I am believer in the Truth and Message of the essence of Christianity. As to the following, it is an opinion of what happened and it is not intended to dilute in any way the Message of the Teacher, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jewish people represent one quarter of one percent of the world's population. However this tiny percent of humanity has brought us the likes of Moses, Abraham, Spinoza, Einstein, Alan Greenspan, Leonard Bernstein, Woody Allen, Harrison Ford, Carl Sagan, Bob Dylan and literally thousands of artists, poets, painters, entertainers and thinkers. A partial list would take up a dozen pages! They also include Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky. One name that I left out is, of course, Jesus of Nazareth, another enlightened individual who moved masses of people into what has made today's reality.
So who was this man who grew up with childhood friends, learned the ways of life, and had an appreciation for the theology of his society? This was the man who became outraged and turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple and who asked while on the cross "Father, why have thou forsaken me?" How did we come to believe that he was in fact "God?" Did those who knew him in person and intimately think that he was God? Did he ever actually proclaim himself to in fact be God? The answer, respectfully, is no.
The Shepherd of Hermas was a Christian book written between 100 and 160 AD. In the second century it was part of the New Testament. It reflects the beliefs of the early Gentile Christians. It says that God is one (person) and that Jesus is His son.
St. Clement of Rome is believed to have been the fourth bishop of Rome, during the last decade of the 1st century. He believed that the Father is God Almighty, while Jesus is Lord (master) and Christ (the chosen one or the anointed one). Clement, never called Jesus "God" or "a god." He wrote, "From the Church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God which sojourns at Corinth, to them who are called and sanctified in the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ: God is God and Jesus is Lord Christ." Clement repeatedly made a clear distinction between these two persons.
Only after 325 AD did Christianity teach that Jesus was God. Emperor Constantine abolished the Roman Gods and instantly replace them with Christianity, Jesus Christ mandatorily became the replacement "God." No prior reference to Jesus of Nazareth actually being "God" other than the "Son of the Father" is present. Over the next ten years the concept of a "Trinity" came into being.
After the ascension of Jesus, when Peter testified for Jesus in front of thousands of Jews in Jerusalem, he did not tell them that Jesus was God or a god. He told them, "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know ... (Acts 2:22)." Peter called Jesus "a man," not "a god." He said "signs that God did through him." God performed wonders and miracles through Jesus, just as he performed wonders and miracles through Moses. When Peter said "God," he meant "Yahweh," not Jesus. The Jews who listened to him understood this. They had no concept of the Trinity. Further on Peter said, "Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him (Jesus) both Lord (Master) and Messiah (of the Jews) ..." (Acts 2:36). Peter believed that God "made" Jesus Lord and Messiah (the Christ, the Anointed one). In another instance Peter said, "... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power ..." (Acts 10:38). Peter knew that God does not need to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. This clearly indicates that Peter did not believe Jesus was God but rather someone in the likeness of God.
Jewish people represent one quarter of one percent of the world's population. However this tiny percent of humanity has brought us the likes of Moses, Abraham, Spinoza, Einstein, Alan Greenspan, Leonard Bernstein, Woody Allen, Harrison Ford, Carl Sagan, Bob Dylan and literally thousands of artists, poets, painters, entertainers and thinkers. A partial list would take up a dozen pages! They also include Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trotsky. One name that I left out is, of course, Jesus of Nazareth, another enlightened individual who moved masses of people into what has made today's reality.
So who was this man who grew up with childhood friends, learned the ways of life, and had an appreciation for the theology of his society? This was the man who became outraged and turned over the tables of the money changers in the temple and who asked while on the cross "Father, why have thou forsaken me?" How did we come to believe that he was in fact "God?" Did those who knew him in person and intimately think that he was God? Did he ever actually proclaim himself to in fact be God? The answer, respectfully, is no.
The Shepherd of Hermas was a Christian book written between 100 and 160 AD. In the second century it was part of the New Testament. It reflects the beliefs of the early Gentile Christians. It says that God is one (person) and that Jesus is His son.
St. Clement of Rome is believed to have been the fourth bishop of Rome, during the last decade of the 1st century. He believed that the Father is God Almighty, while Jesus is Lord (master) and Christ (the chosen one or the anointed one). Clement, never called Jesus "God" or "a god." He wrote, "From the Church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God which sojourns at Corinth, to them who are called and sanctified in the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ: God is God and Jesus is Lord Christ." Clement repeatedly made a clear distinction between these two persons.
Only after 325 AD did Christianity teach that Jesus was God. Emperor Constantine abolished the Roman Gods and instantly replace them with Christianity, Jesus Christ mandatorily became the replacement "God." No prior reference to Jesus of Nazareth actually being "God" other than the "Son of the Father" is present. Over the next ten years the concept of a "Trinity" came into being.
