How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman provides a scholarly yet accessible exploration of how a Jewish preacher named Jesus came to be worshipped as divine in early Christianity. Ehrman, a prominent New Testament scholar, examines the historical and cultural circumstances that led to the belief in Jesus's divinity, tracing the evolution of this belief from Jesus’s life through the early Christian period. This book addresses fundamental questions about Christian origins and offers a thought-provoking look at how religious beliefs evolve over time.
Ehrman’s Central Thesis: The Transformation of Jesus’s Identity
The core of How Jesus Became God lies in Ehrman’s examination of how Jesus, a Jewish preacher and apocalyptic prophet, was transformed by his followers into a divine figure. Ehrman argues that this transformation was not immediate; rather, it unfolded gradually as his followers interpreted his life and teachings through the lens of existing Jewish and Greco-Roman religious beliefs.
Ehrman proposes that the belief in Jesus’s divinity began with the conviction that he was raised from the dead. He argues that Jesus's resurrection served as the catalyst for his followers to view him as more than a human teacher or prophet. This belief, combined with the cultural influences of both Jewish monotheism and Greco-Roman polytheism, paved the way for the idea of Jesus as a divine figure. Ehrman contends that this was a profound shift, as it required early Christians to reinterpret their Jewish faith to accommodate a new understanding of God and Jesus’s place within it.
The Resurrection as the Turning Point
According to Ehrman, the belief in Jesus’s resurrection was central to his exaltation as divine. He argues that Jesus’s followers initially interpreted the resurrection as a sign that God had vindicated Jesus and raised him to a higher status. In Jewish thought, certain figures, such as Enoch and Elijah, were believed to have been taken up to heaven without dying, but these figures were never considered divine. Jesus’s case was different, Ehrman suggests, because his followers came to believe not only in his bodily resurrection but also in his exaltation to a unique divine status.
This belief in Jesus’s resurrection led early Christians to begin seeing him as divine in some way. Ehrman contends that, for the earliest followers, Jesus’s divinity might have been understood as an exalted status granted by God after his death. Over time, however, these beliefs about Jesus’s nature evolved, leading to more profound theological implications, including the idea that Jesus was preexistent and had been with God before the creation of the world.
Jewish and Greco-Roman Influences
One of Ehrman’s key arguments is that early Christian beliefs about Jesus’s divinity were shaped by the religious and cultural environment of the ancient Mediterranean. He emphasizes that Judaism and Greco-Roman polytheism provided frameworks that early Christians could adapt to express their beliefs about Jesus.
Within Judaism, Ehrman points out that there was a concept of intermediary figures—beings that were not fully divine but held an exalted status. For example, figures like the angel Metatron or the “Son of Man” in the book of Daniel were seen as heavenly representatives. These figures occupied an ambiguous space, distinct from God yet invested with special authority. Ehrman argues that Jesus’s followers might have initially viewed him in a similar light, as a unique agent of God without being equivalent to God himself.
Greco-Roman culture also influenced early Christian beliefs. Ehrman discusses how, in the Greco-Roman world, it was common for humans to be deified or regarded as semi-divine figures. Roman emperors, for instance, were often venerated as gods after their deaths. This concept of human divinity provided a cultural model for understanding Jesus’s exaltation, allowing early Christians to conceive of Jesus as both human and divine in a way that made sense within the broader religious landscape.
The Development of Christology: From Exaltation to Incarnation
Ehrman traces how early Christian beliefs about Jesus’s divinity developed over time, transitioning from an “exaltation Christology” to an “incarnation Christology.” Initially, Ehrman suggests, Jesus’s followers believed that he had been exalted to a divine status after his resurrection. This exaltation Christology did not imply that Jesus was God incarnate; rather, it meant that God had elevated Jesus to a divine role after his death.
As early Christians reflected more deeply on Jesus’s identity, however, a new view emerged: that Jesus had existed with God before his human life and had become incarnate as a human being. This incarnation Christology posited that Jesus was a preexistent divine being who had chosen to come to earth and take on human form. Ehrman argues that this shift marked a significant development in Christian theology, as it implied a more profound unity between Jesus and God.
This transition from exaltation to incarnation had far-reaching implications for Christian theology, ultimately leading to the doctrine of the Trinity. Ehrman argues that this doctrinal evolution shows how theological beliefs can develop organically over time as religious communities reflect on their experiences and reinterpret their traditions.
The Role of the Apostle Paul
Ehrman devotes a significant portion of How Jesus Became God to examining the writings of the Apostle Paul, who played a crucial role in shaping early Christian beliefs about Jesus’s divinity. Paul’s letters, written in the mid-1st century, are some of the earliest Christian documents that we have, and they provide insight into how early Christians understood Jesus’s identity.
According to Ehrman, Paul believed that Jesus had existed in a divine form before his earthly life, echoing the idea of an incarnation Christology. In passages like Philippians 2:6-11, Paul describes Jesus as having existed in the “form of God” but choosing to become human, suggesting that Jesus’s divinity was something that predated his earthly existence. Paul’s writings were instrumental in shaping the theological foundations of early Christianity, and his views on Jesus’s divinity influenced subsequent Christian thought.
Ehrman’s Contribution to the Study of Christian Origins
How Jesus Became God offers a fresh perspective on a topic that has been widely debated within biblical scholarship. Ehrman’s approach is both historical and analytical, as he examines the development of early Christian beliefs in their cultural and religious context. By focusing on the gradual evolution of beliefs about Jesus’s divinity, Ehrman provides a framework for understanding how theological ideas develop over time in response to historical circumstances.
One of the strengths of Ehrman’s work is his ability to communicate complex ideas in a way that is accessible to non-specialists. He avoids overly technical language, making his arguments clear and engaging for a general audience. His book invites readers to consider the diversity of early Christian thought and the ways in which beliefs about Jesus were shaped by a variety of influences.
Conclusion
How Jesus Became God is a compelling exploration of one of Christianity’s central theological questions: how did a Jewish preacher come to be worshipped as God? Ehrman’s investigation into the historical and cultural factors that contributed to this transformation offers valuable insights into the development of early Christian beliefs. By tracing the evolution from exaltation Christology to incarnation Christology, he highlights how religious beliefs are dynamic and often shaped by the cultural and historical contexts in which they emerge.
Ehrman’s book is particularly relevant for readers interested in the history of Christian theology, the intersection of Judaism and early Christianity, and the development of religious beliefs. His analysis challenges readers to rethink assumptions about the origins of Christian doctrine and to consider how ideas about divinity, incarnation, and resurrection evolved within the early Christian community. Whether one agrees with his conclusions or not, How Jesus Became God is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the complex and fascinating history of Christian beliefs about Jesus.
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