Thursday, July 9, 2009

Jesus is Jehovah in 2 Thessalonians

Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament: Index

1. INTRODUCTION
This is my "Jesus is Jehovah in 2 Thessalonians," which is the fifth

[Above: Thessalonica: BiblePlaces.com:

"Thessalonica was located at the intersection of two major Roman roads, one leading from Italy eastward (Ignatia Way) and the other from the Danube to the Aegean. Thessalonica's location and use as a port made it a prominent city. In 168 B.C. it became the capital of the second district of Macedonia and later it was made the capital and major port of the whole Roman province of Macedonia (146 B.C.). In 42 B.C., after the battle at Philippi, Thessalonica was made a free city. ... Paul (with Silas and Timothy) came to Thessalonica from Philippi on his second missionary journey, stopping in Amphipolis and Apollonia before arriving here (Acts 17). He preached in the city's synagogue, the chief synagogue of the region, for at least three weeks. His ministry was strong, and he established a Jewish-Gentile church, although it was more heavily Gentile (1 Thes. 1:9). When Paul faced great persecution at the hands of the mob, he fled to Berea, but Thessalonians eventually forced him to leave there also (Acts 17:13-14).]

part of my series, Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament, based on my morning "quiet time" Bible study. I had prepared this message to follow Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Thessalonians but inadvertently posted Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Corinthians instead. Bible verse links are usually (but not always) to the American Standard Version, because it translated the Heb. Yahweh as "Jehovah" rather than "LORD."

2. JESUS HAS NAMES & TITLES OF JEHOVAH
Name. The name of the Lord Jesus is to be glorified (2Th 1:12). Paul commands "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2Th 3:6. Cf. Ac 8:16; 9:27; 15:26; 19:5,13,17; 21:13; 1Cor 1:2,10; 5:4; 6:11; Eph 5:20; Col 3:17; 2Th 1:12).

Lord. Jesus is "the Lord Jesus Christ" (2Th 1:1,2,12; 3:12,18); "our Lord Jesus Christ" (2Th 2:1,14,16; 3:6); "the Lord Jesus" (2Th 1:7; 2:8); "our Lord Jesus" (2Th 1:8); and "the Lord" (2Th 1:9; 2:2,13; 3:1,3,4,5,16):

"The Sense in which Christ is called Lord. The first argument from the New Testament in proof of the divinity of Christ, is derived from the fact that He is everywhere called Lord; the Lord; our Lord. It is admitted that the Greek word kurios ... is applied as a title of respect ... It is, therefore, not merely the fact that Jesus is called Lord, that proves that He is also God; but that He is called Lord in such a sense and in such a way as is consistent with no other hypothesis." (Hodge, 1892, "Systematic Theology," p.I:495).

"... Christ is called Lord in the New Testament with the same ... preeminence that Jehovah is called Lord in the Old Testament. This was the word which all the readers ... of the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures, under the old economy were accustomed to use to express their relation to God ... The Lord was their God ... The same feelings of reverence ... are expressed throughout the New Testament in calling Jesus Lord." (Hodge, 1892, Ibid., pp.I:495-496).

"Jesus Christ ... is Lord to Christians in the same sense that Jehovah was Lord to the Hebrews ... no man ... is ever thus prevailingly addressed or invoked as Lord. We have but one Lord [1Cor 8:6; Eph 4:5]; and Jesus Christ is Lord [Php 2:11] ... Every believer knows in what sense he calls Jesus Lord ... his owner, as his absolute sovereign, to whom the allegiance of his soul ... is due ... He knows that it is from the New Testament he has been taught to worship Christ in calling him Lord." (Hodge, 1892, Ibid., p.I:496a).

"... Jesus Christ is ... the Lord of lords [Rev 17:14; 19:16]; to be the Lord of glory [1Cor 2:8; Jas 2:1]; the Lord of all [Ac 10:36]; the Lord of the living and the dead [Rom 14:9] ... All creatures ... must bow the knee to Him [Php 2:10; Rom 14:11; Isa 45:23] ... He is in such a sense Lord as that no man can truly call Him Lord but by the Holy Ghost [1Cor 12:3] ... He is Lord in the absolute sense in which God alone is Lord ..." (Hodge, 1892, Ibid., p.I:496b).

"... Christ is called Lord, when that word is used for ... Jehovah and Adonai. ... In very many cases we find passages applied to Christ ... in which He is called Lord, when Lord should be Jehovah or Adonai. In Luke i. 76, it is said of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, that he should go before the face of the Lord; but in Malachi iii. 1, of which this passage declares the fulfilment, the person speaking is Jehovah. The day of Christ [Php 1:10; 2:16; 1:6; 1Cor 5:5], in the New Testament, is called `the day of the Lord;' [Ac 2:20; 1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2; 2Pet 3:10] in the Old Testament it is called `the day of Jehovah [Isa 2:12; 13:6,9; Eze 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18,20; Ob 1:15; Zep 1:7; Zec 14:1; Mal 4:5 ASV], the great day.' [Zep 1:14 ASV] ... Romans x. 13, quotes Joel ii. 32, which speaks of Jehovah, and applies it to Christ, saying, `Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Rom xiv. 10, 11, quotes Isaiah xlv. 23, `We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord (Jehovah), every knee shall bow to me,' ... Christ is there set forth as Lord in the same sense in which the Supreme God is Lord. ... the sacred writers. ... acknowledge Him to be God every time they call Him Lord." (Hodge, 1892, Ibid., pp.I:496-497).

The words of and about the Jesus are "the word of the Lord" (2Th 3:1; Lk 22:61; Ac 8:25; 13:48,49; 15:35,36; 16:32; 19:10,20; 20:35; 1Th 1:8; 4:15). This is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament "day of Jehovah":

"The book of Acts also refers to the message about Jesus that the apostles taught as `the word of the Lord' (Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48-49; 15:35-36; 16:32; 19:10; see also 1 Thess. 1:8; 2 Thess. 3:1). This expression is common in the Old Testament in reference to the message that the Lord (YHWH) gave to his prophets (e.g., 2 Sam. 24:11; 1 Kings 13:1-2; 2 Chron. 36:21; Isa. 1:10; Jer. 1:4; Ezek. 1:3; Hos. 1:1-2; Joel 1:1; Amos 8:11-12; Jonah 1:1; 3:1; Mic. 1:1; Mal. 1:1) ... the identification of Jesus as `Lord' equates him with the Lord YHWH of the Old Testament.'" (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, "Putting Jesus In His Place," p.161).

Lord of Peace. Jesus is "the Lord of peace" (2Th 3:16), synonymous with the Father being "the God of peace" (Rom 15:33; 16:20; Php 4:9; 1Th 5:23; Heb 13:20).

God. Jesus is "our God and Lord" (2Th 1:12 NIV mgn).

"[2Th 1:12] It is grammatically possible to understand our God as synonymous with the Lord Jesus Christ, since one article covers both; indeed, Nigel Turner says bluntly, `"Our Lord and God Jesus Christ" would be the correct rendering' ... But kyrios (Lord) often occurs without the article, like a proper name. Most commentators take this sense here and understand the expression to refer to both the Father and the Son. This is probable, but the other possibility cannot be excluded. And in any case we should notice the closeness of Christ and God." (Morris, 1984, "The Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians," p.125).

Trinity. The Holy Trinity of "God" the Father, "Lord" Jesus and "the [Holy] Spirit" are mentioned together in one verse (2Th 2:13; Mt 28:19; 2Cor 13:14; 1Pet 1:2):

"[2Th 2:13] They are brothers loved by the Lord (cf. 1 Thes. 1:4), where Lord means Jesus. Paul uses this term often and it is specially appropriate here, where he has been speaking of the might of Antichrist. Those loved by the Lord have nothing to fear from such a one. Paul is not setting out a doctrine of the Trinity, but all three Persons are mentioned (as in Mt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 4:4-6; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:2; Jude 20-21)." (Morris, 1984, p.136).

Our "Lord Jesus Christ" is even placed before "God our Father" in 2Th 2:16, showing that "Paul saw the Father and the Son as in some sense one":

"[2Th 2:16] ... Paul ... places our Lord Jesus Christ himself before God our Father .... Paul's usual habit is to mention the Father first, but the order is sometimes reversed, as in the well-known 'grace' (2 Cor. 13:14; cf. Gal. 1:1). The facts that the Lord Jesus is so closely associated with the Father, and that on occasion he is placed first, are evidence of the way Paul thought of him. ... Paul saw the Father and the Son as in some sense one (see also on 1 Thes. 3:11)." (Morris, 1984, Ibid., pp.138-139).

3. OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES ABOUT JEHOVAH ARE APPLIED TO JESUS
2Th 1:7-8; Isa 66:15-16 Jehovah who will come with fire is Jesus. Paul applied the words in the LXX of Isa 66:15-16 about the coming of Jehovah "with a flame of fire" [en phlogi puros] to render his vengeance" [ekdikesin] to the coming of Jesus "in flaming fire" [en puri phlogos ] "rendering vengeance" [didontos ekdikesin]:

"[2Th 1:7] With the angels of his power in flaming fire The addition of the phrase `in flaming fire' indicates the Lord's holiness manifested in judgment (cf. Ex. 3:2; 19:16-20; Is. 29:6; 66:15, 16; Ps. 50:3; 97:3). The passage which must have been vividly present to Paul's consciousness when he wrote this is Is. 66:15, 16: `For behold, Jehovah will come with fire, and his chariots will be like the whirlwind; to render his anger with fierceness, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will Jehovah execute judgment... '" (Hendriksen, W., 1972, "1 & 2 Thessalonians," New Testament Commentary, [1955], Banner of Truth: Edinburgh UK, British edition, p.159).

2Th 2:2 = Zep 1:14-19 Day of the Lord. As in 1Th 5:2 (cf. Ac 2:20; 2Pet 3:10), the OT "day of Jehovah" (Isa 2:12; 13:6,9; Eze 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Am 5:18,20; Ob 1:15; Zep 1:7,1:14; Zec 14:1; Mal 4:5); is "the day of the/our Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:5; 2Cor 1:14); "the day of Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:8; Php 1:6); "the day of Christ" (Php 1:10; 2:16). Therefore since "Lord" (Gk. kurios) in the NT "day of the Lord" (Gk. hemeran kuriou) is Jesus, and "Lord" in the Greek OT's (the Septuagint) "day of the Lord" (Gk. hemeran kuriou) is Jehovah, then the NT Jesus is the OT Jehovah!

4. JESUS HAS ATTRIBUTES OF JEHOVAH
Omnipresent. Jesus is with all the Thessalonian Christians (2Th 3:16), and with all Christians everywhere at all times (Mt 28:20; 2Tim 4:22).

5. JESUS DOES WORKS OF JEHOVAH
Grace. Both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are the bestowers of grace (2Th 1:2,12; 2:16; Rom 1:7; 1Cor 1:3; 2Cor 1:22; 13:14; Gal 1:3;Eph 1:2; Php 1:2; 1Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phm 1:3; 2Jn 1:3).

[2Th 2:2] ... From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (apo theou patros kai Kuriou Iesou Christou). ... Note absence of article both after en and apo, though both God and Lord Jesus Christ are definite. In both cases Jesus Christ is put on a par with God, though not identical." (Robertson, A.T., 1931, "Word Pictures in the New Testament: Volume IV: The Epistles of Paul," Broadman Press: Nashville TN, p.41).

Jesus alone is a bestower of grace to all Christians (2Th 3:18).

Judgment. Jesus will punish those who do not know God and obey His gospel (2Th 1:8 NIV). But punishment in that eternal sense belong to God alone:

"[2Th 1:7-8] He will punish points to an activity that belongs to God alone (Dt. 32:35), and its ascription to Christ shows that Paul regarded him as divine in the fullest sense (in vv. 5-6 he spoke of God as judge). The word means not arbitrary punishment, but something like 'he will do justice upon' (NEB)." (Morris, L.L., 1984, p.121).

Eternal punishment includes being excluded "from the face of the Lord" Jesus "and from the glory of his might" (2Th 1:8-9).

6. JESUS RECEIVES HONOR & WORSHIP DUE TO JEHOVAH
Angels. The angels are Jesus' (2Th 1:7 NIV. Cf. Mt 16:27; 24:30-31; 25:31). Yet the angels are God's (Lk 12:8,9; 15:10; Jn 1:51; Rev 3:5).

Obey. Those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus shall suffer eternal punishment (2Th 1:8-9).

Glory. Eternal punishment includes being excluded from the Lord Jesus' glory (2Th 1:8-9). Jesus is to be glorified in His people (2Th 1:10,12). Christians will share in His glory (2Th 2:14). Yet Jehovah will not give His glory to another (Isa 42:8; 48:11).

7. OBJECTIONS TO JESUS BEING JEHOVAH
There are no objections from 2 Thessalonians, that I am aware of, to Jesus being Jehovah.

8. CONCLUSION
Therefore, in view of the above evidence that Jesus is Jehovah in 2 Thessalonians (as well as the rest of the New Testament), and no objections against, Jesus is Jehovah in 2 Thessalonians!

PS. The previous (fourth) post in this series was "Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Corinthians" and the next (sixth) post is "Jesus is Jehovah in Mark."

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & The Shroud of Turin


"The book of Acts also refers to the message about Jesus that the apostles taught as `the word of the Lord' (Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48-49; 15:35-36; 16:32; 19:10; see also 1 Thess. 1:8; 2 Thess. 3:1). This expression is common in the Old Testament in reference to the message that the Lord (YHWH) gave to his prophets (e.g., 2 Sam. 24:11; 1 Kings 13:1-2; 2 Chron. 36:21; Isa. 1:10; Jer. 1:4; Ezek. 1:3; Hos. 1:1-2; Joel 1:1; Amos 8:11-12; Jonah 1:1; 3:1; Mic. 1:1; Mal. 1:1). In Acts, then, Jesus is the Lord to whom the disciples pray. He is the one who knows the hearts of all people, on whom the disciples call in the moment of their death, whose name they live to glorify and die to serve, and whose word they believe, proclaim, and teach. In all of these ways, the identification of Jesus as `Lord' equates him with the Lord YHWH of the Old Testament.'" (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., 2007, "Putting Jesus In His Place," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, p.161).

"The Sense in which Christ is called Lord. The first argument from the New Testament in proof of the divinity of Christ, is derived from the fact that He is everywhere called Lord; the Lord; our Lord. It is admitted that the Greek word kurios means owner, and one who has the authority of an owner, whether of men or things. The Lord of a vineyard is the owner of the vineyard, and the Lord of slaves is the owner of slaves. It is also admitted that the word is used with all the latitude of the Latin word Dominus, or the English Master or Mister. It is applied as a title of respect, not only to magistrates and princes, but to those who are not invested with any official authority. It is, therefore, not merely the fact that Jesus is called Lord, that proves that He is also God; but that He is called Lord in such a sense and in such a way as is consistent with no other hypothesis." (Hodge, C., 1892, "Systematic Theology," James Clark & Co: London, Reprinted, 1960, Vol. I, p.495).

"In the first place, Christ is called Lord in the New Testament with the same constancy and with the same preeminence that Jehovah is called Lord in the Old Testament. This was the word which all the readers, whether of the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures, under the old economy were accustomed to use to express their relation to God. They recognized Him as their owner, as their Supreme Sovereign, and as their protector. He was in that sense their Lord. The Lord is on our side. The Lord be with you. The Lord He is God. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Thou Lord art good. Thou Lord art most high forever. O Lord, there is none like unto thee. I will praise the Lord. Have mercy upon me, O Lord. O Lord, thou art my God. The religious ear of the people was educated in the use of this language from their infancy. The Lord was their God. They worshipped and praised Him, and invoked his aid in calling him Lord. The same feelings of reverence, adoration, and love, the same sense of dependence and desire of protection are expressed throughout the New Testament in calling Jesus Lord. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean [Mt 8:2; Lk 5:12]. Lord, save me [Mt 14:30]. Joy of thy Lord [Mt 25:21,23]. Lord, when saw we thee a hungered? [Mt 25:37,44] He that judgeth me is the Lord [1Cor 4:4]. If the Lord will [1Cor 4:19; Jas 4:15]. To be present with the Lord [1Cor 5:8]. Them that call on the Lord [2Tim 2:22]. Which the Lord shall give me in the last day [2Tim 4:8]. Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord [Rev 14:13]. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour. [Rev 4:11]" (Hodge, 1892, pp.I:495-496).

"Jesus Christ, therefore, is Lord to Christians in the same sense that Jehovah was Lord to the Hebrews. The usage referred to is altogether peculiar; no man - not Moses, nor Abraham, nor David, nor any of the prophets or Apostles, is ever thus prevailingly addressed or invoked as Lord. We have but one Lord [1Cor 8:6; Eph 4:5]; and Jesus Christ is Lord [Php 2:11]. This is an argument which addresses itself to the inward experience, rather than to the mere understanding. Every believer knows in what sense he calls Jesus Lord; and he knows that in thus recognizing Him as his owner, as his absolute sovereign, to whom the allegiance of his soul, and not merely of his outward life, is due; and as his protector and Saviour, he is in communion with the Apostles and martyrs. He knows that it is from the New Testament he has been taught to worship Christ in calling him Lord." (Hodge, 1892, p.I:496a).