After the ascension of Jesus, when Peter testified for Jesus in front of thousands of Jews in Jerusalem, he did not tell them that Jesus was God or a god. He told them, "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know ... (Acts 2:22)." Peter called Jesus "a man," not "a god." He said "signs that God did through him." God performed wonders and miracles through Jesus, just as he performed wonders and miracles through Moses. When Peter said "God," he meant "Yahweh," not Jesus. The Jews who listened to him understood this. They had no concept of the Trinity. Further on Peter said, "Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him (Jesus) both Lord (Master) and Messiah (of the Jews) ..." (Acts 2:36). Peter believed that God "made" Jesus Lord and Messiah (the Christ, the Anointed one). In another instance Peter said, "... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power ..." (Acts 10:38). Peter knew that God does not need to be anointed with the Holy Spirit. This clearly indicates that Peter did not believe Jesus was God but rather someone in the likeness of God.
Peter believed that there was a time when Jesus was not anointed, and was not the Lord and Messiah (the time before his baptism). When Peter said “Messiah” he meant "Messiah of Israel," not "savior of the world." His listeners were Jews. When he said "Messiah," they understood "Messiah of Israel," the one they were waiting for. Peter believed that Jesus was a prophet, as was Moses. He said, "For Moses said, -The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you." (Acts 3:22). Peter also said, "... (King David) a prophet, therefore, being, and knowing that with an oath God did swear to him, out of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, to raise up the Christ, to sit upon his throne ..." (Acts 2:30). Peter believed that Jesus was a physical descendant of David ("the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh") and that God will put Jesus on the throne of King David, the throne of Israel. In other words, Peter implied that Jesus will return as the king of Israel. He was preaching to Jews, not to Gentiles. He told them, "For the promise (God's promise) is for you (the Jews), for your children, and for all (the Jews) who are far away (the Diaspora Jews), everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." (Acts 2:39). This promise was made to the Jews; then through the Jews the Gentiles will be blessed: "Abraham (i.e. Israel) will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him." (Genesis 18:18). This is what Peter believed. He believed that Israel "will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations will be blessed through Israel." And this is what Jesus taught. "He (Jesus) said to her, -Let the children (i.e. the Jews) be fed first (and then the dogs: the Gentiles), for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." (Mark 7:27). The Jews believed that God promised salvation first to the Jews. Then from the Jews, salvation will become available to the Gentiles: "(Jesus said:)... salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). Of course, they believed to be saved that the Gentiles must first be circumcised and obey the Law.
Peter did not preach that Jesus is a god. The Christian Church father, Irenaeus (who was instrumental in putting the New Testament together), confirms this, "Peter together with John preached to them (to the Jews) this plain message of glad tidings, that the promise which God made to the (Jewish) fathers had been fulfilled by Jesus; not certainly proclaiming another god, but the Son of God." Peter did not proclaim Jesus as a god. Later on, in front of another group of Jews Peter preached, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors (Yahweh) has glorified his servant Jesus." (Acts 3:13). When he said "God," he meant Yahweh, the Father of Jesus. Peter believed that Jesus was a mere "servant" of God. "But Peter and the apostles answered (to the priests), -We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers (Yahweh) raised up Jesus." (Acts 5:29-30). When Peter and the apostles told the priests, "we must obey God," they meant "we must obey Yahweh," the Father of Jesus. When they said, "the God of our fathers," they meant Yahweh, the Father of Jesus. Peter and the priests believed in the same God. Irenaeus wrote, "But it is evident from Peter's words that he did indeed still retain the God who was already known to them (the Jews). The statement of Irenaeus indicates that Peter did not believe in the Trinity. He believed in exactly the same god that the Jews believed. He was a Jewish Christian. As Irenaeus indicates, Peter never told them that Jesus is God, or a god. Later on, Peter, John, and their friends prayed to God, not to Jesus: "... they raised their voices together to God and said, -Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them ... the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed as God anointed Jesus during his baptism as the Son of God." (Acts 4:24, 27). They prayed to God who made the heaven and the earth. Unlike the writer of the Gospel of John and Paul, they believed that God "made the heaven and the earth," not Jesus. These verses show that Peter (and the editor of Acts) did not believe in the Logos doctrine. Peter never said that Jesus pre-existed. He was a Jewish Christian, an Ebionite. Irenaeus wrote, "The so-called Ebionites admit that the world was made by the true God, the Father of Jesus."
Peter believed that Yahweh was the Father and the God of Jesus. He wrote, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!' (1 Peter 1:3) This is similar to what Jesus said himself: “I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) Peter's God was the God of Jesus, and not Jesus. Peter believed that God is one person.
