Did Jesus become a God after four centuries of his life and did the
church not believe in Jesus as God ?
Richard E. Rubenstein said : Today,
many orthodox Christians consider Arianism obviously heretical, but during the
first three centuries after Jesus' crucifixion, the idea that the Savior was
separate from God and subordinate to Him was not particularly shocking ( When Jesus Became God: The Epic Fight
over Christ’s Divinity in the Last Days of Rome , P . 10 )
But is this true ? absolutely no
Theologian Edward Burton wrote book on this subject and I will quote
from him in this article
Barnabas, A.D. 72
we learn from the Acts of the Apostles, . that Barnabas was a Lecite of
the country of Cyprus, and that he travelled often in company with St. Paul,
and afterwards by himself
And what is more, the Lord endures to suffer for our souls, though he is
the Lord of the " world: to whom God said before the constitution of the world, Let us make man ( Barnaba epistola,
c. 5 )
It appears therefore, that the notion of Christ being one of the persons
to whom God said, Let us make man, is as old as the time in which this Epistle
was written: and in c. 6. - the words of Genesis are quoted as spoken by the
Father to the Son. The passage also asserts expressly the preexistence of
Christ
“ If then the Son of God, being Lord, and who is “ to judge quick and
dead, suffered, that his stripes " might give us life, we will believe
that the Son of “ God was incapable of suffering, except for our “ sakesf.” If Christ
had been a mere man, it would be absurd to say, that he was incapable suffering
: such an incapability could not be predicated of any human being whatever ( Barnaba
epistola , c . 7 )
Clemens Romanus, A.D. 96
Clement is mentioned by St. Paul (Phil. iv. 3.) as one of his fellow
labourers, whose names are in the book of life. He was undoubtedly bishop of
Rome; but there are difficulties in ascertaining the order and date of his
succession. Some writers place him immediately after St. Peter
The construction of Clement’s words in the second chapter obliges us to
apply the term God to Jesus Christ, who suffered upon the cross. The first
sentence of the chapter is this: “ Ye have all “ been humble-minded, arrogant
in nothing subjected rather than subjecting, giving rather than “ receiving,
being satisfied with the supplies sent “ from God: and paying careful attention
to His “ words, ye have fixed them deeply in your minds, and His sufferings were before your eyes The
person, whose words and sufferings had made such an impression upon them, is
said to be God: and it is equally evident that the offerings were those of
Jesus Christ, who was therefore considered by Clement to be God
IGNATIUS, A.D.107
The first Epistle of Ignatius is addressed to the Ephesians, and the
title of it contains the following words: “Ignatius—to the church at Ephesus— which was preordained before the worlds—according
to the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ
our God
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans
The Epistle begins thus: “ I approve in God of “ the much beloved name
which ye have justly obtained, by faith and love in Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Being imitators of God, having animated your selves by the blood of God, ye
have performed perfectly the congenial work In this passage the term blood
obliges us to refer the annexed term God to Jesus Christ, who shed his blood
for us. The blood of God is certainly a very strong expression : but it was not
unusual with the Fathers; and seems to afford an additional confirmation of the
received reading in Acts xx. 28. feed the church of God, which He hath
purchased with His own blood
In the same Epistle, having warned the Ephesian to beware of those who
taught false doctrines, and whom he considered almost incurable, he says, There
is one Physician, fleshly and spiritual, made “ and not made, God born in the
flesh, true life in death, both of Mary and of God
The Epistle to the Smyrnaeans
This Epistle begins with an express declaration of the divinity of
Christ. I Ratify Jesus Christ, “ the God who hath endued you with such wisdom
As to Philo, and Rheus, and Agathopus, who " have followed me in
preaching the word of God, “ ye have done well in receiving them as ministers
of Christ [our] God ( The Epistle to the Smyrnaeans . c 10 )
Justin Martyr A.D. 150
Like many other of the Fathers, he conceived that it was Christ who
talked with Moses out of the bush; and he condemns the Jews for confounding God
the Father with His Son. ( The Jews, who H think that it was always God the
Father who u spoke to Moses, whereas he who spoke to him “ was the Son of God )
Justin believed that it was Christ who spoke these words: he therefore
believed that Christ was the Jehovah of the Old Testament; and as he says
expressly in the passage quoted above, being the firstborn Word of God, he is
also God
It was Christ who spoke to Moses, and consequently who delivered the
whole of the law.It was Christ who appeared to Joshua near Jericho
The next passage is important, as shewing the opinion which the Jews
entertained concerning their Messiah. Justin’s words are these: “ As to
the scriptures which we quote to them,
(the Jews,) “ which expressly prove that Christ was to suffer “ and to be
worshipped, and that he is God, they ° are compelled to allow that these were
spoken “ concerning Christ, but they have the presumption “ to say that this
(Jesus) is not the Christ: but they “ acknowledge that he was to come, and to
suffer, “ and to be a King, and to be worshipped as “ God
“ the Lord and Creator of the universe, who made “ all things and arranged
them in ordere.” Thus, according to Justin’s own words, God created the world
by His Son; and His Son, by whom He created them, was God
Justin’s words are equally strong for the eternal duration of the Son,
when he speaks of him in this same Epistle, as “ he who was from the
beginning who existeth for ever, in
these latter days ac- “ counted a Son
To be continued in next part ……..