"But in the second place, Jesus Christ is not only thus called Lord by way of eminence, but He is declared to be the Lord of lords [Rev 17:14; 19:16]; to be the Lord of glory [1Cor 2:8; Jas 2:1]; the Lord of all [Ac 10:36]; the Lord of the living and the dead [Rom 14:9]; the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth, and under the earth. All creatures, from the highest to the lowest, must bow the knee to Him [Php 2:10; Rom 14:11; Isa 45:23], and acknowledge his absolute dominion [Mt 28:18; Eph 1:20-21; Php 2:9-10]. He is in such a sense Lord as that no man can truly call Him Lord but by the Holy Ghost [1Cor 12:3]. If his Lordship were merely the supremacy which one creature can exercise over other creatures, there would be no necessity for a divine illumination to enable us to recognize his authority. But if He is Lord in the absolute sense in which God alone is Lord; if He has a right in us, and an authority over us, which belong only to our Maker and Redeemer, then it is necessary that the Holy Spirit should so reveal to us the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, as to lead us to prostrate ourselves before Him as our Lord and our God." (Hodge, 1892, p.I:496b).

"In the third place, Christ is called Lord, when that word is used for the incommunicable divine names and titles Jehovah and Adonai. It is well known that the Jews from an early period had a superstitious reverence, which prevented their pronouncing the word Jehovah. They therefore, in their Hebrew Scriptures, gave it the vowel points belonging to the word Adonai, and so pronounced it whenever they read the sacred volume. When they translated their Scriptures into Greek, they uniformly substituted kurios, which answers to Adon, for Jehovah. In like manner, under the influence of the LXX., the Latin Christians in their version used Dominus; and constrained by the same wide spread and long-continued usage, the English translators have, as a general thing, put Lord (in small capitals) where the Hebrew has Jehovah. In very many cases we find passages applied to Christ as the Messiah, in which He is called Lord, when Lord should be Jehovah or Adonai. In Luke i. 76, it is said of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, that he should go before the face of the Lord; but in Malachi iii. 1, of which this passage declares the fulfilment, the person speaking is Jehovah. The day of Christ [Php 1:10; 2:16; 1:6; 1Cor 5:5], in the New Testament, is called `the day of the Lord;' [Ac 2:20; 1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2; 2Pet 3:10] in the Old Testament it is called `the day of Jehovah [Isa 2:12; 13:6,9; Eze 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Amos 5:18,20; Ob 1:15; Zep 1:7; Zec 14:1; Mal 4:5 ASV], the great day.' [Zep 1:14 ASV] ... Romans x. 13, quotes Joel ii. 32, which speaks of Jehovah, and applies it to Christ, saying, `Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Rom xiv. 10, 11, quotes Isaiah xlv. 23, `We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord (Jehovah), every knee shall bow to me,' etc. This is common throughout the New Testament, and therefore Christ is there set forth as Lord in the same sense in which the Supreme God is Lord. The meaning of the word as applied to Christ being thus established, it shows how constant and familiar is the recognition of his divinity by the sacred writers. They acknowledge Him to be God every time they call Him Lord." (Hodge, 1892, pp.I:496-497).

"[2Th 1:13] It is grammatically possible to understand our God as synonymous with the Lord Jesus Christ, since one article covers both; indeed, Nigel Turner says bluntly, `"Our Lord and God Jesus Christ" would be the correct rendering' [Turner, N., "Grammatical Insights into the New Testament, T. & T. Clark, 1965, p.16] (cf. GNB mg., 'our God and Lord Jesus Christ'). But kyrios (Lord) often occurs without the article, like a proper name. Most commentators take this sense here and understand the expression to refer to both the Father and the Son. This is probable, but the other possibility cannot be excluded. And in any case we should notice the closeness of Christ and God." (Morris, L.L., 1984, "The Epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians: An Introduction and Commentary," Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, [1956], Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester UK, Second edition, p.125).

"[2Th 2:16] As in the first Epistle, Paul brings the main section of the letter to a close with a prayer for the Thessalonians (cf. 1 Thes. 3:11-13), and some of the wording is markedly similar. He places our Lord Jesus Christ himself before God our Father, probably because the Lord Jesus has been much in mind in the preceding section. Paul's usual habit is to mention the Father first, but the order is sometimes reversed, as in the well-known 'grace' (2 Cor. 13:14; cf. Gal. 1:1). The facts that the Lord Jesus is so closely associated with the Father, and that on occasion he is placed first, are evidence of the way Paul thought of him. Clearly he did not distinguish him sharply from the Father and this is seen in the fact that the verbs 'encourage' and 'strengthen' in the next verse [2Th 2:17] are both singular, despite the double subject. Paul saw the Father and the Son as in some sense one (see also on 1 Thes. 3:11)." (Morris, 1984, pp.138-139).

Monday, May 18, 2009

Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Corinthians

Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament: Index

1. INTRODUCTION
Here is my "Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Corinthians," which is the fourth

[Above: Temple of Apollo of Ancient Corinth: Wikipedia.]

part of my series, "Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament." which is based on my morning `quiet time' study. As previously explained, unless otherwise indicated, the Bible verse links are to the American Standard Version, since it translated the Hebrew YHWH as "Jehovah." ]

2. JESUS HAS NAMES & TITLES OF JEHOVAH
Name. Christians "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place" (1Cor 1:2) and were "gathered together" "in the name of " and "with the power of our Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:4). Paul appeals to the Corinthians "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:10). The Corinthians were and all Christians are "justified" made righteous "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 6:11). So Jesus is "Jehovah our righteousness" (Jer 23:6; 33:16).

"[1Cor 1:2] ... Christians [are] described as those who call on the name of Christ ... In the Old Testament people call on the name of Yahweh (Joel 2:32, etc.), so that in using the expression Paul is assigning the highest possible place to Christ." (Morris, 1985, "The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians," p.36).

"... Christians confess that they are `justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ' ([1Cor ]6:11), even though the Old Testament summons all people to be justified `in the Lord' YHWH (Isa. 45:25 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, "Putting Jesus In His Place," p.164c).

Lord. "Jesus is Lord" (1Cor 12:3; Rom 10:9; 2Cor 4:5; Php 2:11). i.e. Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus is "our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:2,7-8,10; 15:57); "the Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:3; 6:11, 16:23); "the Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:5; 11:23); "the Lord" (1Cor 1:31; 2:16; 3:5,20; 4:4-5,17,19; 6:13-14,17; 7:10,12,17,22,25,32,34-35,39; 9:1,2,5,14; 10:9,21-22,26; 11:11,20,23,26-27,32; 14:21,37; 15:58; 16:7,10,19,22); "the same Lord" (1Cor 12:5); "our Lord" (1Cor 1:9; 5:4; 9:1;15:31); "Lord" (1Cor 1:2; 8:6; 12:3). There is only "one Lord, Jesus Christ (1Cor 8:6). Jesus is "the Lord of Glory" (1Cor 2:8), which is equivalent to "the King of glory," a title of "Jehovah of hosts" (Ps 24:7-10).

".. Paul frequently refers to Jesus as `Lord' in 1 Corinthians in such a way as to identify him as, or equate him with, the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. Three instances appear in the opening ten verses alone. Christians, according to Paul, are `all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. 1:2). The Old Testament, of course, taught that one should call on the name of the Lord YHWH (e.g., Joel 2:32 ... A few verses later, Paul says that Christians hope to be found `blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:8; see also 5:5), whereas the Old Testament spoke of that judgment day as `the day of YHWH' (e.g., Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31) ... Paul then exhorts his readers `by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:10), again placing the focus on the name of the Lord Jesus that Judaism placed on the name of the Lord YHWH ..." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163a)

"In addition to these references to Jesus as Lord in contexts that treat him as the divine Lord of the Old Testament, Paul repeatedly speaks of God (the Father) and the Lord Jesus in ways that imply the closest possible unity (see 1 Cor. 1:1-4, 24, 30-31; 3:5-6, 19-20; 4:1, 19-20; 6:13; 7:21-24, 39-40; 9:21; 10:4-5; 12:5-6, 27-28; 15:57-58)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165c)

"... what may be the most striking reference to Jesus as Lord in 1 Corinthians. Paul states that Christians know that `there is no God but one' (1 Cor. 8:4 NIV). `... and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live' (vv. 5-6 NIV). Verse 6 may well be a creed or confession of faith that Paul is quoting or that he composed himself ... If Judaism has a creed, it is the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, known as the Shema ... `Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might' (ESV). ... In first-century Judaism, the affirmations of `one God' and `one Lord' were synonymous and referred to the same divine being, YHWH ... Jews, however, would just as surely have understood Paul's affirmation of `one Lord' ... as an echo of the Shema-yet with one potentially shocking twist: he identifies this `one Lord' as Jesus Christ." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, pp.165-166).

