Was it after his resurrection, a miracle that amazed everyone into believing he was God?
It interests me at the moment.
It interests me at the moment.
-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
When Did They Discover Christ Was God?
- Thread starter The Sum of Awe
- Start date
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
I doubt that the earliest Christians had the slightest concept of Jesus being God.
However I am sure there would have been a fair proportion of Gentile converts, who would have no problem seeing him as a God, as many never had been Monotheists.
This was the reason for finding a formula like the "Trinity" to satisfy the churches need for monotheism.
Little did they know that their solution would still be causing division to this day.
However I am sure there would have been a fair proportion of Gentile converts, who would have no problem seeing him as a God, as many never had been Monotheists.
This was the reason for finding a formula like the "Trinity" to satisfy the churches need for monotheism.
Little did they know that their solution would still be causing division to this day.
Jensen
Active Member
"When did they discover Christ was God"
They didn't as he isn't. The apostles and Jesus never thought he was God. Neither did the disciples before or after his resurrection.
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee ( here Jesus is speaking to God) the only true God, ( as shown right here) and Jesus Christ, whom thou( God again ) hast sent. So Jesus isn't God unless you wish to have two gods. And that still wouldn't be the God of the bible.
They didn't as he isn't. The apostles and Jesus never thought he was God. Neither did the disciples before or after his resurrection.
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee ( here Jesus is speaking to God) the only true God, ( as shown right here) and Jesus Christ, whom thou( God again ) hast sent. So Jesus isn't God unless you wish to have two gods. And that still wouldn't be the God of the bible.
ForeverFaithful
Son Worshiper
John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I Am!"
To understand this we have to realize that I AM, was the way God's name (YHWH) was translated into Greek, so when He is saying this He is absolutely claiming to be the Lord Jehovah, that's why the Jews then try to stone him to death, as He as used the Name of the Most High to refer to Himself, and this is where we get the Doctirne of the Trinity
To understand this we have to realize that I AM, was the way God's name (YHWH) was translated into Greek, so when He is saying this He is absolutely claiming to be the Lord Jehovah, that's why the Jews then try to stone him to death, as He as used the Name of the Most High to refer to Himself, and this is where we get the Doctirne of the Trinity
InformedIgnorance
Do you 'know' or believe?
I would point out that other 'Christs' in the bible (there are over 20) were not given the same level of importance as the Christians gave Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Christ itself merely means that the individual was 'anointed by God'. As for how Jesus was then interpreted to be the son of god, well there are many explanations for this, the most likely (in my opinion) stemming from the expression 'father in heaven', that all who hold to the Abrahamic god are the children of that god, and thus he was the 'son of god'.
ForeverFaithful
Son Worshiper
It comes from the story of the Baptism where God says from heaven that this is his Son
Christ often used the word Abba to refer to His Father, Abba wasn't the word you would use to formally refer to your father it was more informal and loving.
My understanding was that the Abrahamic God being a father was something predominately Christian, as I didn't read it anywhere in the old testament and Muslims aren't as intimate with their God but more submissive, it comes again from scriptures (John 1:12)
The idea of Christ being so imporant is because He is THE Messiah (or Christ) not just an annointed one, He is the prophesied one who would defeat the seperent and bring mankind salvation
InformedIgnorance
Do you 'know' or believe?
I have heard the term being used extensively in Judaism prior to Jesus Christ - God the Father - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - a relationship which could, by the way could often be seen as to either end of the spectrum in terms of formality - either highly formal if based on a concept of a highly respected, yet distant, God figure; or informal if based on a highly intimate, involved, father figure.
Christ (Kristos)/Messiah means what? Anointed... there are many of those in the bible; with NOTHING to differentiate them from Jesus Christ of Nazareth except a capital letter which is used to try to differentiate Christ from christ, messiah from Messiah - to give the particular christ they adhere to, more legitimacy than the others.
Christ (Kristos)/Messiah means what? Anointed... there are many of those in the bible; with NOTHING to differentiate them from Jesus Christ of Nazareth except a capital letter which is used to try to differentiate Christ from christ, messiah from Messiah - to give the particular christ they adhere to, more legitimacy than the others.
