On p. 214 n. 17 of his recent book, Long Before Luther: Tracing the Heart of the Gospel from Christ to the Reformation (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2017), Protestant apologist Nathan Busenitz argued that the Odes of Solomon (late first/early second century) is support for early Christians holding to forensic justification, á la the Reformation-era formulation thereof. Intrigued by this claim, I decided to do a quick re-read of the Odes of Solomon, and found this claim to be wanting; indeed, the Odes of Solomon refutes forensic justification and supports transformative justification. Here will be relevant portions of this work with my comments interspersed in red. The translation I will be using is that of J.H. Charlesworth, “Odes of Solomon,” in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1983-1985), ed. J. H. Charlesworth, vol. 2, pp. 735-71.
Ode 1
(1) The Lord is on my head like a crown,
and I shall never be without him.
and I shall never be without him.
(2) Plaited for me is the crown of truth,
and it caused your branches to blossom in me.
and it caused your branches to blossom in me.
Such imagery and metaphor about being “clothed” with a robe and/or a crown of righteousness is common in the Odes of Solomon and other ancient literature. For the ancients, however, it did not represent being clothed with an alien, imputed righteousness, but an outward sign of an inward reality. As two biblical examples:
The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he had girded himself; the world also is stablished, that is cannot be moved. (Psa 93:1)
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. (Psa 104:1)
In reality, Yahweh is said to be "clothed" with majesty, strength, and honour as such an image is a potent outward sign of an inward reality; the same is said when the concept is used of believers. There is nothing in support of imputed righteousness in this concept, just as, when read in context (see the other quotes below which fit this understanding of clothing imagery/metaphor), supports such “righteousness” and other like-concepts being inward realities.
Ode 4
(6) For who shall put on your grace and be rejected?
(7) because your seal is known;
and your creatures are known to it.
and your creatures are known to it.
(8) And your hosts possess it,
and the elect archangels are clothed with it.
and the elect archangels are clothed with it.
See above on the clothing imagery and metaphor. Indeed, no one argues that elect angels are merely reputed to be righteous, but they truly, intrinsically are righteous. Again, an onward sign of an inward reality is in view in the theology of the Odist.
Ode 8
(10) Keep my mystery, and you who are kept by it;
Keep my faith, you who are kept by it.
Keep my faith, you who are kept by it.
Such admonitions and warnings only makes sense if one can fall away from the faith (cf. Heb 6:4-6; John 15:6)
(13) And before they had existed,
I recognized them;
and imprinted a seal on their faces.
(14) I fashioned their members,
and my own breasts I prepared for them,
that they might drink my holy milk and live by it.
(13) And before they had existed,
I recognized them;
and imprinted a seal on their faces.
(14) I fashioned their members,
and my own breasts I prepared for them,
that they might drink my holy milk and live by it.
The use of “imprinted” disproves the theory that justification is based on an external judicial declaration wherein one is declared “righteous” by an imputation of an alien righteousness merely. Instead, we see that justification is transformative.
(18) I willed and fashioned mind and heart;
and they are my own.
And upon my right hand I have set my elect ones.
. . .
[The Odist is speaking here]
(20) Seek and increase,
and abide in the love of the Lord
and they are my own.
And upon my right hand I have set my elect ones.
. . .
[The Odist is speaking here]
(20) Seek and increase,
and abide in the love of the Lord
Such language supports progressive, not just transformative, justification wherein one can grow in divine love and favour of God. To see evidence for progressive justification in the Bible, see, for example, Does Genesis 15:6 prove Reformed Soteriology?
Ode 9
(11) Put on the crown in the true covenant of the Lord,
and all those who have conquered will be inscribed in his book.
(12) For their book is the justification which is for you,
and she sees you before her and wills that you will be saved.
and all those who have conquered will be inscribed in his book.
(12) For their book is the justification which is for you,
and she sees you before her and wills that you will be saved.
See the previous comments about clothing imagery and metaphors being simply an outward sign of an inward reality. Indeed, just as one will be saved actually by fidelity to the covenant and not simply declared to be saved by fidelity to the covenant.
Ode 11
(2) For the Most High circumcised me by his Holy Spirit,
then he uncovered my inward being toward him,
and filled me with his love.
(3) And his circumcising became my salvation,
and I ran in the Way in his peace,
in the Way of truth.
then he uncovered my inward being toward him,
and filled me with his love.
(3) And his circumcising became my salvation,
and I ran in the Way in his peace,
in the Way of truth.
The metaphor of “circumcision” supports transformative justification—in the Old Covenant, one was not merely declared circumcised, and under the New Covenant, through the “(spiritual) circumcision” of the New Covenant (baptism [see Reading Ephesians 2:8-10 in light of Colossians 2:11-13]), one is not merely declared, but made “(spiritually) circumcised,” if you will.
(7) And so I drank and became intoxicated,
from the living water that does not die.
. . .
(11) And the Lord renewed me with his garment,
and possessed me by his light.
(12) And from above he gave me immortal rest,
and I became like the land which blossoms and rejoices in its fruits.
and possessed me by his light.
(12) And from above he gave me immortal rest,
and I became like the land which blossoms and rejoices in its fruits.
The fact that the Odist would, in reality/intrinsically would be “renewed” by the Lord “with his garment,” such supports our earliest comments about the meaning of such imagery and metaphor. Indeed, one is not simply declared to have “immortal rest” but will possess immortal rest in the hereafter in reality.