"[1Cor 2:8] ... The Lord of glory ... is an outstanding and unusual title, applied to Christ only here (though Jas. 2:1 is similar). The epithet of glory is applied to the Father (Acts 7:2; Eph. 1:17), and in the apocryphal Book of Enoch the expression the Lord of glory is used of God several times (22:14; 25:3; 27:3-4; 63:2; 75:3). More than one scholar has thought that this is the loftiest title Paul ever applied to Christ. It stands fitly alongside the application to him of words originally referring to Yahweh (1:31). Both show that Paul habitually assigned to Christ the highest place of all." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., p.55).

Son of God. Jesus is God's Son (1Cor 1:9), "the Son" (1Cor 15:28).

Trinity. "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" mentioned in the one verse (1Cor 1:3). All three Persons of the Trinity are mentioned together (in reverse order): "... the same Spirit. ... the same Lord. ... the same God." (1Cor 12:4-6).

Rock. Christ is "the Rock" (1Cor 10:4) but Jehovah is the Rock (Dt 32:30; 1Sam 2:2,32; Ps 18:2,31,46; 19:14; 28:1; 92:15; 94:22; 144:1; Isa 26:4; 30:29; 51:1; Hab 1:12). See also below.

3. OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES ABOUT JEHOVAH ARE APPLIED TO JESUS
1Cor 1:2 = Gn 4:26; Ps 116:13,17; Zep 3:9. New Testament Christians "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place" (1Cor 1:2) in the same sense as Old Testament believers did "call upon the name of Jehovah" (Gn 4:26; Ps 116:13, 17; Zep 3:9). See Ac 2:21 & Rom 10:13 which directly apply Joel 2:32 "call on the name of Jehovah" to Jesus!

1Cor 1:8; 5:5 = Am 5:18; Zep 1:14-19. The "day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:8), "day of the Lord Jesus" (1Cor 5:5; 1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2; 2Pet 3:10) or simply "the Day" (1Cor 3:13 NIV), is the Old Testament "Day of Jehovah" (Isa 2:12; 13:6,9; Eze 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11,31; 3:14; Am 5:18,20; Ob 1:15; Zep 1:7,1:14; Zec 14:1; Mal 4:5). See Ac 2:20 & 2Pet 3:10 where the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 about the Day of Jehovah is applied to the second coming of Jesus (see also "the day of the/our Lord Jesus" (1Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2Cor 1:14; 1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2; 2Pet 3:10); "the day of Jesus Christ" (1Cor 1:8; Php 1:6); "the day of Christ" (Php 1:10; 2:16). It will be "the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; (1Cor 1:7); when he comes again (1Cor 4:5; 11:26; 15:23).

"[1Cor 1:8] ... Just as the end of time may be referred to as the 'revelation' of Christ (v. 7), so it may be spoken of as the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament looks for the coming of 'the day of the LORD' (Am. 5:18); the New sees this as the day of Christ." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., p.38).

1Cor 1:31 = Jer 9:23-24 Paul applies Jer 9:23-24 about glorying in Jehovah to glorying in "the Lord" who in the immediate context is "Christ Jesus":

"Paul continues to refer to Jesus as Lord ... After quoting the words of Jeremiah about boasting only in the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24), Paul says that his whole message to the Corinthians could be summed up as `Jesus Christ, and him crucified' ([1Cor ]1:31; 2:2). This Jesus who was crucified, Paul says, was `the Lord of glory' (2:8). ... Paul is applying the words of Jeremiah about boasting in the Lord to the Lord Jesus ..." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163b)

"[1Cor 1:31] There is nothing to justify boasting before God (v. 29), but we may boast in what Christ has done (cf. Gal. 6:14). Characteristically Paul proves his point from Scripture (Je. 9:23-24). In the Old Testament the words refer to Yahweh; no higher view could be taken of the Person of Christ." (Morris, 1985, p.50).

1Cor 2:16 = Isa 40:13. An OT passage about no one knowing "the mind of Jehovah" (Isa 40:13 LXX) is applied to Christians knowing "the mind of Christ" (1Cor 2:16).

"Paul quotes the words of Isaiah 40:13, `For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' and then comments, `But we have the mind of Christ' ([1Cor ]2:16). In other words, we can know the mind of the Lord only if he reveals it to us, and that is what we have in the mind of Christ. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163c).

"[1Cor 2:16] This impossibility is shown by a question quoted from Isaiah 40:13 ... Notice that the question in Isaiah 40:13 refers to the mind of Yahweh. But Paul moves easily to the mind of Christ, so closely does he associate the two." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., pp.60-61)

"[1Cor 2:16] The quotation is from Is. 40:13. ... We have the mind of Christ, and consequently also the mind of the Lord, for Christ is the Lord and much of what the Old Testament says of the Lord Jehovah must be applied to Christ (cf. 3:23; 11:3; Rom. 8:5f., 14f.)." (Grosheide, 1954, "Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians," pp.74-75).

1Cor 3:20 = Ps 94:11 Paul quotes Ps 94:11, which refers to Jehovah, and applies it to Jesus (1Cor 3:20).

1Cor 9:9 = Dt 25:4. Paul quotes Dt 25:4 as being a command of "the Lord" who in the context is Jesus (1Cor 9:1-2,5).

1Cor 10:4 = Ex 17:6; Num 20:11. Christ is "the Rock" (1Cor 10:4) out of which the Israelites drank in their Exodus wanderings (Ex 17:6; Num 20:11). That is, Jesus is Yahweh of the Exodus:

"Paul's ... refers to Christ as having been involved in its [Israel's] earliest history: `For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ' (1 Cor. 10:4). ... a reference to Christ's real preexistence ... `the rock was Christ.' ... Paul warns the Corinthian Christians, `We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents' (v. 9). Here, Paul states that some of the Israelites in the wilderness `put Christ to the test,' ... we should understand Paul to have been affirming that Christ existed during the time of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness. Moreover, what Paul says here about Christ is what the Old Testament said about the Lord God: that the Israelites had put him to the test (Num. 14:22; 21:5-6; Pss. 78:18-20; 95:9). Once again, the New Testament affirms not only Christ's preexistence but also his divine preexistence." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.95)

"... the `real presence' of Christ in Old Testament history. ... Paul's statement that `the Rock was Christ' [1Cor 10:4] is one such occasion. Another is ... in the Epistle of Jude, `that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe' [Jude 5] ." (Bruce, 1968, "This is That," pp.35-36)

"... Old Testament passages in which the preincarnate Jesus was manifested ... Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock from which Israel drank in their wilderness trek `was Christ' ... asserting that in his preincarnate mode Jesus was the divine figure who engaged Israel in the Exodus .. .Also ... Jude 5 ... likewise portrays the preincarnate Jesus rescuing Israel from Egypt." (Hurtado, 2005, "Lord Jesus Christ," pp.576-577).

"[1Cor 10:4] ... Moses got water from a rock at the beginning and end of the wilderness wanderings (Ex. 17:1-7; Nu. 20:2-13) ... Paul ... refers to Christ and sees him as following the Israelites and continually giving them drink. He transfers to Christ the title, 'the Rock', used of Yahweh (Dt. 32:15; Ps. 18:2, etc.), a ... clear implication of Christ's pre-existence ..." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., pp.139-140).

1Cor 10:9 = Num 21:5-6. Jesus is "the Lord" who was tested by the Israelites in the wilderness wanderings (Num 21:5-6; 1Cor 10:9) , i.e. Jesus is Yahweh.

1Cor 10:21 = Mal 1:7,12. The New Testament "table of the Lord" Jesus (1Cor 10:21) is the equivalent of the Old Testament "table of Jehovah" (Mal 1:7,12):

"Paul warns, `You cannot ... partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons' (1 Cor. 10:21) ... The expression `table of the LORD' is an Old Testament expression for the altar, which the prophet Malachi warned against defiling (Mal. 1:7, 12). Paul contrasts the observance of the Lord's Supper with pagan observances that honor the false gods of demonically inspired pagan religion ... Such a contrast implicitly treats the Lord Jesus as the divine object of the religious observance. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, pp.164-165).

