Son of God (Christianity)

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In Christianity, the title Son of God refers to the status of Jesus as the divine son of God the Father.

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It derives from several uses in the New Testament and early Christian theology. The terms "son of God" and "son of the LORD" are found in several passages of the Old Testament.

Old Testament usage

Genesis

In the introduction to the Genesis flood narrative, Genesis 6:2 refers to "sons of God" who married the daughters of men and is used in a polytheistic context to refer to angels. [1] [2]

Exodus

In Exodus 4:22, [3] the Israelites as a people are called "my firstborn son" by God, using the singular form.

Deuteronomy

In some versions of Deuteronomy, the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the sons of God rather than the sons of Israel, probably in reference to angels. The Septuagint reads similarly. [4] : 147  [5]

Psalms

In Psalm 89:26–28, [6] David calls God his father. God in turn tells David that he will make David his first-born and highest king of the earth. [7] : 45  [4] : 150 

In Psalm 82:1–8, [8] the Biblical judges are called gods and the sons of God. [9]

Royal psalms

Psalm 2 is thought to be an enthronement text. The rebel nations and the uses of an iron rod are Assyrian motifs. The begetting of the king is an Egyptian one. [7] : 26  Israel's kings are referred to as the son of the LORD. They are reborn or adopted on the day of their enthroning as the "son of the LORD". [4] : 150  [10]

Some scholars think that Psalm 110 is an alternative enthronement text. Psalm 110:1 distinguishes the king from the LORD. The LORD asks the king to sit at his right hand. [11] [12] Psalm 110:3 may or may not have a reference to the begetting of kings. The exact translation of 110:3 is uncertain. In the traditional Hebrew translations his youth is renewed like the morning dew. In some alternative translations the king is begotten by God like the morning dew or by the morning dew. One possible translation of 110:4 is that the king is told that he is a priest like Melchizedek. Another possibility is to translate Melchizedek not as a name but rather as a title "Righteous King". [13] If a reference is made to Melchizedek this could be linked to pre-Israelite Canaanite belief. The invitation to sit at the right hand of the deity and the king's enemy's being used as footstools are both classic Egyptian motifs, as is the association of the king with the rising sun. [7] : 29–33  [4] : 150  Jews have traditionally believed that Psalm 110 applied only to King David. Being the first Davidic king, he had certain priest-like responsibilities. [14] [15] [16]

Some believe that these psalms were not meant to apply to a single king, but rather were used during the enthronement ceremony.

Samuel

In 2 Samuel 7:13–16, [17] God promises David regarding his offspring that "I will be to him as a father and he will be to me as a son." The promise is one of eternal kingship. [7] : 39–44 

Isaiah

In Isaiah 9:6, the next king is greeted, similarly to the passages in Psalms. Like Psalm 45:7–8 he is figuratively likened to the supreme king God. [4] : 150  [18] Isaiah could also be interpreted as the birth of a royal child, Psalm 2 nevertheless leaves the accession scenario as an attractive possibility. [7] : 28  The king in 9:6 is thought to have been Hezekiah by Jews and various academic scholars. [7] : 28  [19]

Jeremiah

In Jeremiah 31:9, God refers to himself as the father of Israel and Ephraim as his first born son. Ephraim in Jeremiah refers collectively to the northern kingdom. [20] : 43 

Deuterocanonicals

Wisdom

The Book of Wisdom refers to a righteous man as the son of God. [4] : 157 

Ecclesiasticus

In the Book of Ecclesiasticus 4:10, in the Hebrew text, God calls a person who acts righteously his son. The Greek reads slightly differently; here, he will be "like a son of the Most High". [4] : 157–158 

Theological development

Emperor Constantine and the Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea of 325 with the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381 Nicaea icon.jpg
Emperor Constantine and the Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea of 325 with the Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed of 381

Through the centuries, the theological development of the concept of Son of God has interacted with other Christological elements such as pre-existence of Christ, Son of man, the hypostatic union, etc. For instance, in Johannine "Christology from above" which begins with the pre-existence of Christ, Jesus did not become Son of God through the virgin birth, he was always the Son of God. [21] The term Son of God is also found as a small fragment along with other Dead Sea Scrolls, numbered as 4Q246.