Ode 14
(3) Do not turn aside your mercies from me, Lord;
and do not take your kindness from me.
(4) Stretch out to me, my Lord, at all times, your right hand,
and be to me a guide till the end according to your will.
and do not take your kindness from me.
(4) Stretch out to me, my Lord, at all times, your right hand,
and be to me a guide till the end according to your will.
Such language, again, supports the claim that, if one does not abide in God, they will be “cut off” (cf. John 15:6).
Ode 15
(8) I have put on incorruption through his name,
and stripped off corruption by his grace.
and stripped off corruption by his grace.
Such supports transformative justification wherein one is not merely declared righteous, but made righteous.
Ode 17
(1) Then I was crowned by my God,
and my crown is living.
(2) And I was justified by my Lord,
for my salvation is incorruptible.
and my crown is living.
(2) And I was justified by my Lord,
for my salvation is incorruptible.
. . .
(4) My chains were cut off by his hands;
I received the fact and form of a new person,
and I walked in him and was saved.
(4) My chains were cut off by his hands;
I received the fact and form of a new person,
and I walked in him and was saved.
Ode 20
(4) The offering of the Lord is righteousness,
and purity of heart and lips.
(5) Offer your inward being faultlessly;
and do not let your compassion oppress compassion;
and do not you yourself oppress anyone.
and purity of heart and lips.
(5) Offer your inward being faultlessly;
and do not let your compassion oppress compassion;
and do not you yourself oppress anyone.
Such again supports transformative, not merely declarative justification. How else would one offer one’s inward being faultlessly? Notice that such is not said about an imputed, external righteousness, but one’s inward righteousness.
Ode 22
(8) And it chose them from the graves,
and separated them from the dead ones.
(9) It took dead bones
and covered them with flesh.
and separated them from the dead ones.
(9) It took dead bones
and covered them with flesh.
Using the metaphor of physical resurrection for spiritual rebirth disproves forensic justification, as resurrection is transformative, not merely declarative, let alone a declaration based on imputation. Consider a New Testament parallel, where, speaking of Christ and His glorious resurrection, the apostle Paul wrote:
Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory (1 Tim 3:16 NRSV)
The underlining Greek translated as “vindicated” is ἐδικαιώθη, the indicative aorist passive of the verb δικαιοω. While one can (correctly) argue that δικαιοω has the meaning of "vindicated," it also shows that the verb also has a transformative sense too, by the mere fact that Christ in His resurrection was literally transformed from a state of death to a state of life. In like-manner, the believer is not merely reputed to be righteous, but is made righteous.
Ode 31
(1) Chasms vanished before the Lord,
and darkness was destroyed by his appearance.
(2) Error erred and perished on account of him;
and Concept received no path,
for it was submerged by the truth of the Lord.
(3) He opened his mouth and spoke grace and joy;
and recited a new chant to his name.
(4) Then he raised his voice toward the Most High,
and offered to him those that had become sons through him.
(5) And his face was justified,
because thus his Holy Father had given to him.
and darkness was destroyed by his appearance.
(2) Error erred and perished on account of him;
and Concept received no path,
for it was submerged by the truth of the Lord.
(3) He opened his mouth and spoke grace and joy;
and recited a new chant to his name.
(4) Then he raised his voice toward the Most High,
and offered to him those that had become sons through him.
(5) And his face was justified,
because thus his Holy Father had given to him.
Such is further evidence that the Odist did not hold to forensic justification á la Luther et al. The Odist is using the language of transformation—the people Christ has truly became the children of God, and were not declared such merely, and Christ is not merely declared to be “justified/righteous” but, indeed, is intrinsically righteous.
Ode 35
(1) The sprinkling of the Lord overshared me with serenity,
and it caused a cloud of peace to stand over my head;
(2) That it might guard me at all times.
and it caused a cloud of peace to stand over my head;
(2) That it might guard me at all times.
And it became salvation to me.
. . .
(6) And I grew strong in his favour,
and rested in his perfection.
(6) And I grew strong in his favour,
and rested in his perfection.
The language of “sprinkling” (the concept of being cleansed) coupled with growing strong in God’s favour supports the concept of transformative justification.
Ode 36
[Jesus is the speaker here]
(7) And my mouth was opened like a cloud of dew,
and my heart gushed forth (like) a gusher of righteousness.
and my heart gushed forth (like) a gusher of righteousness.
Ode 38
(5) And there was no danger for me because I constantly walked with him;
and I did not err in anything because I obeyed him.
and I did not err in anything because I obeyed him.
Again, continued obedience is stressed, similar to the various warning passages of the New Testament.
Ode 39
(13) And the Way has been appointed for those who cross over after him,
and for those who adhere to the path of his faith;
and who adore his name.
and for those who adhere to the path of his faith;
and who adore his name.
Ode 40
(6) And his possession is immortal life,
and those who receive it are incorruption.
and those who receive it are incorruption.
One is not merely reputed to be “incorrupt” but intrinsically in a state of incorruption in the hereafter.
Ode 42
(20) And I placed my name upon their head,
because they are free and they are mine.
because they are free and they are mine.
God places his name on their heads because they are indeed “free” and “they are [God's]” not merely reputed to be such.