In the Roman Empire, sons of gods were not uncommon. Hercules was a popular demigod worshiped by soldiers and he was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. It was widely believed that the great heroes of the past had gods for parents. In the Eastern Empire, in places like Egypt, it was common for kings and pharaohs to be descended from gods. This was less common among the Romans themselves, but the first Emperor, Augustus, used the initials D.F., which stand for divi filius ('son of the divine one') or Dei filius ('son of God'). Augustus put this title on his coins and 'son of God' was also used by the next Emperor, Tiberius, who ruled during Jesus' lifetime.
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The scholar John Dominic Crossan suggests the first Christians deliberately used 'Son of God' to present Jesus as a rival to the Roman Emperor
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The Christian view of Jesus as 'Son of God' is stronger than the Jewish view (it's not just symbolic) but different from the pagan view (they don't believe God had sex with Mary to produce a demigod son). The Christian view is that Jesus is a human in whom God is uniquely present.
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Surely this man was the Son of God! - Mark 15: 39 This could fit with either view. Mark may be being symbolic when he calls Jesus the 'Son of God' and the Roman Centurion (a pagan) might have mistaken Jesus for a demigod.
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) - the dullest but perhaps the most beautiful of the big Jesus-movies - casts Hollywood cowboy John Wayne as the Centurion. Wayne struggled to put the right amount of awe into his voice. |
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The sayings and deeds of Jesus reported in the Gospels have been influenced by hindsight after the Resurrection - Raymond E. Brown
"Low Christology" covers the evaluation of him in terms which do not necessarily include divinity, e.g. messiah, rabbi, prophet, high priest, saviour, master.
"High Christology" covers the evaluation of Jesus in terms which include an aspect of divinity, e.g. Lord, Son of God, God
- Raymond E. Brown
Bart Ehrman argues that most early Christians had a Christology of Exaltation - they believed that Jesus had been a normal human but that God had EXALTED him (elevated him or raised him up) to divine status. This exaltation takes place when Jesus is raised from the dead.
A similar idea is that God ADOPTED Jesus to be his Son. This is called the ADOPTIONIST MODEL. The moment of Jesus' adoption by God can be seen in his baptism when a voice from Heaven says: You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased - Mark 1: 11 Jesus' baptism is described almost identically in all three Synoptic Gospels, with Matthew feeling the need to explain why a sinless Jesus would need to be baptized at all.
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Zeffirelli's Jesus of Nazareth (1977) makes the voice from Heaven into a religious experience that John the Baptist has when he baptizes Jesus
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YES
Jesus is God's revelation: God revealed in a human life. Jesus expresses this directly on occasions, but reveals it all the time through his behaviour (commanding demons, controlling nature, forgiving sins). Jesus' atoning death only removes sins if he is God and his Resurrection is explained by the fact that, as God, he can conquer death.
The 'Son of God' isn't a pagan idea; it's a phrase used in the Old Testament and by the 1st century it had become a title for the Messiah. Jesus saw himself as more than a teacher: he cast out demons, raised the dead and - most importantly - forgave sins, which only God can do.
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NO
"Son of God" is a Hellenic term that crept into Christianity when Gentile converts brought their pagan ideas to their new religion. Jesus himself didn't claim to be the 'Son of God' and, as a Jew, would have found the title offensive. He saw himself, and his first followers saw him, as a teacher and a prophet.
Even if Jesus claimed to be the 'Son of God' it's not clear what he meant. Was he a human adopted by God at his baptism? Exalted by God after his death? Or was he a divine being living a human life? If he was a divine being, was he an angel, the Logos or God himself?
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