Humility of the Eternal Son

(Heb 1:3, 13) and inherit the universe. The theandric messiahship of the Son enables us to observe that Jesus is the Son who became the Son. Finally, Jamieson draws four vital conclusions based on his preceding arguments. First, he refutes the notion that Jesus’ divinity was a later development and that divine Christology is not textually warranted. Jamieson ably demonstrates that the Epistle to the Hebrews repeatedly indicates that Jesus is God. For the author of Hebrews, Jamieson states, ‘Jesus’ divinity is not a theological bar the author leaps to clear, but the ground he plants his feet on to read Scripture’ (p. 145). Second, Jamieson compares the Christology of Hebrews with Chalcedon. Although the natures of the two documents vary, both Hebrews and Chalcedon affirm Jesus’ divinity and humanity. Third, Jamieson perceives a parallel between Hebrews and Acts 2:38 and Romans 1:3-4 in their deployment of the term Lord and Son to express both Jesus’ divinity and messiahship. In this work, Jamieson lucidly and ably demonstrates that the designation ‘Son’ in Hebrews stands for both Jesus’ divinity and messianic task. His reading of Hebrews with the lenses of fathers and conciliar councils provides fresh insights and cogent arguments on Jesus’ Sonship. For instance, his deployment of pre-modern exegesis has enabled him to effectively refute modern scholars’ denial of the pre-existence of Jesus as God’s Son. The monograph is not without deficiencies, however. Jamieson’s repeated and emphatic denial of Jesus’ high priesthood on earth, his insistence that Jesus did not have ‘an indestructible life’ (Heb 7:16) prior to his resurrection are not compelling. Also, his emphasis on Jesus’ messiahship has deterred him from making a robust connection between Jesus’ Sonship and his high priesthood. Regardless, The Paradox of Sonship will be a valuable resource, especially to those who are drawn to the theological interpretation of Scripture.