When did Christians begin to think Jesus was Divine.

[polonius]

The title "son of God" is frequent in the Old Testament. The word "son" was employed among the Semites to signify not only filtration, but other close connection or intimate relationship.

Israelite s (Deuteronomy 14:50); and of Israel, as a nation, we read: "And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

“Most Jews no longer believe in a coming Messiah. Of the three main branches within Judaism, only orthodox Jews tend to hold to this hope and they do not conceive of Messiah as divine; he is merely a human being. “

When did the early Christians begin to claim that Jesus was a divine Messiah and what happened to them because of this view?

[brianbbs67]

"is not written, ye are gods?" Psalm 82 puts that in context. We are all the children of the Lord, in a sense.

[polonius]

Overwithhim posted:

To call anyone a "son" of God does not conflict with Jesus being God's only begotten Son. The angels are even called "sons of God." (E.g., Genesis 6:2-4) The Scripture does not refrain from referring to others as sons of God, and presents Jesus Christ as a unique Son. He is the first being that God created, thus "the only begotten Son of God." The only personage that God directly created. Everything else was created through Jesus.

RESPONSE: Then you are denying that Jesus was divine and denying the existence of the Trinity, right?

[onewithhim]

"is not written, ye are gods?" Psalm 82 puts that in context. We are all the children of the Lord, in a sense.

Yes, and anything or person that is highly revered is a "god" to the person revering it/them. Especially something or someone that takes precedence over all other things in a person's life. Spending all of one's time playing video games means that those games are "god" to the player. (I said ALL of one's time. Video games in themselves are not bad, per se.) Playing the games is the most important thing in that person's life.

The ancients in Bible times understood that a "god" was mainly a powerful, important person, and that's why the Messiah was called a "mighty god" in Isaiah 9:6, as opposed to almighty god (no caps in Hebrew or Greek). The Father, Jehovah, is the only one who is called Almighty God (we add the caps in English).

Jesus brought people's attention to the fact that human judges were called "gods" so why were the Jews so hateful to him when he merely told them he was God's SON?

It is clear that Jesus never said he was God Almighty, and his disciples did not think that he was. As has been said on this thread and many others, Jesus' diety as Almighty God was gradually brought into the church and set firmly by the 4th century, totally contradicting what was Christian teaching in the early first century.

[onewithhim]

Overwithhim posted:

To call anyone a "son" of God does not conflict with Jesus being God's only begotten Son. The angels are even called "sons of God." (E.g., Genesis 6:2-4) The Scripture does not refrain from referring to others as sons of God, and presents Jesus Christ as a unique Son. He is the first being that God created, thus "the only begotten Son of God." The only personage that God directly created. Everything else was created through Jesus.

RESPONSE: Then you are denying that Jesus was divine and denying the existence of the Trinity, right?

YES. Emphatically.

[elijahpne]

[Replying to post 1 by polonius]

Even before Jesus impalement, Jesus divinity as the Messiah was never in question. His Apostles already knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God - not God, but divine nevertheless. Being divine does not mean being God himself for Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines divine as "of, relating to, or proceeding directly from God or a god".

For example, at Matthew 16:15, 16 we read:

He [Jesus] saith unto them [the Apostles] , But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. - ASV

Peter, one of the Apostles therefore one of the early Christians, knew back then that Jesus was the Christ, therefore, of divine origin. He did not need anyone to tell him that. He was an eyewitness to the miracles performed by Jesus. What else can he conclude!

For those who were not with Jesus in his ministry, Jesus openly declared that he was the Messiah three times in the gospels - obviously before his impalement and resurrection - thereby admitting, and leaving no doubt, as to his divinity:

1. John 4:25, 26 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. - ASV
2. John 9:35-37 Jesus heard that they had cast him (the blind man he healed) out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. - ASV
3. Mark 14:61, 62 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. - ASV

As you can see, even before the inception of the Christian Church (which occurred in 33 A. D. (or C. E.), Jesus' divinity was well established not as God but as the Son of God.

However, if you are equating Jesus divinity as being God himself then that will be after the foretold apostasy (2 Thess 2:3) set in - when the Trinity doctrine was creeping in to the Christian church - when Christians ceased to be Christians.

[polonius]

If the Book of Acts is accurate, they begin publicly preaching that Jesus is God at Pentecost, fifty days after his execution.

RESPONSE: Perhaps you will supply the chapter and verse.

[polonius]

[Replying to post 1 by polonius]

Even before Jesus impalement, Jesus divinity as the Messiah was never in question. His Apostles already knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God - not God, but divine nevertheless. Being divine does not mean being God himself for Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines divine as "of, relating to, or proceeding directly from God or a god".

For example, at Matthew 16:15, 16 we read:

He [Jesus] saith unto them [the Apostles] , But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. - ASV

Peter, one of the Apostles therefore one of the early Christians, knew back then that Jesus was the Christ, therefore, of divine origin. He did not need anyone to tell him that. He was an eyewitness to the miracles performed by Jesus. What else can he conclude!