Early Christians developed various view of how Jesus related to God and what role he played in God's plan for salvation. [22]

By the 2nd century, differences had developed among various Christian groups and to defend the mainstream view in the early Church, Irenaeus introduced the confession: "One Christ only, Jesus the Son of God incarnate for our salvation". [23] By referring to incarnation, this professes Jesus as the pre-existing Logos, i.e. the Word. It also professes him as both Christ and the only-begotten Son of God. [23]

To establish a common ground, the Nicene Creed of 325 began with the profession of the Father Almighty and then states belief:

...in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father. [24]

Augustine of Hippo wrote at length on the title "Son of God* and its relationship with the title "Son of man", positioning the two issues in terms of the dual nature of Jesus as both divine and human in terms of the hypostatic union. [25] He wrote:

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is God and Man: God before all worlds, man in our world [...] But since he is the only Son of God, by nature and not by grace, he became also the Son of Man that he might be full of grace as well. [25]

However, unlike Son of God, the proclamation of Jesus as the Son of man has never been an article of faith in Christianity. [26] The interpretation of the use of "the Son of man" and its relationship to Son of God has remained challenging and after 150 years of debate no consensus on the issue has emerged among scholars. [27] [28]

Just as in Romans 10:9–13 Paul emphasized the salvific value of "professing by mouth" that Jesus is Lord (Kyrion Iesoun), Augustine emphasized the value of "professing that Jesus is the Son of God" as a path to salvation. [29] [30]

For Thomas Aquinas (who also taught the Perfection of Christ), the "'Son of God' is God as known to God". [31] Aquinas emphasized the crucial role of the Son of God in bringing forth all of creation and taught that although humans are created in the image of God they fall short and only the Son of God is truly like God, and hence divine. [31]

Meaning

Of all the Christological titles used in the New Testament, Son of God has had one of the most lasting impacts in Christian history and has become part of the profession of faith by many Christians. [32]

The New Testament quotes Psalm 110 extensively as applying to the Son of God. A new theological understanding of Psalm 110:1 and 110:4, distinct from that of Judaism, evolved. [33] Jesus himself quotes Psalm 110 in Luke 20:41–44, [34] Matthew 22:41–45, [35] and Mark 12:35–37. [36] [37] : 211  The meanings and authenticity of these quotations are debated among modern scholars. [37] : 204  Various modern critical scholars reject that David wrote this psalm. In the Masoretic Text many Psalm including this one are explicitly attributed to David. The superscription is "of David a psalm." Some have suggested that this indicates that Psalm 110 was not written by David. The superscription as it stands is ambiguous. However, Jewish tradition ascribes Psalm 110 and indeed all Psalms to king David. [38] [39] : 314–315  In Christianity, David is considered to be a prophet. The New Testament records several psalms as having been spoken through David by the Holy Spirit. [38] Acts 2:29–30 [40] explicitly calls David a prophet. [41] Jesus himself affirms the authorship of this psalm by David in Mark 12:36 and Matthew 22:43. [39] : 314–315  In the Christian reading, David the king is presented as having a lord other than the Lord God. The second lord is the Messiah, who is greater than David, because David calls him "my lord". [42] : 371–373  In Hebrew, the first "Lord" in Psalm 110 is Yahweh (יהוה), while the second is referred to as adoni (אדני, 'my adon '), a form of address that in the Old Testament is used generally for humans but also, in Judges 6:13, [43] for the theophanic Angel of the Lord. [39] : 319  [44] The Greek-speaking Jewish philosopher Philo, a contemporary of Jesus, identified the Angel of the Lord with his version of the logos distinct from the later Christian logos. [45] [46]

It is debated when exactly Christians came to understand Psalm 110 as introducing a distinction of persons in the Godhead and indicating that Jesus was more than a human or angelic messiah, but also a divine entity who was David's lord. [37] : 202–205, 210–11  [47] Hebrews 1:13 again quotes Psalm 110 to prove that the Son is superior to angels. [37] : 272  [42] : 939  Psalm 110 would play a crucial role in the development of the early Christian understanding of the divinity of Jesus. The final reading of Psalm 110:1 incorporated a preexistent Son of God greater than both David and the angels. The Apostles' Creed and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed would all included references to Psalm 110:1. [37] : 272  [48]

