Religion

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts) Sat Apr 4, 2015, 08:53 PM Apr 2015

When did Jesus become God? [View all]

When Bart Ehrman was a young Evangelical Christian, he wanted to know how God became a man, but now, as an agnostic and historian of early Christianity, he wants to know how a man became God.

When and why did Jesus' followers start saying "Jesus as God" and what did they mean by that? His new book is called How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee.
---SNIP---
If Jesus had not been declared God by his followers, his followers would've remained a sect within Judaism — a small Jewish sect, and if that was the case it would not have attracted a large number of gentiles. If they hadn't attracted a large number of gentiles, there wouldn't have been this steady rate of conversion over the first three centuries to Christianity; it would've been a small Jewish sect.

More at NPR.org

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When did Jesus become God? [View all] Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 OP

What did you think of the article? cbayer Apr 2015 #1

Bookmarked for later. longship Apr 2015 #2

The church teaches Jesus became God 50 days after Easter on the Feast of Pentecost. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #3

Wasn't he always God? In principio erat verbum. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2015 #13

The church teaches that the Word always existed. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #14

Why at Pentecost, and not Ascension? The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2015 #15

Good question. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #17

There are 10 days between Ascension and Pentecost. The Velveteen Ocelot Apr 2015 #20

A beautiful hymn! hrmjustin Apr 2015 #21

Recuperating? Debriefing? okasha Apr 2015 #34

It's a living. n/t. bvf Apr 2015 #18

My understanding was that Jesus was always God. CaliforniaPeggy Apr 2015 #4

Actually the only direct evidence of the holy trinity in the canonical gospels was a forgery Major Nikon Apr 2015 #44

Caligula became a god. Why don't we worship him? Hoppy Apr 2015 #5

As the article points out, all of the roman emperors were being called god. cbayer Apr 2015 #6

reply title... huh? Monotheist Apr 2015 #7

Tuesday edhopper Apr 2015 #8

LOL! I always thought it was bvf Apr 2015 #19

I thought it was 4:20 freedomrock1970 Apr 2015 #40

Interesting excerpts. Not sure I buy, or get the "political" assumptions, the author implies. pinto Apr 2015 #9

To follow up - Jesus was Jewish and spoke to a largely Jewish population. In that context. pinto Apr 2015 #12

Elaine Pagels has an interesting take on that ismnotwasm Apr 2015 #10

I love her. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #11

Me too ismnotwasm Apr 2015 #25

I have had the pleasure of meeting her at several Episcopal Church functions. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #26

Squeee!! ismnotwasm Apr 2015 #29

lol. thanks. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #30

. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #27

I stopped reading once I got to this: bvf Apr 2015 #16

I've always had a feeling that huckster Paul had something to do with it Warpy Apr 2015 #22

This ^ bvf Apr 2015 #24

Interesting that a historian can conclude that Jesus being called God was/is the reason guillaumeb Apr 2015 #23

One of the reasons Mithraism didn't survive okasha Apr 2015 #38

I would modify that statement. guillaumeb Apr 2015 #41

Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2015 #39

I bought this book johnnypneumatic Apr 2015 #28

Did Jesus even exist? Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 #31

as far as I could tell johnnypneumatic Apr 2015 #35

See, that's the thing, When you present a hypothesis, it is up to you cbayer Apr 2015 #42

I accept your challenge on one condition Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 #43

I have zero interest in either substantiating or falsifying any of these claims. None. cbayer Apr 2015 #46

"I have no interest" Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 #47

I cannot prove anything about the existence of this supposed Biblical Jesus. cbayer Apr 2015 #48

Not at all. There is no win and lose. There is only truth, and a process of getting closer to truth. Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 #49

Slight difference. Claims about jesus are purportedly about a real historical figure in the flesh. AtheistCrusader Apr 2015 #52

Nobody probably will zipplewrath Apr 2015 #51

So, Jesus is God AND Santa Claus? OnyxCollie Apr 2015 #32

Also the easter bunny, bvf Apr 2015 #36

Don't forget Paul Bunyon, and Babe the blue ox. n/t Binkie The Clown Apr 2015 #37

Just don't tell me the tooth fairy isn't real Major Nikon Apr 2015 #45

here's a primer before starting MisterP Apr 2015 #33

I wonder how the universe got along for the previous 13.799999999999999999999999999999 billion years Arugula Latte Apr 2015 #50

Are you there God? Gore1FL Apr 2015 #53