Book Flyer

I received a copy of the flyer for The Only True God in Adobe Acrobat format today.

Back Cover Blurbs

The online University of Illinois Press catalog provides the two blurbs from scholars that will appear on the back of the book. Here they are:

"This work puts forward a compelling thesis, questioning the default assumption that what separated first-century Jews and Christians was the Christian elevation of Jesus of Nazareth to divine status as equal with YHWH. McGrath shows decisively that this was not so, arguing with clarity and force and engaging the relevant bodies of primary and secondary literature with precision. A significant and useful book."

--Paul J. Griffiths, author of Lying: An Augustinian Theology of Duplicity

"If anyone thinks that the concept and definition of 'monotheism' are clear-cut, they need to read this book. Similarly, if you think that the issue of 'early Christian monotheism' or the question of Jesus's status within or in relation to 'early Christian monotheism' (as maintained by the writers of the New Testament) can be neatly resolved in straightforward terms, then McGrath will enable you to make a more informed judgment, and hopefully to reach a more mature view."

--James D. G. Dunn, author of Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry Into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation

Book Cover

Here's what the cover of The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context is going to look like:

The fireworks on the cover are not, to my knowledge, intended to represent the "fireworks" that often fly when people discuss God in general or monotheism in particular. The cover is a bit surprising for a book about ancient religion. I think, however, I can offer some explanation as to why a cover like this fits the book better than something more antiquarian. Whether this reflects anything that the cover designers had in mind, we'll probably never know.

First, any attempt to provide an image connected with ancient monotheism and Christology may be off-putting to some potential readers. If the book featured an image of Jesus, or of the Trinity, such a depiction would, when placed together with the title, seem to end dialogue. It would suggest that the one(s) depicted on the cover are "the only true God", end of conversation, and that is not the sort of approach taken in the book.

Second, most monotheistic traditions agree that the one God ultimately transcends the ability of any image or even any language to describe or do justice to. And so those mysterious lights symbolize that aspect nicely.

Mark Nanos on Paul and the Jewish Tradition

Mark D. Nanos has posted the text of a paper he presented on "Paul and the Jewish Tradition". Its main focus is on the Shema, and how monotheism was axiomatic for Paul.

In the Top 100: Already a Bestseller!

Many thanks to those who decided to pre-order The Only True God. I just looked and it was ranked as a bestseller, coming in at #53 on amazon.com in the category

Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > History of Religion

Of course, I initially suspected that perhaps there were only 53 books in this category, but not so! :-)

Pre-Order Discount

You can pre-order The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context at a significant discount on amazon.com. It is hard to beat 34% off the list price!

The Only True God: Available for Pre-Order on Amazon.com

My book The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, forthcoming from University of Illinois Press in March of 2009, is now available for pre-order on amazon.com.

This blog has been created for the purpose of discussing the topic of the book, and since it will still be some time before it is released, those interested in monotheism in ancient Judaism and Christianity may want to follow Ken Schenck's blogging on the subject over at Quadrilateral Thoughts.