Evan Allen wrote:The idea that there is an increasing trajectory of Christology depends on a second century date for the Pauline epistles, otherwise it shatters into pieces. The Pauline author is none-too-subtle about the characteristics of his Jesus, using the name for the god of the Tanakh for him "Lord". So which is it? Is there an initially high Christology, that of the epistles? Or is there an initially low Christology, that of Q?
You can't have your cake and eat it too.
If the low Christology Q predates the Pauline epistles, then Paul cannot be a witness to the historical Jesus and all arguments that attempt to use his witness must be abandoned. If the high Christology Paul predates Q, then clearly we see a trend toward Euhemerism.
The trend seems to be from man to god:
1. Q's Jesus was a prophet, "first among equals" as Arnal puts it.
2. Paul's Jesus was born as a man but then appointed Son of God at the resurrection.
3. Mark's Jesus was born a man but appointed Son of God at his baptism.
4. Matthew and Luke's Jesus was born of a virgin and was Son of God from birth.
5. John's Jesus was a pre-existing being.
You can see the steady progression there. If Paul's letters were written in the Second Century, either by Paul or forged in his name, then it is surprising that we also see a Jesus who becomes a Son of God only at his death. All the Gospels put this earlier in Jesus' life.
To me, the Q community were a group of end-times itinerant preachers, out of which Jesus emerged as just another prophet. Reconstructions of Q suggest that Jesus' death, if noted at all, doesn't appear to have signficance, i.e. no resurrection. That would be a later development. From this community we get the Ebionites.
Sometime after Jesus' death, people started to have visions of the Risen Jesus. This is the "high Christology" we see in Paul and the Gospels. But if you read Paul for how he describes Jesus before death and after death, the pre-resurrection Jesus -- Jesus "according to the flesh" -- appears to be portrayed as a man; i.e. seed of David and Abraham, a Jew from the Israelites, etc. For example:
Rom 1:3-4: [Christ Jesus. . .] who came from the seed of David according to the flesh, who was appointed Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead"
Rom 9:3: For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites... 5 of whom [are] the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ [came]...
But Paul tells us he isn't interested in that Jesus:
2 Cor 5:16: ... Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
The question here is: who is the "we" who once "regarded Christ according to the flesh"? To me, this sounds like Paul is rejecting the Jesus of the Q community.
So the progression in my view is this:
1. There is a Q community of itinerant end times preachers, preaching that the Jews need to return to God as the world was coming to an end. The community included John the Baptist.
2. Jesus emerges from this community, preaching their message. He gradually rises to prominence during his life.
3. Jesus goes to Jerusalem and is crucified.
4. People see visions of the risen Jesus, an indication of his relationship to God. Jesus is the first-fruits of the general resurrection to come, proof indeed that the end of times is at hand.
5. James, Peter and the Jerusalem church preach a Risen Christ who came to fulfill the Law and save the Jews. (The Q community in my view don't see any significance in Jesus' death at this stage.)
6. Paul comes along and says, "Let's focus on the significance of Jesus' death. Forget about Jesus according to the flesh."
7. Paul clashes with the Jewish Christians on aspects of the Law.
8. Paul takes his message to the Gentiles.
9. Mark writes his Gospel, from Q sources and from Pauline Christians. Matthew writes his, including Jewish Christian sources. Luke tried to bring them together. John ate some mushrooms.
By the start of the Second Century, Jesus has been further deified. Not only wasn't Jesus born (even as a god like in John), he didn't even come in the flesh! And he didn't come just to save everyone through the cross, but he imparted secret knowledge to people to help them save themselves. All this can be seen as a progression from "Jesus as man" in Q, assuming the time-lines for when the materials were written are accurate.