1Cor 10:22 = Dt 32:16,21. Jesus is "the Lord" who the Israelites provoked to jealousy in the wilderness wanderings (Dt 32:16,21; 1Cor 10:22), i.e. Jesus is Yahweh:

"Paul then asks, `Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy?' (10:22). This ... clearly alludes again to Deuteronomy 32:21, where Moses warned against provoking the Lord YHWH to jealousy ... the `Lord' whom we should avoid provoking to jealousy (10:22) is the same `Lord' to whom belong the cup and the table (10:21). ... the Lord Jesus is in fact the Lord YHWH." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165a).

1Cor 10:26 = Ps 24:1. "The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof" (Ps 24:1) is applied to "the Lord" (1Cor 10:26) who in the context is the Lord Jesus.

1Cor 11:25 = Jer 31:31.The prophet Jeremiah in the 6th century BC predicted that Jehovah would make a New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34). But it was Jesus who made the New Covenant (1Cor 11:25; Lk 22:20; 2Cor 3:6; Heb 8:8,13; 9:15; 12:24).

1Cor 14:21 = Isa 28:11-12. Paul quotes Isa 28:11-12, where in the context Jehovah will speak to the people of Israel by "men of strange lips and with another tongue," as being fulfilled in Gentile Christians (1Cor 14:21).

4. JESUS HAS ATTRIBUTES OF JEHOVAH
Power. Christ is the power of God (1Cor 1:24).

Wisdom. Christ is the wisdom of God. (1Cor 1:24).

Omnipresence. All Christians are "joined unto the Lord" Jesus as "one spirit" (1Cor 6:17).

Authority. The commands of "the Lord" Jesus are the ultimate authority (1Cor 7:10,12;25).

Lawgiver. Paul was "under law to Christ." (1Cor 9:21).

5. JESUS DOES WORKS OF JEHOVAH
Creation. "one Lord, Jesus Christ , through whom are all things, and we through him. (1Cor 8:6). The human body is "for the Lord" Jesus (1Cor 6:13).

Providence. Jesus' will determines what happens and when (1Cor 4:19; Jas 4:15).

Reign. Jesus must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1Cor 15:25) and have abolished all rule and all authority and power (1Cor 15:24), having put all things in subjection under his feet (1Cor 15:27).

Commandment. Jesus gave commandments, which were called "commandment of the Lord" (1Cor 7:6,25; 14:37; 2Pet 3:2):

"For Paul, the directions received from the Lord are indistinguishable from those received from God: .. ([1Cor ]7:17 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164a).

Covenant. Jesus instituted the New Covenant (1Cor 11:25; Lk 22:20; 2Cor 3:6; Heb 8:8,13; 9:15; 12:24) that Jeremiah prophesied Jehovah would do (Jer 31:31). The Old Covenant was instituted by Jehovah, so for Jesus to set it aside would be blasphemy, unless Jesus is Jehovah who instituted the Old Covenant (Ex 24:7-8; 34:10,27, etc).

Grace. "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" are co-authors of grace (1Cor 1:3; 2Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Php 1:2; 2Th 1:2; 1Tim 1:2; 2Tim 1:2; Tit 1:4; Phm 1:3; 2Pet 1:2; 2Jn 1:3). Indeed, "the Lord Jesus Christ" is Himself the author of grace (1Cor 16:23; Gal 6:16; Eph 6:24; Php 4:23):

"... Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha [Come, O Lord NIV]. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you' (1 Cor. 16:22-23 NASB). ... Paul calls for those who do not love the Lord to be cursed ... and attributes divine grace or favor to the Lord Jesus." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165b).

Church. The Christian church is "the church of God" (1Cor 1:2; 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; 2Cor 1:1; Gal 1:13; 1Tim 3:5), or just "the church" (1Cor 6:4; 11:18; 12:28; 14:4,5,12,19,28,35; 16:19). The word for "church" . (Gk. ekklesia) is the same word used in the LXX for the congregation of Israel (Ex 12:6; Lev 4:13; 14:5), the "assembly of God" (Neh 13:1), called out and led by Jehovah:

"Paul says that the members of the Christian church assemble `in the name of our Lord Jesus' ([1Cor ]5:4 NASB). The `assembly' or `congregation' in the Old Testament was the congregation of YHWH; it gathered in his name ... " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164b).

Judgment. Jesus "the Lord" will judge Paul (1Cor 4:4); Christians (1Cor 11:32) and all humans (Rom 2:16; 2Cor 5:10) when He comes again (1Cor 4:5; 2Tim 4:1,8). But it is Jehovah who will be the Judge of all ( 1Chr 16:33; Ps 9:7; 96:10,13; 98:9; Pr 29:26; Heb 10:30 = Dt 32:36 = Ps 135:14 ; Rev 6:10; 18: 8):

".. Paul states, `The one who examines me is the Lord' ([1Cor ]4:4 NASB). This `Lord' must be Jesus because ... the Lord Jesus as the one who will sit in judgment (recall 1:8; see also 11:32; 2 Cor. 5:10). It is Jesus who is the `Lord' who will `come' and `bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts' (4:5 NASB). Again, this is what the Old Testament taught that the Lord (YHWH) would do (1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 96:13; 139:23-24; Prov. 16:2; 17:3; Jer. 17:10)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164a).

6. JESUS RECEIVES HONOUR & WORSHIP DUE TO JEHOVAH
Prayer to. To "call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place" means that Christians prayed to Jesus (1Cor 1:2), since "called upon" in the Old Testament is a synonym for "prayed" ("call[ed] upon" with "pray[ed]" and "answer[ed]" ( 1Ch 21:26; Job 12:4; Ps 4:1; 17:6; 18:6; 86:7; 91:15; 99:6; 118:5; Pr 1:28); "hear[ken]" (2Sam 22:7; Ps 4:1; 17:6; Jer 29:12). "Maranatha" (1Cor 16:22) is an early Aramaic prayer, "Come, O Lord" (1Cor 16:22 NIV) directed to Jesus:

"... Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha [Come, O Lord NIV]. .. Paul ... prays to the Lord to come ... the Lord Jesus." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165b).

Service of. A Christian's highest goal is "please the Lord" Jesus (1Cor 7:32); to "attend upon the Lord" Jesus "without distraction" (1Cor 7:35). But the Christian's his highest goal is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mk 12:30; Mt 22:37; Lk 10:27 = Dt 6:5). This is only possible if Jesus is Jehovah:

"Paul wants a Christian to be `anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord,' with the ideal being `unhindered devotion to the Lord' ([1Cor ]7:32-35). The purpose of life according to the Old Testament is, of course, to please the Lord YHWH (Exod. 15:26; Deut. 6:18; etc.). .. Thus, Paul makes religious devotion or service to the Lord Jesus the ideal and purpose of the Christian life. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.164e).

Loved. Jesus is to be loved (1Cor 16:22; Eph 6:24; Phm 1:5; Jas 1:12). Yet Jehovah is to be loved with all our heart ( Dt 6:5; 10:12; 11:13; 13:3; 30:6; Josh 22:5; Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27):

"... Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. [Come, O Lord NIV]. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you' (1 Cor. 16:22-23 NASB). ... Paul calls for those who do not love the Lord to be cursed, prays to the Lord to come ... and attributes divine grace or favor to the Lord Jesus. The importance attached to loving the Lord (Jesus) here is especially striking in view of the Old Testament commandment to `love the LORD your God' with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5 ...)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.165b).

7. OBJECTIONS TO JESUS BEING JEHOVAH
One God. If a Jehovah's Witness claims that because 1Cor 8:6 says, "for us there is one God, the Father" so therefore Jesus cannot be God; then on that logic, the same verse says that "there is ... one Lord, Jesus Christ" so therefore Jehovah cannot be Lord!

Subordination. Verses that teach the subordination of the Son to the Father, e.g. "and Christ is God's" (1Cor 3:23) and "the head of Christ is God".(1Cor 11:3), and "then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him" (1Cor 15:28) are perfectly consistent with Jesus being Jehovah:

"[1Cor 15:27-28] The statement that the Son also himself shall be subject to God has been thought by some to ... cast a reflection on his deity. The subjection, however, is not that of the Son as Son, but as the incarnate Son. This, of course, does not involve inequality of essence. The son of a king may be officially subordinate and yet equal in nature to his father ... When he delivers up the administration of the earthly kingdom to the Father, then the triune God will reign as God and no longer through the incarnate Son..." (Johnson, 1962, "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," p.1257).

