatians | 39 |
| References to Early Christological Statements in 1 Corinthians | 44 |
| One Further Case: Romans 1:3-4 | 48 |
| Some Concluding Observations | 50 |
| 2. | The Gospel Material in Mark | 53 |
| The Beginning of the Gospel of Mark | 53 |
| Jesus the Messiah and the Son of God in Mark | 57 |
| Jesus as Preacher, Teacher, Healer, and Exorcist | 63 |
| Mark's Christology in Its Context | 68 |
| 3. | The Sayings of Jesus in Q | 71 |
| The Common Material in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke | 71 |
| Jesus and John the Baptist | 73 |
| Jesus and the Kingdom | 76 |
| Jesus as Son of Man | 77 |
| Jesus as the Envoy of Wisdom and as Son of God | 79 |
| Jesus, His Disciples, and Israel | 82 |
| Q's Christology in Its Context | 83 |
| Q and Mark | 84 |
| Q, Mark, and Paul | 87 |
| Part II. | Continued Response to Jesus | 89 |
| 4. | The Christology of Matthew | 91 |
| Jesus as the Unique Teacher | 91 |
| Special Aspects of Matthew's View of Jesus | 93 |
| Note on the Christology of the Epistle of James | 96 |
| 5. | The Christology of Luke-Acts | 97 |
| Jesus' Ministry and That of the Apostles | 97 |
| Special Aspects of Luke's Views on Jesus | 104 |
| Ancient Elements in Acts? | 108 |
| 6. | The Christology of Paul | 112 |
| The Decisive Change in Paul's Life | 112 |
| Jesus Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Parousia, and Their Effects on the Believers | 115 |
| Jesus Christ and God Before Jesus' Mission on Earth | 120 |
| 7. | Documents of the Pauline School | 124 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 124 |
| Colossians | 125 |
| Ephesians | 126 |
| The Pastoral Epistles | 127 |
| 8. | Other Letters and Revelation | 130 |
| The Epistle to the Hebrews | 130 |
| The First Epistle of Peter | 133 |
| Note on Jude and 2 Peter | 136 |
| The Revelation to John | 137 |
| 9. | The Christology of the Gospel and the Letters of John | 140 |
| The Johannine Point of View | 140 |
| The Situation of the Johannine Communities | 142 |
| The Christology of the Fourth Gospel | 144 |
| The Christology of 1 and 2 John | 149 |
| Part III | Terms and Concepts Applied in the Response to Jesus | 153 |
| 10. | Jesus as Herald of a New Age | 155 |
| "To Bring the Good News" and "The Kingdom of God" | 156 |
| Jewish Charismatics | 159 |
| Jewish Prophets | 160 |
| Popular Prophetic Movements | 162 |
| Royal Pretenders | 163 |
| Jesus the Messiah | 166 |
| Jesus the Son of God | 167 |
| Jesus the Son of Man | 169 |
| 11. | Jesus' Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation | 173 |
| Jesus as Final Envoy of God, Rejected by Israel | 174 |
| Jesus and the Tradition of God's Suffering Servants | 175 |
| Jesus, the Man Who Died for Others | 179 |
| Jesus, the Lord | 184 |
| Jesus' Status After His Death, and Psalm 110:1 | 186 |
| 12. | Jesus Christ and God Before Jesus' Mission on Earth | 189 |
| Jesus as the Unique Envoy Sent from Above | 190 |
| Jesus as Wisdom and Word of God | 194 |
| Part IV. | The Very Beginning | |
| 13. | The One with Whom It All Began | 203 |
| The Earliest Response to Jesus | 203 |
| Jesus and the Kingdom of God | 205 |
| Jesus' Death on the Cross | 208 |
| Epilogue | 212 |
| Notes | 215 |
| Bibliography | 245 |
| Subject Index | 253 |
| Index of References | 261 |