Psalm 2:7 reads:

I will tell of the decree of the Lord:

He said to me, "You are my son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

— Psalm 2:7 [49]

Psalm 2 can be seen as referring to a particular king of Judah, but has also been understood to reference the awaited Messiah. [50] In the New Testament, Adam, [51] and, most notably, Jesus Christ [50] References to Psalm 2 in the New Testament are less common than Psalm 110. The passages in Acts, Hebrews and Romans that refer to it give the appearance of being linked with Jesus' resurrection and/or exaltation. Those in the Gospels associate it with Jesus' baptism and transfiguration. The majority of scholars believe that the earliest Christian use of this Psalm was in relation to his resurrection, suggesting that this was initially thought of as the moment when he became Son, a status that the early Christians later extended back to his earthly life, to the beginning of that earthly life and, later still, to his pre-existence, a view that Aquila Hyung Il Lee questions. [37] : 250–251 

The terms sons of God and son of God appear frequently in Jewish literature, and leaders of the people, kings and princes were called "sons of God". [50] What Jesus did with the language of divine sonship was first of all to apply it individually (to himself) and to fill it with a meaning that lifted "Son of God" beyond the level of his being merely a human being made like Adam in the image of God, his being perfectly sensitive to the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14, 18), his bringing God's peace (Luke 2:14; Luke 10:5–6) albeit in his own way (Matthew 10:34, [52] Luke 12:51), [53] or even his being God's designated Messiah. [54]

In the New Testament, the title "Son of God" is applied to Jesus on many occasions. [50] It is often used to refer to his divinity, from the beginning of the New Testament narrative when in Luke 1:32–35 [55] the angel Gabriel announces: "the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." [50]

The declaration that Jesus is the Son of God is echoed by many sources in the New Testament. [56] On two separate occasions the declarations are by God the Father, when during the Baptism of Jesus and then during the Transfiguration as a voice from Heaven. On several occasions the disciples call Jesus the Son of God and even the Jews scornfully remind Jesus during his crucifixion of his claim to be the "Son of God." [50]

However, the concept of God as the father of Jesus, and Jesus as the exclusive divine Son of God is distinct from the concept of God as the Creator and father of all people, as indicated in the Apostles' Creed. [57] The profession begins with expressing belief in the "Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth" and then immediately, but separately, in "Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord", thus expressing both senses of fatherhood within the Creed. [57]

New Testament usage

First page of Mark: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God", by Sargis Pitsak. 14th century. Sargis Pitsak.jpg
First page of Mark: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God", by Sargis Pitsak. 14th century.

The Gospel of Mark begins by calling Jesus the Son of God and reaffirms the title twice when a voice from Heaven calls Jesus: "my Son" in Mark 1:11 [58] and Mark 9:7. [59] [60]

In Matthew 14:33, [61] after Jesus walks on water, the disciples tell Jesus: "You really are the Son of God!" [62] In response to the question by Jesus, "But who do you say that I am?", Peter replied: "You are Christ, the Son of the living God". And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:15–17). [63] [64] In Matthew 27:43, while Jesus hangs on the cross, the Judean leaders mock him to ask God help, "for he said, I am the Son of God", referring to the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God. [65] Matthew 27:54 and Mark 15:39 [66] include the exclamation by the Roman commander: "He was surely the Son of God!" after the earthquake following the Crucifixion of Jesus.

In Luke 1:35, in the Annunciation, before the birth of Jesus, the angel tells Mary that her child "shall be called the Son of God". In Luke 4:41 (and Mark 3:11), [67] when Jesus casts out demons, they fall down before him, and declare: "You are the Son of God."

In John 1:34, [68] John the Baptist bears witness that Jesus is the Son of God and in John 11:27 [69] Martha calls him the Messiah and the Son of God. In several passages in the Gospel of John assertions of Jesus being the Son of God are usually also assertions of his unity with the Father, as in John 14:7–9: [70] "If you know me, then you will also know my Father" and "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father". [60]

In John 19:7, the Jews cry out to Pontius Pilate "Crucify him" based on the charge that Jesus "made himself the Son of God." The charge that Jesus had declared himself "Son of God" was essential to the argument of the Jews from a religious perspective, as the charge that he had called himself King of the Jews was important to Pilate from a political perspective, for it meant possible rebellion against Rome. [71]

Towards the end of the Gospel of John, in John 20:31, the author declares that the purpose for writing it was "that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God". [60]

In Acts 9:20, after the Conversion of Paul the Apostle, and following his recovery, "straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God."

