A prominent feature of Jesus of Nazareth’s (c. 6-4 BCE–c. 30 CE) teachings in the New Testament gospels is found in his repeated references to God as “Father” (Poirer 2008, 822).

This was not a unique invention of Jesus’ as he did not pioneer this view as “nowhere does the New Testament begin from scratch or reinvent the view of God” (Kärkkäinen 2004).

The Hebrew Bible evidences an earlier awareness of God’s paternal standing and nature (Deut. 32:6; Ps. 103:13; Prov. 3:12; Jer. 3:19; Hos. 11). In some cases, a verse might not contain the word for “Father” but clearly utilizes the divine fatherhood motif and does so in a messianic way: “You are my Son; today I have begotten you” (Psalms 2:7).

However, despite the precedence to belief in God’s paternal nature among Jews, Jesus’ uniqueness lies in the degree of emphasis that is found nowhere in the Hebrew Bible.

There is a development in the regularity of the fatherhood terminology in the Gospels, indicating that the God as “Father” motif in Jesus’ teachings cannot be reduced to a single field of meaning. Mark contains only four references to God as “Father,” while Matthew has thirty and John has more than 120. It is almost certain that Jesus used this language, although in a much more restrained manner than either Matthew or John would have the reader think (Poirer 2008, 824). 

When Jesus used “Father” in a broader sense, he used it only in reference to God’s fatherhood of his people, defined more narrowly by Jesus in terms of those who obey him (Poirer 2008, 823). The fatherhood of God also conveys Jesus’ messianic sonship and self-awareness, while elsewhere it conveys God’s relation to Israel. 

There is Jesus’ well-known reference to God as “Abba,” a name that modern writers sometimes incorrectly equate with “Daddy” (Poirer 2008, 825). Instead, as a term of endearment, it was used by adults as much as by children. The German theologian Joachim Jeremias (1900–1979) asserted in The Central Message of the New Testament (1965) that it “would have been irreverent and therefore unthinkable” to address God as Abba, although others have pointed to how little the historian really knows of the prayer habits of Jewish charismatic figures.

Jesus’ references to God as “my Father” appear to share similarities with the personal, familial address of God found among a select group of Jewish wonder workers (Poirer 2008, 824–825). The earliest of these figures, Honi the Circle-Drawer (first century BCE), framed his prayers as if he were “a member of [God’s] household.” Later Rabbis compared his prayer technique and his ability to receive what he asked for with the hubris and position of a spoiled son. The rabbinic tradition also recognized that the wonder worker Hanina ben Dosa (first century BCE) was addressed by a heavenly voice as “my son.” Despite these similarities, Jesus’ self-aware relationship with the Father appears higher than that of Honi or Hanina.

References

Joachim, Jeremias. 1965. The Central Message of the New Testament. London: SCM Press.

Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. 2004. The Doctrine of God: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Poirer, John C. 2008. “God.” In The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus, edited by Craig A. Evans, 813–832. London and New York: Routledge. (Apple Books pagination)