8. CONCLUSION
As the above documents, Jesus is many times called "Lord" in 1 Corinthians in such a way that it is clear Paul regarded Jesus as Jehovah of the Old Testament, come in human flesh.

PS. The previous (third) post in this series was "Jesus is Jehovah in 1 Thessalonians " and the next (fifth) post is "Jesus is Jehovah in 2 Thessalonians ."

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & The Shroud of Turin


"The Israelites and Christ in the Wilderness Paul's rather enigmatic statement about the Israelites in the wilderness probably refers to Christ as having been involved in its earliest history: `For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ' (1 Cor. 10:4). This statement appears to be a reference to Christ's real preexistence, although some interpreters think Paul meant that the `rock' is a type of Christ. The latter view, however, does not easily fit Paul's statement that `the rock was Christ.' A few sentences later, Paul warns the Corinthian Christians, `We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents' (v. 9). Here, Paul states that some of the Israelites in the wilderness `put Christ to the test,' and he warns the Corinthians not to make the same mistake. Although some ancient Greek manuscripts have the reading `Lord,' the NRSV is almost certainly correct here in following the reading `Christ.' Therefore, we should understand Paul to have been affirming that Christ existed during the time of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness. Moreover, what Paul says here about Christ is what the Old Testament said about the Lord God: that the Israelites had put him to the test (Num. 14:22; 21:5-6; Pss. 78:18-20; 95:9). Once again, the New Testament affirms not only Christ's preexistence but also his divine preexistence." (Bowman, R.M., Jr. & Komoszewski, J.E., 2007, "Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ," Kregel: Grand Rapids MI, p.95).

"Confessing One Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians) Paul frequently refers to Jesus as `Lord' in 1 Corinthians in such a way as to identify him as, or equate him with, the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. Three instances appear in the opening ten verses alone. Christians, according to Paul, are `all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. 1:2). The Old Testament, of course, taught that one should call on the name of the Lord YHWH (e.g., Joel 2:32, which, as we have seen, Paul also applied to Jesus in Romans 10:13). A few verses later, Paul says that Christians hope to be found `blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:8; see also 5:5), whereas the Old Testament spoke of that judgment day as `the day of YHWH' (e.g., Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31). The allusion to `the day of the Lord' (cf. Joel 2:31) in the same context as `calling on the name of the Lord' (cf. Joel 2:32) makes it all the more likely that Paul's language alludes directly to Joel. He refers to this future day of the Lord Jesus in several other epistles (2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:1-2; 2 Tim. 1:18). Paul then exhorts his readers `by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:10), again placing the focus on the name of the Lord Jesus that Judaism placed on the name of the Lord YHWH ..." (Bowman &Komoszewski, 2007, p.163a).

"Paul continues to refer to Jesus as Lord in similar ways throughout the epistle: .. After quoting the words of Jeremiah about boasting only in the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24), Paul says that his whole message to the Corinthians could be summed up as `Jesus Christ, and him crucified' ([1Cor ]1:31; 2:2). This Jesus who was crucified, Paul says, was `the Lord of glory' (2:8). In context, then, Paul is applying the words of Jeremiah about boasting in the Lord to the Lord Jesus, as he probably does also in 2 Corinthians 10:17 (see also Gal. 6:14; Phil. 3:3)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.163b).

"Paul quotes the words of Isaiah 40:13, `For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' and then comments, `But we have the mind of Christ' (1Cor ]2:16). In other words, we can know the mind of the Lord only if he reveals it to us, and that is what we have in the mind of Christ. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, Ibid, p.163c).

"In answer to his critics, Paul states, `The one who examines me is the Lord' ([1Cor ]4:4 NASB). This `Lord' must be Jesus because Paul, like the rest of the New Testament writers, regards the Lord Jesus as the one who will sit in judgment (recall 1:8; see also 11:32; 2 Cor. 5:10). It is Jesus who is the `Lord' who will `come' and `bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts' (4:5 NASB). Again, this is what the Old Testament taught that the Lord (YHWH) would do (1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 96:13; 139:23-24; Prov. 16:2; 17:3; Jer. 17:10)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164a).

"Paul says that the members of the Christian church assemble `in the name of our Lord Jesus' ([1Cor ]5:4 NASB). The `assembly' or `congregation' in the Old Testament was the congregation of YHWH; it gathered in his name. In Paul's thought, the congregations of believers are the congregations (or churches, ekklesiai) of Christ (see Rom. 16:16)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164b).

"According to Paul, Christians confess that they are `justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ' ([1Cor ]6:11), even though the Old Testament summons all people to be justified `in the Lord' YHWH (Isa. 45:25 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164c).

"For Paul, the directions received from the Lord are indistinguishable from those received from God: `Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk' ([1Cor ]7:17 NASB)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164d).

"Paul wants a Christian to be `anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord,' with the ideal being `unhindered devotion to the Lord' ([1Cor ]7:32-35). The purpose of life according to the Old Testament is, of course, to please the Lord YHWH (Exod. 15:26; Deut. 6:18; etc.). The only other use in the New Testament of any form of the verb translated in 1 Corinthians 7:35 as `devotion' (euparedron, also translated `service') is just a couple of chapters later in the same epistle, where Paul says that those who `serve' (paredreuontes) at the altar share in what is offered at the altar ([1Cor ]9:13). Thus, Paul makes religious devotion or service to the Lord Jesus the ideal and purpose of the Christian life. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.164e).

"Paul warns, `You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons' (1 Cor. 10:21). Here the cup and table of the Lord refer to the rite of the `Lord's Supper' (cf. 10:16; 11:20) that the Lord Jesus established. The expression `table of the LORD' is an Old Testament expression for the altar, which the prophet Malachi warned against defiling (Mal. 1:7, 12). Paul contrasts the observance of the Lord's Supper with pagan observances that honor the false gods of demonically inspired pagan religion (10:20; echoing Deut. 32:21). Such a contrast implicitly treats the Lord Jesus as the divine object of the religious observance. " (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, pp.164-165).

"Paul then asks, `Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy?' (10:22). This rhetorical question clearly alludes again to Deuteronomy 32:21, where Moses warned against provoking the Lord YHWH to jealousy. Paul's train of thought here makes no sense unless the `Lord' whom we should avoid provoking to jealousy (10:22) is the same `Lord' to whom belong the cup and the table (10:21). In short, Paul here assumes that the Lord Jesus is in fact the Lord YHWH." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.165a).

"At the end of the epistle, Paul writes, `If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha. [Come, O Lord NIV]. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you' (1 Cor. 16:22-23 NASB). In this short space, Paul calls for those who do not love the Lord to be cursed, prays to the Lord to come ... and attributes divine grace or favor to the Lord Jesus. The importance attached to loving the Lord (Jesus) here is especially striking in view of the Old Testament commandment to `love the LORD your God' with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5 ...)." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, p.165b).

"It is in this broader context that we should read what may be the most striking reference to Jesus as Lord in 1 Corinthians. Paul states that Christians know that `there is no God but one' (1 Cor. 8:4 NIV). `For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many `gods' and many `lords'), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live' (vv. 5-6 NIV). Verse 6 may well be a creed or confession of faith that Paul is quoting or that he composed himself (translation ours):

One God,                                    One Lord,
the Father,                                Jesus Christ,   
from whom are all things,   and through whom are all things,   
and we from him;                  and we through him.

If Judaism has a creed, it is the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-5, known as the Shema (meaning `hear,' the first word of the verse): `Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might' (ESV). The Septuagint translated the last part of verse 4, `The Lord our God is one Lord' (kurios heis). In first-century Judaism, the affirmations of `one God' and `one Lord' were synonymous and referred to the same divine being, YHWH, the God of the patriarchs, of Moses, and of the prophets. Jesus affirmed the Shema as the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:36-38; Mark 12:28-30; cf Luke 10:25-28), and in that regard his view was in the mainstream of Judaism. Paul and other New Testament writers echo the Shema when they affirm that God is one or that there is one God (Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 12:6; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5; James 2:19). Jews, however, would just as surely have understood Paul's affirmation of `one Lord' (particularly in the same breath as affirming `one God') as an echo of the Shema-yet with one potentially shocking twist: he identifies this `one Lord' as Jesus Christ." (Bowman & Komoszewski, 2007, pp.165-166)

"This is an example of a further New Testament principle of Old Testament interpretation - what A. T. Hanson has called the `real presence' of Christ in Old Testament history. [Hanson, A.T., "Jesus Christ in the Old Testament," London, 1965, p.7 ff] This is a principle, I must admit, which I am not over- ready to recognize in the New Testament, and I am even less ready to condone its use by modern scholars as a means of christianizing certain areas of the Old Testament narrative. But its occasional presence in the New Testament is difficult to dispute. Paul's statement that `the Rock was Christ' [1Cor 10:4] is one such occasion. Another is the remarkable statement in the Epistle of Jude, `that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe' [Jude 5] True, the name `Jesus' is not read in all forms of the text: in its place some authorities read `the Lord', others `God' and yet others, giving us no name at all, read `he who saved...' (one papyrus exhibits the conflated reading, `God Christ who saved ...'). But the principle that the more difficult reading is to be preferred points to `Jesus' as the original, and indeed the variety of other readings can best be explained as substitutions for `Jesus'. `Jesus' in this context cannot be understood as the Greek form of Joshua (as in Acts 7:45; Heb 4:8), for Joshua neither led Israel out of Egypt nor destroyed the unbelievers in the wilderness." (Bruce, F.F., 1968, "This is That: The New Testament Development of Some Old Testament Themes," Paternoster: Exeter UK, pp.35-36).