ForeverFaithful
Son Worshiper
It's hard to tell what was in Judaism in the first century and what was added with Christian influence in later centuries.
Christ was THE Messiah, the King of the Jews who will right all wrongs in his second comming, here is a link about the messianic prophecies
Jensen
Active Member
The Jews did not want to stone him because he said that he was God, but because he said that he is the Son of God.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
I suspect different people realized it at different times. When Jesus asked His Apostles, "Whom say ye that I am?", only Peter seemed to actually know for sure -- that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of the living God." This was definitely prior to Christ's resurrection or even His arrest and crucifixion. I think John the Baptist realized it back when Jesus came to Him to be baptized. Others obviously believed after the Resurrection.
Pegg
Jehovah our God is One
try 300 years after Jesus death and resurrection.
Many think that it was formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E.
That is not quite correct. The Council did assert that Christ was of the same substance as God and this laid the groundwork for later Trinitarian theology which would come to include the holy spirit as the third person of a triune Godhead.
Roman Emperor Constantine also played a role. He was not a Christian at the time, yet he presided over the council of Nicaea while the identity of Christ was being decided.
The Encyclopædia Britannica relates: “Constantine himself presided, actively guiding the discussions, and personally proposed . . . the crucial formula expressing the relation of Christ to God in the creed issued by the council, ‘of one substance with the Father’ . . . Overawed by the emperor, the bishops, with two exceptions only, signed the creed, many of them much against their inclination.”
The trinity was still a way off yet, the council only decided on the nature of Jesus. It was at the Council of Constantinople in 381 C.E. that they decided that the holy spirit be added to the Godhead so this was when the Trinity began to really take shape....though still not fully accepted by all christians.
It was after they received Baptism. Sanctifying Grace was restored and they could enter into the inner life and friendship with God. It was a certain knowledge of the presence of God that they felt and knowledge of Christ's Divinity that followed.
When you say "they" discovered I assume you mean the witnsses.
Soon after the crucifition of Christ, a persecutor named Saul, who had never personally met Jesus, was sent out with great authority to stamp out what the Revelations of Christ was stirring in the hearts of the people.
Saul was struck down in the desert by a blinding force that enlightened him. A voice beyond ignoring spoke to him and said "THIS IS MY SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED".
Saul became Paul and started to seek out the children who had heard the glorious news and believed.
That being said, where does Christ say He is God?
He was conceived in the flesh through the belly of a virtuous woman soley by the will of God. But never the less flesh He was. He lived through love and sorrow, pain and doubt and all things that this life can bring. After approximitly thirty years of life the time for His message arrived. He was given authority over the physical realm of existence that we call life,yet laid down His own for us. In this way He showed that the path to God is a road through life and death.
Soon after the crucifition of Christ, a persecutor named Saul, who had never personally met Jesus, was sent out with great authority to stamp out what the Revelations of Christ was stirring in the hearts of the people.
Saul was struck down in the desert by a blinding force that enlightened him. A voice beyond ignoring spoke to him and said "THIS IS MY SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED".
Saul became Paul and started to seek out the children who had heard the glorious news and believed.
That being said, where does Christ say He is God?
He was conceived in the flesh through the belly of a virtuous woman soley by the will of God. But never the less flesh He was. He lived through love and sorrow, pain and doubt and all things that this life can bring. After approximitly thirty years of life the time for His message arrived. He was given authority over the physical realm of existence that we call life,yet laid down His own for us. In this way He showed that the path to God is a road through life and death.
You know... them.
InChrist
Free4ever
I'd say it happened at different times for different people. The first disciples probably didn't realize it until they saw Christ after His resurrection. Thomas is certainly an example of one who realized Jesus was God when he saw Him in His resurrected body with the nail scars in His hands as he declared, "My Lord and my God!". Three thousand people realized it on the Day of Pentecost during Peter's message about Jesus Christ. Paul realized it when he was confronted by Christ on the road to Damascus. As it was then it has been throughout history, it is an individual realization, as one is personally confronted with the Person of Jesus Christ.