Synoptic Gospels

According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus referred to himself obliquely as "the Son" and even more significantly spoke of God as "my Father" (Matthew 11:27 par.; 16:17; Luke 22:29). He not only spoke like "the Son" but also acted like "the Son" in knowing and revealing the truth about God, in changing the divine law, in forgiving sins, in being the one through whom others could become children of God, and in acting with total obedience as the agent for God's final kingdom. [54] This clarifies the charge of blasphemy brought against him at the end (Mark 14:64 par.); he had given the impression of claiming to stand on a par with God. Jesus came across as expressing a unique filial consciousness and as laying claim to a unique filial relationship with the God whom he addressed as "Abba". [72]

Gospel of John

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is the eternally pre-existent Son who was sent from heaven into the world by God (e.g., John 3:17; [73] 4:34; [74] 5:24–37). [75] He remains conscious of the divine pre-existence he enjoyed with the Father (John 8:23, [76] 8:38–42). [77] He is one with the Father (John 10:30, [78] 14:7) [79] and loved by the Father (John 3:35, [80] 5:20, [81] 10:17, [82] 17:23–26). [83] The Son has the divine power to give life and to judge (John 5:21–26, [84] 6:40, [85] 8:16, [86] 17:2). [87] Through his death, resurrection, and ascension the Son is glorified by the Father (John 17:1–24), but it is not a glory that is thereby essentially enhanced. His glory not only existed from the time of the incarnation to reveal the Father (John 1:14), [88] but also pre-existed the creation of the world (John 17:5–24). [89] Where Paul and the author of Hebrews picture Jesus almost as the elder brother or the first-born of God's new eschatological family (Romans 8:14–29; [90] Hebrews 2:10–12), [91] John insists even more on the clear qualitative difference between Jesus' sonship and that of others. Being God's "only Son" (John 1:14–18, 3:16–18), he enjoys a truly unique and exclusive relationship with the Father. [54]

At least four of these themes go back to the earthly Jesus himself. First, although one has no real evidence for holding that he was humanly aware of his eternal pre-existence as Son, his "Abba-consciousness" revealed an intimate loving relationship with the Father. The full Johannine development of the Father-Son relationship rests on an authentic basis in the Jesus-tradition (Mark 14:36; Matthew 11:25–26; 16:17; Luke 11:2). Second, Jesus not only thought of himself as God's Son, but also spoke of himself as sent by God. Once again, John develops the theme of the Son's mission, which is already present in sayings that at least partly go back to Jesus (Mark 9:37; [92] Matthew 15:24; [93] Luke 10:16), [94] especially in 12:6, where it is a question of the sending of a "beloved Son". Third, the Johannine theme of the Son with power to judge in the context of eternal life finds its original historical source in the sayings of Jesus about his power to dispose of things in the kingdom assigned to him by "my Father" (Luke 22:29–30) [95] and about one's relationship to him deciding one's final destiny before God (Luke 12:8–9). [96] Fourth, albeit less insistently, when inviting his audience to accept a new filial relationship with God, Jesus – as previously seen – distinguished his own relationship to God from theirs. [54] The exclusive Johannine language of God's "only Son" has its real source in Jesus' preaching. All in all, Johannine theology fully deploys Jesus' divine sonship, but does so by building up what one already finds in the Synoptic Gospels and what, at least in part, derives from the earthly Jesus himself. [54]

Pauline epistles

The Ascension, Jesus returning to his Father - by Pietro Perugino (c. 1500), Musee des Beaux-Arts de Lyon Pietro Perugino cat48c.jpg
The Ascension, Jesus returning to his Father – by Pietro Perugino (c. 1500), Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