For those who were not with Jesus in his ministry, Jesus openly declared that he was the Messiah three times in the gospels - obviously before his impalement and resurrection - thereby admitting, and leaving no doubt, as to his divinity:

1. John 4:25, 26 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. - ASV
2. John 9:35-37 Jesus heard that they had cast him (the blind man he healed) out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. - ASV
3. Mark 14:61, 62 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. - ASV

As you can see, even before the inception of the Christian Church (which occurred in 33 A. D. (or C. E.), Jesus' divinity was well established not as God but as the Son of God.

However, if you are equating Jesus divinity as being God himself then that will be after the foretold apostasy (2 Thess 2:3) set in - when the Trinity doctrine was creeping in to the Christian church - when Christians ceased to be Christians.

RESPONSE: From the Catholic Encyclopedia

"The title "son of God" was applied in the Old Testament to persons having any special relationship with God. Angels, just and pious men, the descendants of Seth, were called "sons of God" (Job 1:6; 2:1; Psalm 89:7; Wisdom 2:13; etc.). In a similar manner it was given to Israelites (Deuteronomy 14:50); and of Israel, as a nation, we read: "And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn. I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me" (Exodus 4:22 sq.).

In the early 80's, some of the Christian-Jews began to claim that Jesus himself was divine. The Christians were then excluded from the Temple as apostates (or minim). Check the 12 Benediction (on the web). See, also the gospel of John.

And keep in mind that that in the Old Testament and early New Testament, the Messiah was a man, never divine!

Also read Act of the Apostles, chapter 2, Peter speaking, probably written around 80 AD

22. "You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know."


23
"This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
24
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it."
l

NOTE: God raised him up. Jesus did not rise from the dead by his own power since he wasn't divine.

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 17 by brianbbs67]

What kind of "bread" was Christ requesting? Supernatural, it seems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiousios

[polonius]

Matthew, Mark, and Luke claimed that Jesus was the "Messiah." The Messiah is a man, not God (see Old Testament).

Following the death of Jesus in about 33 AD, his followers remained observant and orthodox members of the Jewish Temple, believing the fundamental Jewish shema "Hear O Israel, the Lord one."

It was between 82 and 92 AD that the Jewish-Christians began to claim that Jesus was divine, and the orthodox Jews immediately condemned them as agnostics and excluded them from the Jewish synagogues. This is recorded in John's gospel written about 95 A.D.

Belief in a "Trinity" started in the second and third centuries to explain the existence of three divine persons.

See also on the web "The 12 Benedications" a Jewish prayer denouncing the apostasy!

[elijahpne]

[Replying to post 26 by polonius]

All intelligent creatures whether spirits or humans are, in a generic sense, "sons of God" because we all owe our life to God. Even Adam was still referred to as a "son of God" (Luke 3:38) although he, being a rebel, lost his special relationship with God.

However, only one deserves the appellation the Son of God, and that is Jesus Christ, our Lord - because he is most outstanding and unequalled in his role - just as only one actually deserves the appellation "God, the Father" although the term god has spawned a lot of generics. The original is, of course, outstandingly better than copies.

"For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." - 1 Cor 8:5, 6 KJV

Tell me: Can any of the following scriptures apply to anyone else other than Jesus, the Son of God?

• "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." - Mark 1:11 KJV
  "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." - Matthew 17:5 KJV

Of course not because they were addressed only to Jesus Christ alone, the Son of God - not to any generic "sons of God" but only to the original, the one to whom God referred to as "my Son the beloved" and "my beloved Son" - the one who said at John 8:23 KJV "Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world" proving that he was not originally flesh.

True, Jesus first appeared in the world as a man - "God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3 KJV ) - but it was by design not by nature. He had to, because his mission is to save mankind from sin and death - a task which no creature can successfully accomplish except that he be of flesh and blood. God's Word, through the apostle Paul, puts this very neatly for us:

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil." - Hebrew 2:14 KJV

Note, however, that Jesus started life as a spirit not as a human. Philippians 2:5-7 KJV makes this clear:

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Note that before "he took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" he was existing "in the form of God" - in other words, a spirit (John 4:24). If you were to say that Jesus was a man when he was existing in God's form then you would have to say also that God was also a man which is absurd.

Then he shed his slave's form and was then resurrected in spirit, back to his original form. 1 Peter 3:18 KJV says: "he being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" or as another translation says: he "being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" - ASV

The prophet Micah says the Messiah's origin was from long ago. You obviously can not apply this to mere man:

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you may be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel; whose goings forth (origins, NIV) have been from of old, from everlasting."

Jesus' divinity can never be questioned. Of course, he is not God. He is the original Son of God - and most outstandingly so. A spirit who became flesh, saved mankind from sin and death and went back to heaven as a spirit creature again after accomplishing his mission.