"[1Cor 2:16] The quotation is from Is. 40:13. The word mind, which is not found in the context, is here used because it was in the Greek text of Is. 40. It introduces far the first time an anthropomorphic expression with reference to God and follows quite properly after the use of `to judge,' which implies an activity of the discriminating mind. Perhaps Paul chose this quotation precisely because of the use of the word `mind' in it. The spiritual man, who received the Spirit, is thereby enabled to judge or not to judge. For of the Spirit, who is God, it is true that nobody knows His mind to instruct Him. This Spirit works in the spiritual man. No natural man can understand, or even judge, the work of God in the spiritual man. The last words of the verse show how God works in those who are spiritual. The mind of the Lord is unsearchable; as members of Christ we participate through Him in the mind of God. We have the mind of Christ, and consequently also the mind of the Lord, for Christ is the Lord and much of what the Old Testament says of the Lord Jehovah must be applied to Christ (cf. 3:23; 11:3; Rom. 8:5f., 14f.)." (Grosheide, F.W., 1954, "Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians," [1953], The New London Commentary on the New Testament," Marshall, Morgan & Scott: London, Second edition, pp.74-75).

"In fact, the conviction that one could find Old Testament passages in which the preincarnate Jesus was manifested is reflected in first-century Christian texts. Most obviously, of course, the New Testament references to Jesus as the one through whom God created all things (1 Cor. 8:4-6; John 1:1-2; Col. 1:15-17) all reflect such a reading of Old Testament statements about the creation of the world. Furthermore, Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock from which Israel drank in their wilderness trek `was Christ' must surely be taken as asserting that in his preincarnate mode Jesus was the divine figure who engaged Israel in the Exodus narrative .Also, whether the original reading in Jude 5 referred to `Jesus' or `the Lord,' it is a good bet that this verse likewise portrays the preincarnate Jesus rescuing Israel from Egypt. Further, as we noted in an earlier chapter, John 12:41 asserts that the divine figure seen by the prophet in Isaiah 6:1 was `the Lord' Jesus. These references to passages in Exodus and Isaiah exhibit first-century Christological interpretations of Old Testament theophanic passages." (Hurtado, L.W., 2005, "Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity," Eerdmans: Grand Rapids MI, pp.576-577).

"[1Cor 15:27-28] The statement that the Son also himself shall be subject to God has been thought by some to lower the dignity of the Son of God, as well as, possibly, to cast a reflection on his deity. The subjection, however, is not that of the Son as Son, but as the incarnate Son. This, of course, does not involve inequality of essence. The son of a king may be officially subordinate and yet equal in nature to his father (cf. Charles Hodge, An Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, pp. 333-335). Paul's point is this: The Son as incarnate Son has all power now (cf. Mt 28:18). When he delivers up the administration of the earthly kingdom to the Father, then the triune God will reign as God and no longer through the incarnate Son. Messiahship is a phase of the Son's eternal Sonship (cf. Moffatt, MNT, p. 249)." (Johnson, S.L., 1962, "I Corinthians," in Pfeiffer, C.F. & Harrison, E.F., eds., "The Wycliffe Bible Commentary," Oliphants: London, Reprinted, 1963, p.1257).

"[1Cor 1:2] It is possible that together with all those everywhere widens the salutation to include all Christians (Conzelmann sees a reference to 'the idea of the universal church'), and this is the most natural interpretation of the Greek. T. W. Manson takes 'every place' (topos) to mean 'every place of worship', as in some Jewish synagogue inscriptions.' But a strong objection to both is that the Epistle gives no sign of being a circular or a general manifesto. It sticks stubbornly to local issues. It is thus better to take the phrase closely with the preceding. The Corinthians are called to be holy, not as an isolated unit, but along with other people. It is unusual to have Christians described as those who call on the name of Christ (though it is readily intelligible). In the Old Testament people call on the name of Yahweh (Joel 2:32, etc.), so that in using the expression Paul is assigning the highest possible place to Christ." (Morris, L.L., 1985, "The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary," The Tyndale New Testament commentaries, [1958], Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester UK, Second edition, Reprinted, 1987, p.36).

"[1Cor 1:8] The verb keep you strong is that translated 'was confirmed' in v. 6. Christ, who has enriched the Corinthians and given them grace and every good gift, is their guarantee that right through until the last time nothing will be lacking to them. The enriching with the Spirit's gifts is itself an assurance, a foretaste of the good things to come. Just as the end of time may be referred to as the 'revelation' of Christ (v. 7), so it may be spoken of as the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament looks for the coming of 'the day of the LORD' (Am. 5:18); the New sees this as the day of Christ. Here the thought is that because it is his day and because it is he who will 'guarantee' the Corinthians, they may be assured that they will be blameless in that day. No charge can be laid against those whom Christ guarantees (cf. Rom. 8:33)." (Morris, 1985, Ibid., p.38).

"[1Cor 2:8] God's secret was not known by any way other than revelation. For all their eminence the rulers of this age did not know it, as is shown by the fact that they crucified Jesus (cf. Acts 3:17; 4:25-28, and Jesus' words, 'they do not know what they are doing', Lk. 23:34). Had they really understood who Jesus was and the consequent enormity of rejecting him, they would never have done what they did. The Lord of glory ('the Lord whose essential attribute is glory', Ellicott) is an outstanding and unusual title, applied to Christ only here (though Jas. 2:1 is similar). The epithet of glory is applied to the Father (Acts 7:2; Eph. 1:17), and in the apocryphal Book of Enoch the expression the Lord of glory is used of God several times (22:14; 25:3; 27:3-4; 63:2; 75:3). More than one scholar has thought that this is the loftiest title Paul ever applied to Christ. It stands fitly alongside the application to him of words originally referring to Yahweh (1:31). Both show that Paul habitually assigned to Christ the highest place of all." (Morris, 1985, p.55).

"[1Cor 2:16] This impossibility is shown by a question quoted from Isaiah 40:13. Paul has already spoken of the impossibility of knowing 'the things of God' (v. 11). Then his concern was to show that the Spirit does indeed have complete knowledge of 'the depths of God', and that is relevant here. As none but the Spirit knows these depths it is clearly impossible for the natural man to have knowledge of the person in whom is the Spirit, and who therefore, in a sense, shares in the divine (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4). It is because of this that Paul can make the bold assertion that we (the pronoun is emphatic) have the mind of Christ. He does not mean that every Christian can understand all Christ's thoughts. He means that the indwelling Spirit reveals Christ. The spiritual person accordingly does not see things from the viewpoint of the worldly. He sees them from the viewpoint of Christ. Notice that the question in Isaiah 40:13 refers to the mind of Yahweh. But Paul moves easily to the mind of Christ, so closely does he associate the two." (Morris, 1985, pp.60-61).

"[1Cor 10:4] When he refers to their spiritual drink Paul adds an explanation, as he did not do with his reference to food. Moses got water from a rock at the beginning and end of the wilderness wanderings (Ex. 17:1-7; Nu. 20:2-13), and this apparently was the origin of a Jewish legend that a rock travelled with the people. Paul may have had this legend at the back of his mind, hut he does not refer to it. He refers to Christ and sees him as following the Israelites and continually giving them drink. He transfers to Christ the title, 'the Rock', used of Yahweh (Dt. 32:15; Ps. 18:2, etc.), a transfer that is significant for Christology, as of course is the clear implication of Christ's pre-existence (cf. Conzelmann, 'The `was' ... means real preexistence'). The reference to spiritual food and drink is surely made (as Calvin and others have thought) in the light of the Holy Communion. Israel had her equivalents of both sacraments." (Morris, 1985, pp.139-140).