In their own way, the Gospel of John, the First Epistle of John and Paul the Apostle maintain this distinction. Paul expressed their new relationship with God as taking place through an "adoption" (Galatians 4:5; Romans 8:15), which makes them "children of God" (Romans 8:16–17) or, alternatively, "sons of God" (Romans 8:14; (Romans 4:6–7). John distinguished between the only Son of God (John 1:14, 18; John 3:16, 18) and all those who through faith can become "children of God" (John 1:12; 11:52; and 1 John 3:1–2,10 [97] and 5:2. [98] Paul and John likewise maintained and developed the correlative of all this, Jesus' stress on the fatherhood of God. In the Gospel of John, God is given the title of "Father" over 100 times. Paul's typical greeting to his correspondents runs as follows: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the/our Lord Jesus Christ". [99] The greeting names Jesus as "Lord", but the context of "God our Father" implies his sonship. [54]

Paul therefore distinguishes between their graced situation as God's adopted children and that of Jesus as Son of God. In understanding the latter's "natural" divine sonship, Paul firstly speaks of God "sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful nature and to deal with sin" (Romans 8:3). In a similar passage, Paul says that "when the fullness of time had come God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4). If one examines these three passages in some detail, it raises the question whether Paul thinks of an eternally pre-existent Son coming into the world from his Father in heaven to set humanity free from sin and death (Romans 8:3, 32) and make it God's adopted children (Galatians 4:4–7). The answer will partly depend, first, on the way one interprets other Pauline passages which do not use the title "Son of God" (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:6–11). These latter passages present a pre-existent Christ taking the initiative, through his "generosity" in "becoming poor" for us and "assuming the form of a slave". [100] The answer will, second, depend on whether one judges 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Colossians 1:16 to imply that as a pre-existent being the Son was active at creation. [101] 1 Corinthians 8:6, without explicitly naming "the Son" as such, runs:

There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

— 1 Corinthians 8:6, New Revised Standard Version [102]

Calling God "the Father" clearly moves one toward talk of "the Son". In the case of Colossians 1:16, [103] the whole hymn (Colossians 1:15–20) [104] does not give Jesus any title. However, he has just been referred to in Colossians 1:13 as God's "beloved Son".

Third, it should be observed that the language of "sending" (or, for that matter, "coming" with its stress on personal purpose (Mark 10:45 par.; Luke 12:49, 51 par.) by itself does not necessarily imply pre-existence. Otherwise one would have to ascribe pre-existence to John the Baptist, "a man sent from God", who "came to bear witness to the light" (John 1:6–8; cf. Matthew 11:10, 18 par.). In the Old Testament, angelic and human messengers, especially prophets, were "sent" by God, but the prophets sent by God were never called God's sons. It makes a difference that in the cited Pauline passages it was God's Son who was sent. Here being "sent" by God means more than merely receiving a divine commission and includes coming from a heavenly pre-existence and enjoying a divine origin. [54] Fourth, in their context, the three Son of God passages here examined (Romans 8:3, 32; Galatians 4:4) certainly do not focus on the Son's pre-existence, but on his being sent or given up to free human beings from sin and death, to make them God's adopted children, and to let them live (and pray) with the power of the indwelling Spirit. Nevertheless, the Apostle's soteriology presupposes here a Christology that includes divine pre-existence. It is precisely because Christ is the pre-existent Son who comes from the Father that he can turn human beings into God's adopted sons and daughters. [105]

Jesus' own assertions

When in Matthew 16:15–15, [106] Peter states: "You are Christ, the Son of the living God", Jesus not only accepts the titles, but calls Peter "blessed" because his declaration had been revealed to him by "my Father who is in Heaven". According to John Yieh, in this account the Gospel of Matthew is unequivocally stating this as the church's view of Jesus. [107]

In the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus in Mark 14:61, [108] when the high priest asked Jesus: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" In the next verse, Jesus responded "I am". Jesus' claim here was emphatic enough to make the high priest tear his robe. [109]

In the new Testament Jesus uses the term "my Father" as a direct and unequivocal assertion of his sonship, and a unique relationship with the Father beyond any attribution of titles by others: [65]

In a number of other episodes Jesus claims sonship by referring to the Father, e.g. in Luke 2:49 [112] when he is found in the temple a young Jesus calls the temple "my Father's house", just as he does later in John 2:16 [113] in the Cleansing of the Temple episode. [65] In Matthew 3:17 and Luke 3:22 [114] Jesus allows himself to be called the Son of God by the voice from above, not objecting to the title. [65]

References to "my Father" by Jesus in the New Testament are distinguished in that he never includes other individuals in them and only refers to "his Father", however when addressing the disciples he uses "your Father", excluding himself from the reference. [115]

New Testament references

In numerous places in the New Testament, Jesus is called the Son of God by various parties.

