In his book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee, Bart D. Ehrman, a distinguished scholar of early Christianity and New Testament texts, embarks on an exploration of one of the most profound theological transformations in history. Ehrman investigates the gradual process by which Jesus, a Jewish preacher from Galilee, came to be recognized as divine—an essential belief that would become the foundation of Christian theology. This work delves into the historical, religious, and cultural contexts in which this transformation occurred, examining how the figure of Jesus evolved from being a human prophet into the object of divine worship.
The Question of Jesus’ Divinity
One of the central questions addressed in Ehrman’s book is how and why Jesus, originally seen by his followers as a human teacher and prophet, came to be understood as divine. This question is not only a theological one but a historical puzzle. How did the historical Jesus, a figure firmly grounded in the Jewish tradition, come to be worshipped as God in a monotheistic religious context?
Ehrman traces the development of the belief in Jesus’ divinity, beginning with the earliest writings in the New Testament, specifically the letters of the Apostle Paul. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the cultural and religious environment of the first-century Mediterranean world, where the concept of divinity was often fluid and multi-faceted. Ehrman argues that the belief in Jesus' divinity did not emerge instantly but was the result of a gradual process of theological reflection and reinterpretation by early Christians, who came to see in Jesus the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and a new revelation of God’s nature.
The Historical Context: Judaism and the Emergence of Christianity
Ehrman’s analysis is deeply rooted in the historical context of first-century Judaism and the broader Greco-Roman world. He begins by outlining the nature of Jewish monotheism during the time of Jesus, which emphasized the belief in a single, indivisible God. For Jews in Galilee and Judea, the idea of a human being being elevated to the status of God would have been shocking, even heretical. Ehrman emphasizes that the early followers of Jesus, including his disciples and the Apostle Paul, were originally Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah—the anointed one sent by God to fulfill the promises made to Israel.
However, the idea of Jesus’ divinity was not present in early Jewish messianic expectations. While some Jews in the first century anticipated the coming of a messianic figure, they did not expect that this person would be divine. Ehrman notes that the Jewish concept of God during this period was strictly monotheistic, and the idea of a human being sharing in God’s nature was not only unconventional but virtually unimaginable. Therefore, the idea that Jesus became divine was not part of the original message of the historical Jesus but was a later theological development.
The Role of the Resurrection
One of the pivotal events in Ehrman’s narrative is the resurrection of Jesus, which he argues was a major catalyst for the exaltation of Jesus to divine status. According to Ehrman, the resurrection was not seen by the earliest Christians as evidence of Jesus’ divinity but rather as a sign of his special relationship with God. The belief that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead by God was a radical theological assertion that set his followers apart from other Jewish groups, but it was not, in and of itself, a claim of divinity.
The resurrection, however, led early Christians to begin reinterpreting their understanding of Jesus' life and mission. Ehrman notes that, over time, followers of Jesus began to see his resurrection as a confirmation of his divine status. The idea that God had raised Jesus from the dead was increasingly understood as an indication that Jesus was, in fact, more than just a human teacher or prophet—he was the Son of God.
This process of theological reflection on the resurrection, Ehrman argues, eventually led to the development of the doctrine of Jesus’ divinity. His exaltation, or his “ascent to heaven,” would be seen as proof that Jesus was not just an ordinary human being, but had been elevated to a divine status by God.
The Influence of Greco-Roman Thought
Ehrman highlights the importance of the broader Greco-Roman context in shaping early Christian thought. In the ancient world, it was not uncommon for rulers, heroes, and significant figures to be deified or honored with divine status after their death. The emperors of Rome, for example, were often hailed as gods, and a wide array of divine figures existed in the surrounding pagan cultures. Ehrman argues that the early Christians, living in this environment, would have been influenced by these cultural practices, albeit in a way that remained consistent with their monotheistic beliefs.
The early Christian movement, Ehrman suggests, was deeply influenced by these surrounding cultures in the sense that they began to see Jesus in terms that were familiar to the Greco-Roman world. While early Christians would have rejected the idea of polytheism, they still participated in a world where figures of great importance were venerated and, in some cases, regarded as divine. Ehrman suggests that this broader context helped shape the way that early Christians came to view Jesus as divine. Rather than viewing Jesus as a mere human, they began to understand him as possessing qualities of divinity, such as immortality and an eternal nature.
The Development of Trinitarian Theology
As the Christian movement spread and evolved, so did its theological views. One of the most significant theological developments in early Christianity was the formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity, which would later define mainstream Christian orthodoxy. Ehrman discusses how, over the course of several centuries, the belief that Jesus was divine gradually coalesced into the formal doctrine of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
According to Ehrman, the early Christian understanding of Jesus’ divinity was not always fully articulated or uniform. Different early Christian communities had varying views on the nature of Jesus’ divinity, and debates over these ideas were intense. Over time, the doctrine of the Trinity became the dominant understanding within Christianity, codified by the Nicene Creed in 325 CE. Ehrman underscores that the Trinitarian understanding of God as three-in-one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—was a result of centuries of theological debate, but its roots can be traced back to the exaltation of Jesus as divine in the earliest years of the Christian movement.
Conclusion: The Transformation of Jesus
In How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman provides a historical and scholarly exploration of how the figure of Jesus, a Jewish preacher from Galilee, was gradually transformed into the object of Christian worship and belief in divinity. Through a careful examination of early Christian texts, the cultural context of the time, and the theological developments that took place in the first few centuries of Christianity, Ehrman traces how the exaltation of Jesus was not an instantaneous process but one that unfolded over time.
By examining the resurrection, the influence of surrounding cultures, and the development of early Christian thought, Ehrman sheds light on the complex historical and theological journey that led to the eventual belief in Jesus’ divinity. His work is not only a contribution to the academic study of early Christianity but also offers valuable insights into the nature of religious belief and the ways in which ideas about divinity are shaped by historical, social, and cultural forces. Ultimately, How Jesus Became God provides readers with a nuanced and accessible account of one of the most significant religious transformations in history.
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