Peter did not preach that Jesus is a god. The Christian Church father, Irenaeus (who was instrumental in putting the New Testament together), confirms this, "Peter together with John preached to them (to the Jews) this plain message of glad tidings, that the promise which God made to the (Jewish) fathers had been fulfilled by Jesus; not certainly proclaiming another god, but the Son of God." Peter did not proclaim Jesus as a god. Later on, in front of another group of Jews Peter preached, "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors (Yahweh) has glorified his servant Jesus." (Acts 3:13). When he said "God," he meant Yahweh, the Father of Jesus. Peter believed that Jesus was a mere "servant" of God. "But Peter and the apostles answered (to the priests), -We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers (Yahweh) raised up Jesus." (Acts 5:29-30). When Peter and the apostles told the priests, "we must obey God," they meant "we must obey Yahweh," the Father of Jesus. When they said, "the God of our fathers," they meant Yahweh, the Father of Jesus. Peter and the priests believed in the same God. Irenaeus wrote, "But it is evident from Peter's words that he did indeed still retain the God who was already known to them (the Jews). The statement of Irenaeus indicates that Peter did not believe in the Trinity. He believed in exactly the same god that the Jews believed. He was a Jewish Christian. As Irenaeus indicates, Peter never told them that Jesus is God, or a god. Later on, Peter, John, and their friends prayed to God, not to Jesus: "... they raised their voices together to God and said, -Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them ... the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed as God anointed Jesus during his baptism as the Son of God." (Acts 4:24, 27). They prayed to God who made the heaven and the earth. Unlike the writer of the Gospel of John and Paul, they believed that God "made the heaven and the earth," not Jesus. These verses show that Peter (and the editor of Acts) did not believe in the Logos doctrine. Peter never said that Jesus pre-existed. He was a Jewish Christian, an Ebionite. Irenaeus wrote, "The so-called Ebionites admit that the world was made by the true God, the Father of Jesus."
Peter believed that Yahweh was the Father and the God of Jesus. He wrote, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!' (1 Peter 1:3) This is similar to what Jesus said himself: “I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) Peter's God was the God of Jesus, and not Jesus. Peter believed that God is one person.
How then did this "'God" thing begin as the hallmark of present day Christianity? Among present day religions, per se Christianity alone boasts that their sacred entity is in fact “God.” Even the most radical of Islamics refer to Mohammad as a Prophet of God. (Islamics, incidentally, also believe in the Jewish Moses, Abraham, and Jesus of Nazareth as a part of their belief.)
The answer lies with Emperor Constantine.
The Romans up to this time sponsored 35 gods -14 major ones and 21 minor ones. His Mother, St. Helena, the one who traveled to Jerusalem to build cathedrals and recover original relics, was a tolerated practicing Christian in a time of persecution. By the time that Rome made the move to Constantinople, the multitude of Roman gods had become a complacent thought to the masses. Christianity however was the force that gave life meaning to virtually all who professed it, albeit privately. Constantine, especially motivated by his mother's not too private beliefs, not only had a new beginning in a capitol for the empire but saw the spiritual energy of Christianity as an attractive dynamic for the replacement of an obsolete collection of old deities. So he set out to do it.
The emperor saw it as his duty to ensure measures that "god" was properly worshiped in his empire, and what was proper worship consisted of what the empire determined. If he was to replace the heritage of thirty five gods he would have to replace them with one "super god," to wit: he would have to make Jesus be god.
Constantine is perhaps best known for being the first Christian Roman emperor; his reign was certainly a turning point for the Christian Church. In 313 Constantine announced toleration of Christianity in the Edict of Milan, which removed penalties for professing Christianity (under which many had been martyred in previous persecutions of Christians) and returned confiscated Church property. Though a similar edict had been issued in 311 by Galerius, then senior emperor of the Tetrarchy, Galerius' edict granted Christians the right to practice their religion but did not restore any property to them. More significantly, in 325 he summoned the Council of Nicaea, effectively the first Ecumenical Council. This was the meeting that established the relationship of Jesus of Nazareth to God itself. Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church (not counting those in Britain for whatever reason). Some chose to come and some stayed away as they had anticipation of what was to take place. Of those who came, Athanasius of Alexandria counted 318, and Eustathius of Antioch counted 270. Later, Socrates Scholasticus recorded more than 300, and Evagrius, Hilarius, Jerome and Rufinus recorded 318. In any event, nowhere near 1800 bishops attended. Those that held on to earlier belief of Jesus of Nazareth being a "voice of God" were hunted down and persecuted in a distinctly non-Christian-like way. A god had to replace the multitude of departing gods and the social fabric of the empire had to have uniformity of that theme.
Those bishops that went along with the council's degrees kept their property, were never again persecuted, and became high and powerful citizens. This was the beginning of power, politics and wealth. The essence of Christianity had become, in 325, a religion. The same fabric became the model of righteousness that gave history the crusades which advocated mass killing in the name of Jesus, "God."
The Reality of All Of This...
We continue to see this fundamental distortion in our "might makes right" non-tolerant arrogance. Most recently, it righteously raised its hand up for cheers in the call for the mass burning of the Koran, once again, of course, in the name of God, to wit: Jesus.
The message of this man, Jesus of Nazareth, .."the Prince of Peace," ..the one who taught by example to turn the other cheek and to re-pay injury with kindness, has been buried beneath the supreme elevation of him being politically made into "God," and worshiped as such, which is surely something that that the man and prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, and all the apostles, would refute at the arrogance of the concept.