Humans, including evangelists, calling Jesus "Son of God"

Jesus calling himself "Son of God"

Jesus calling God his father

God the Father calling Jesus his Son

Angels calling Jesus "Son of God"

Satan or demons calling Jesus "Son of God"

Jesus called "the Son"

God called "the God and Father of Jesus"

See also

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The books of the New Testament frequently cite Jewish scripture to support the claim of the Early Christians that Jesus was the promised Jewish Messiah. Scholars have observed that few of these citations are actual predictions in context; the majority of these quotations and references are taken from the prophetic Book of Isaiah, but they range over the entire corpus of Jewish writings.

Imprecatory Psalms, contained within the Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible, are those that imprecate – invoke judgment, calamity or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God. Major imprecatory Psalms include Psalm 69 and Psalm 109, while Psalms 5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 79, 83, 94, 137, 139 and 143 are also considered imprecatory. As an example, Psalm 69:24 states toward God, "Pour out Your indignation on them, and let Your burning anger overtake them."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in the 1st century</span> Christianity-related events during the 1st century

Christianity in the 1st century covers the formative history of Christianity from the start of the ministry of Jesus to the death of the last of the Twelve Apostles and is thus also known as the Apostolic Age. Early Christianity developed out of the eschatological ministry of Jesus. Subsequent to Jesus' death, his earliest followers formed an apocalyptic messianic Jewish sect during the late Second Temple period of the 1st century. Initially believing that Jesus' resurrection was the start of the end time, their beliefs soon changed in the expected Second Coming of Jesus and the start of God's Kingdom at a later point in time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-existence of Christ</span> Existence of Christ before his incarnation as Jesus

The pre-existence of Christ asserts the existence of Christ prior to his incarnation as Jesus. One of the relevant Bible passages is John 1 where, in the Trinitarian interpretation, Christ is identified with a pre-existent divine hypostasis called the Logos. There are nontrinitarian views that question the aspect of personal pre-existence, the aspect of divinity, or both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Session of Christ</span> Christian doctrine about Jesus Christs physical position relative to God

The Session of Christ or heavenly session is a Christian doctrine stating that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven—the word "session" is an archaic noun meaning "sitting". Although the word formerly meant "the act of sitting down", its meaning is somewhat broader in current English usage, and is used to refer to a sitting for various reasons, such as a teaching session, or a court or council being in session. The New Testament also depicts Jesus as standing and walking in Heaven, but the Session of Christ has special theological significance because of its connection to the role of Christ as King. The Session of Christ is one of the doctrines specifically mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, where "sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty" immediately follows the statement of the Ascension.

Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rational analysis and argument. Theologians may undertake the study of Christian theology for a variety of reasons, such as in order to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Spirit in Christianity</span> Third person of the Trinity

For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is believed to be the third divine person of the Trinity, a triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, who reject the doctrine of the Trinity, differ significantly from mainstream Christianity in their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. In Christian theology, pneumatology is the study of the Holy Spirit. Due to Christianity's historical relationship with Judaism, theologians often identify the Holy Spirit with the concept of the Ruach Hakodesh in Jewish scripture, on the theory that Jesus was expanding upon these Jewish concepts. Similar names, and ideas, include the Ruach Elohim, Ruach YHWH, and the Ruach Hakodesh. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit is identified with the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, and the Paraclete (helper).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrews 10</span> Chapter of the New Testament

Hebrews 10 is the tenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The author is anonymous, although the internal reference to "our brother Timothy" causes a traditional attribution to Paul, but this attribution has been disputed since the second century and there is no decisive evidence for the authorship. This chapter contains the exposition about Christ's effective sacrifice and the exhortation to continue in faithfulness and expectancy.

