The Mediation of Christ

Rating:
Summary: A key text for understanding Christ as Mediator.
Review: A great short work on Christ as Mediator. Torrance, professor emeritus from U. of Edinburgh, summarizes the positions of Athanasius, Calvin and Barth on Christ as the only bridge between God and Man because he is both God and Man. Well worth a night or afternoon to sit and read through this exposition into the nature of the homoousin.

Rating:
Summary: dispensed with too much history
Review: In this book, Torrance presents several themes related to Christ, with a focus on Christ as Mediator. He has "dispensed with references and historical notes" in hope of adressing a wider group of readers. I feel he has dispensed a bit too much in places, and oversimplified in others. On page 12, Torrance states the root cause of anti-Semitism is; "the conflict between God and man throughout Israel's existence, which contributed to its strangeness, mirrors the conflict between God and ourselves, which we resent, and while our real quarrel is with the searching light of divine revelation reflected by Israel, it is against Israel itself that we vent our resentment." This is an interesting point, but to claim it is the root of anti-Semitism is an oversimplification. How can one explain anti-Semitism in marginal believers, agnostics, and atheist? I don't resent Israel for any conflict I might have with God. Although I somewhat agree that "whenever anti-Semitism arises it is a clear sign that people are engaged in conflict with God and with the same kind of conflict that left its mark upon Israel."

I believe first century messianic expectations are over simplified in this book. On p. 76, Torrance writes; A messianic role was evidently envisioned for the servant in which mediator and sacrifice, priest and victim were combined in a form that was at once representative and substitutionary, corporate and individual, in its fulfillment. . . . Thus the servant of the Lord and the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, were brought together in his prophetic utterance, and yet held apart but only by a hairs breadth, so to speak. . . but second Isaiah . . . could only hold them closely together without actually identifying them" What of other messianic texts, particular from the inter-testimonial period? Texts such as 4Q541 and in the Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 52, Zech. 12:10) and elsewhere, seem to imply a combination of messianic expectations, with roots in the Isaiah servant songs, could have existed. Not all groups had the same messiah in mind. I fell first century Judaism is oversimplifed here.

In any case, I still liked this book, and recommend it.