Professor Ray M. Lozano discusses his exploration of proskuneo and reverence towards Jesus in his new book, The Proskynesis of Jesus in the New Testament, one of the latest publications in The Library of New Testament Studies.
How would you describe the aim of this book?
Basically, the aim of my book is to carefully investigate the use of the Greek term proskuneo in the New Testament works Mark, Matthew, Luke-Acts, John, Hebrews, and Revelation in order to determine the kind of reverence or worship Jesus is depicted receiving in these works, whether it be in the milder sense of reverence shown to mere humans or in the stronger sense of worship shown to divine beings.
What drew you to writing about Proskynesis and Proskuneo?
I was interested in high Christology, but I was not sure what avenues to pursue in research on this subject. I remember coming across Matt. 14:33, where it says that the disciples “worshiped” Jesus after witnessing him walking on water, and I wondered what it could have meant for the disciples to have “worshiped” Jesus in this moment. Did they think he was divine? Is it even conceivable to think that Jesus’ disciples could entertain such ideas of him during his earthly ministry? I discovered that the Greek term for “worship” in this passage is proskuneo, which can have a range of possible meanings, from homage paid to a mere human to worship paid to a god. The term is frequently (though not exclusively) used in the latter sense in the New Testament, and is also often used with Jesus as the recipient of such reverence. I discovered that very little thorough study had been done on the significance of Jesus as a recipient of proskuneo in the New Testament, and that those scholars who do touch briefly on the subject disagree with one another on its significance. I sensed this was an area where a real contribution could be made.
Are there any new discoveries that you made while writing these book?
I would say so. I discovered that oftentimes scholars who discuss this or that passage where Jesus is a recipient of proskuneo tend to limit discussion to the passage’s immediate literary context without giving much attention to the way such passages fit within the larger context of the entire New Testament work, which is just as important, if not more important. I found that by giving careful attention to these proskuneo passages in both their immediate contexts and their wider contexts, I achieved a better sense of what each New Testament author intended to convey when he depicts Jesus receiving such reverence.
What does your book focus on that hasn’t been explored elsewhere?
It seems that a number of studies on the significance of Jesus as a recipient of proskuneo tend to limit discussions to historical matters. So for instance, since it is highly unlikely that Jesus’ earliest followers worshiped him as divine during his earthly ministry, the many instances in the Gospels where the earthly Jesus is a recipient of proskuneo must signify something less than worship of a divine being. But this does not adequately take literary matters into consideration, which are often overlooked in such discussions. I give greater attention to the way the proskuneo passages fit in the literary work in which they are found. In doing so, I find that in many cases, the New Testament author directs his readers to discern the more profound sense in which Jesus is considered to be worthy to receive a kind of reverence/worship that is typically reserved for divinity.
What do you hope this volume will contribute towards biblical focused scholarship on Proskynesis?
The divinity and worship of Jesus continues to be a hot topic in New Testament studies. I hope that my work continues to stimulate more thoughtful consideration and discussion of early Christian views of Jesus as divine and worthy of worship.
The Proskynesis of Jesus in the New Testament: A Study on the Significance of Jesus as an Object of "Proskuneo" in the New Testament Writings is available for pre-order now, and will be published on 17th October 2019!
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