The Preexistent Son

This book challenges the consensus among biblical scholars that among the four Gospels only John gives evidence for Jesus' heavenly identity and pre-existence. In "The Pre-Existent Son" Simon Gathercole demonstrates that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were in fact well aware that the Son of God existed with the Father prior to his earthly ministry. Gathercole marshals support for this assertion by considering the "I have come" sayings of Jesus and strikingly similar angelic sayings discovered in Second-Temple and Rabbinic literature. In addition, Gathercole also considers related topics, such as Wisdom Christology and the titles applied to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels.Gathercole's carefully researched work should spark lively debate among Synoptic scholars and extend the understanding of anyone interested in this important New Testament question.