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Re: The Shroud of Turin: Evidence that Jesus was crucified on a cross, not a stake

AN

Thanks for your message. I will respond to your question publicly

[Above: Shroud of Turin: World-Mysteries.com. The direction and patterns of the bloodstains on the Shroud of Turin show that the man whose image is imprinted on it, died on a cross with both his arms outstretched to the side and nailed:

"In addition, by measuring the angle of dried blood on the wrist, one can reconstruct the angle at which this person hung from the cross. He mainly hung from a position 65 degrees from the horizontal. But there is another angle of dried blood at 55 degrees. This shows that this person tried to lift himself up by 10 degrees. Why? Medical studies show that if a person just hangs from a position of 65 degrees in would start to suffocate very quickly. Only if he could lift himself up by about 10 degrees would he be able to breathe. Thus he would have to raise himself up by this 10 degrees by pushing down on his feet which would have to have been fixed to the cross. He would then become exhausted and fall down again to the 65 degree position. Thus, he would continue to shift from these two agonizing positions throughout crucifixion. That is why the executioners of crucifixion would break the legs of their victims to speed up death. If they could not lift themselves up to breathe, they would suffocate very quickly." (Shroud of Turin: World-Mysteries.com).

See also `tagline' quotes at the end of this post. If this is Jesus, and the evidence is overwhelming that it is (see for example my also as yet unfinished series, Re: There is compelling evidence it is the burial cloth of Christ, or a man crucified during that time #1, on my TheShroudofTurin blog), then this is further archeological and scientific evidence (if not absolute proof ) that Jesus was crucified on a two-beamed cross and not a single stake as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society claims].

via my blog, JesusisJehovah!, minus your personal identifying information, i.e. substituting "AN" for your name.

I am also copying this reply to my TheShroudofTurin blog,

[Right (click to enlarge): Jesus `impaled' on a single stake with both arms together over his head affixed by one nail: "What Does the Bible Really Teach?," Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, 2005, p.52. This is how the Watchtower Society has consistently depicted Jesus' execution since 1950 at least.]

because it may be of interest to my readers there. Although they may be unaware of (and astonished at) the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society's (Jehovah's Witnesses') claim that Jesus was not crucified with both arms outspread and therefore affixed with two nails through both wrists on a cross, but was instead affixed by only one nail through both hands above His head on a single upright stake.

----- Original Message - ----
From: AN
To: Stephen E. Jones
Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 4:09 AM
Subject: Stake/Cross comments continued?..

>Hello, Stephen!
>
>My name's AN and I'm from Russia (so excuse me, please, for my poor English). I've read with a great interest your articles (
#1-#3) about stake/cross controversy in your blog.
>
>I've been waiting for continuation since autumn and so have a question: do you plan to publish new posts (as you stated: "#4 Patristic, #5 Archaeological, #6 Pagan, #7 Biblical and #8 Conclusion") on this theme?

Thanks for your reminder. Quite frankly I have been so busy, what with, researching and posting my Jesus is Jehovah in the New Testament series, going back to university to become a science teacher and debating with JWs on Shazoolo's and Newagegamer's YouTube boards, that this had been moved to the backburner.

However, I do intend to continue with that series. I have now moved my draft next post in the series, "Was Jesus executed on a cross or a stake? #3D: Historical" out of my Drafts 2008 folder into my current Drafts folder and will try to finish it this Sunday, if not this week.

>Thanx for your work!
>Waiting for your reply,
>AN

Thanks again for your reminder and for your patience.

PS: Note in the `tagline' quotes below, that if the hands of the man on the Shroud had been affixed by one nail to a single upright pole, then the blood flows from his wrists would have been vertical, i.e. straight down the arms, not 65-55% to the vertical. So this is yet another nail (pun intended) in the Watchtower Society's coffin!

Stephen E. Jones.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & TheShroudofTurin


"We are now drawn to the wounds of the crucifixion itself. First we must establish that we can be quite confident we are dealing with a crucifixion victim. The principal evidence for this lies in the flows of blood from the wound in the left wrist. One of the most important aspects is the angle of the two streams of blood closest to the hand, flowing toward the inner border of the forearm.

[Left (click to enlarge): The 55-65% angle of the Shroud victim's arms on the cross, deduced from the paths of the bloodflows on them (Wilson, 1978, pl.12.]

Other, interrupted streams run along the length of the arm as far as the elbow, dripping toward the edge of the arm at angles similar to the original flows. The first two flows are about ten degrees apart, the somewhat thinner one at an angle of about fifty-five degrees from the axis of the arm and the broader one closer to the hand at about sixty-five degrees. This enables us to do two things: (1) to compute that at the time the blood flowed, the arms must have been raised at positions varying between fifty-five and sixty-five degrees from the vertical, i.e., clearly a crucifixion position; (2) to compute that because of the ten-degree difference the crucified man must have assumed two slightly different positions on the cross, that at sixty-five degrees representing full suspension of the body, that at fifty-five degrees a slightly more acute angle of the forearm produced by flexing the elbow to raise the body. We are enabled to deduce then that the crucifixion forced on the victim an up-and-down or seesaw motion on the cross-perhaps, according to one school of thought, in order to breathe, the arms in that position taking a tension equal to nearly twice the weight of the body, inducing near-suffocation if there was no crutch support; perhaps, according to another school of thought, by the victim attempting to relieve himself of one unbearable agony, the pain in his wrists, by raising himself, at the price of yet more pain, on the living wounds in his feet." (Wilson, I., 1978, "The Turin Shroud," Book Club Associates: London, pp.25-26).

"For the first clear evidence that the Shroud shows a victim of crucifixion, we now turn to the next group of injuries, which take the form of what appear to be blood flows in the region of the hands and lower arms. On the man of the Shroud's left wrist can be seen two separately angled blood flows, one broad, the other thin and long; then, after a gap of a few centimeters, at least six blood rivulets appear to flow on toward the elbow joint. Although the right wrist is obscured by the left, the presence of similar bloodstains on this arm suggests a similarly originating injury. As before, it is the underlying logic that is so compelling. Each rivulet of blood ends its course pointing in a specific direction, from which it can be calculated that when the majority of the rivulets flowed, the man of the Shroud's arms must have been at an angle of 65 degrees from the vertical-i.e., clearly a crucifixion position. Only one rivulet is different, the longer and thinner of those at the wrist, which indicates not 65 but 55 degrees from the vertical. To pathologists, this single flow almost certainly indicates the attitude the arms assumed at death, at which time the head would have been slumped and one elbow flexed at a more acute angle." (Wilson, I., 1986, "The Evidence of the Shroud," Guild Publishing: London, p.22).

"Which leads us to the third category of injuries visible on the Shroud, the bloodflows as from piercings to the hands and feet. First let us take the trickles that can be seen on each forearm ... As various medical and other researchers have demonstrated, if these are, projected and painted onto a living model's arms and his arms are then moved to the position that their gravitational flow would seem to indicate, it can immediately be seen that at the time the blood flowed each arm must have been stretched out sideways at an approximate angle of sixty-five degrees, i.e. a crucifixion position ...

[Right (click to enlarge): Transpositions of the Shroud's forearms bloodflows onto a living man, showing the man on the Shroud's living (top) and dead (bottom) positions on the cross. (Wilson, 1998, pl. 18a-b).]

We cannot see the source of the trickle down the right forearm because its wrist and upper hand are covered by the fingers of the left hand. But this is more than compensated for by the fact that a `/\'shaped bloodstain is clearly visible on the left wrist, the apex of this, at the centre of the bending fold, being obviously the site of the puncture wound from which the blood flowed. The `/\' shape to the bloodstain also theoretically seems to indicate the two different positions that the man of the Shroud must have adopted while suspended, either denoting his agonising shifting from one position to another or, as some have suggested, the position his arms took at death." (Wilson, I., 1998, "The Blood and the Shroud: New Evidence that the World's Most Sacred Relic is Real," Simon & Schuster: New York NY, pp.34-35).

"Blood flowed along the arms while they were extended on the cross. At several points on the left forearm the blood was deflected and flowed vertically down the side. At the back of the left hand there are two trickles of blood which also flowed vertically during the crucifixion. These streams are still in their original position in relation to the arm and the hand. Thus they enable us to calculate the angle at which the arms were extended on the cross-about 65 degrees from the vertical. In the imprints of the Shroud we have an exact portrayal of the technique of crucifixion, and of one crucifixion in particular which supplies for the reticence of the Evangelists." (Wuenschel, E.A., 1954, "Self-Portrait of Christ: The Holy Shroud of Turin," Holy Shroud Guild: Esopus NY, Third printing, 1961, p.45).