References

  1. ↑ The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion by Maxine Grossman and Adele Berlin (Mar 14, 2011) ISBN   0199730040 page 698
  2. ↑ A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel Volume III by W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr. (Nov 10, 2000) ISBN page 229
  3. ↑ Exodus 4:22
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Riemer Roukema (2010). Jesus, Gnosis and Dogma. T&T Clark International. ISBN   978-0-567-46642-6 . Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Michael S. Heiser (2001). "DEUTERONOMY 32:8 AND THE SONS OF GOD" . Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Psalms 89:26–28
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Adela Yarbro Collins; John Joseph Collins (2008). King and Messiah as Son of God: Divine, Human, and Angelic Messianic Figures in Biblical and Related Literature. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN   978-0-8028-0772-4 . Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Psalms 82:1–8
  9. ↑ Jerome H. Neyrey (2009). The Gospel of John in Cultural and Rhetorical Perspective. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 313–316. ISBN   978-0-8028-4866-6.
  10. ↑ Eerdmans commentary on the Bible James D. G. Dunn, John William Rogerson 2003 ISBN   0-8028-3711-5 page 365
  11. ↑ James Limburg (2000). Psalms: Westminster Bible companion. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 380. ISBN   978-0-664-25557-2 . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Susan Gillingham (2008). Psalms Through the Centuries. John Wiley & Sons. p. 86. ISBN   978-0-470-69108-3 . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Walter de Gruyter (2010). Abraham and Melchizedek: Scribal Activity of Second Temple Times in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110, Volume 23. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. pp. 196–198. ISBN   978-3-11-022345-3 . Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  14. ↑ Doron Mendels (1997). The Rise and Fall of Jewish Nationalism . Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p.  76. ISBN   978-0-8028-4329-6 . Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  15. ↑ Scott Hahn (2009). Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God's Saving Promises. Yale University Press. p. 193. ISBN   978-0-300-14097-2 . Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  16. ↑ Allan Russell Juriansz (2013). King David's Naked Dance: The Dreams, Doctrines, and Dilemmas of the Hebrews. iUniverse. pp. 4–6. ISBN   978-1-4759-9568-8 . Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  17. ↑ 2 Samuel 7:13–16
  18. ↑ Jonathan Bardill (2011). Constantine, Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age. Cambridge University Press. p. 342. ISBN   978-0-521-76423-0 . Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  19. ↑ William J. Dumbrell (2002). The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament. Baker Academic. ISBN   978-1-58558-496-3 . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  20. ↑ Matthias Henze (2011). Hazon Gabriel. Society of Biblical Lit. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  21. ↑ Who do you say that I am?: essays on Christology by Jack Dean Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 ISBN   0-664-25752-6 pages 73–75
  22. ↑ Sanders, E. P. The historical figure of Jesus. Penguin, 1993. p. 11–14
  23. 1 2 Irenaeus of Lyons by Eric Francis Osborn 2001 ISBN   978-0-521-80006-8 pages 11–114
  24. ↑ Placher, William Carl (1988). "The Trinitarian and Christological Controversies". Readings in the History of Christian Theology. Vol. 1: From Its Beginnings to the Eve of the Reformation. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 52–53. ISBN   978-0-664-24057-8 . Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  25. 1 2 The Augustine Catechism by Saint Augustine of Hippo 2008 ISBN   1-56548-298-0 page 68
  26. ↑ Jesus and the Son of Man by A J B Higgins 2002 ISBN   0-227-17221-3 pages 13–15
  27. ↑ Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making by James D. G. Dunn (Jul 29, 2003) ISBN   0802839312 pages 724–725
  28. ↑ The Son of Man Debate: A History and Evaluation by Delbert Royce Burkett (Jan 28, 2000) Cambridge Univ Press ISBN   0521663067 pages 3–5
  29. ↑ Augustine: Later Works by John Burnaby 1980 ISBN   0-664-24165-4 page 326
  30. ↑ Lord Jesus Christ by Larry W. Hurtado 2005 ISBN   0-8028-3167-2 page 142
  31. 1 2 The thought of Thomas Aquinas by Brian Davies 1993 ISBN   0-19-826753-3 page 204
  32. ↑ Christology and the New Testament Christopher Mark Tuckett 2001 ISBN   0-664-22431-8 page
  33. ↑ S Edward Tesh; Walter Zorn (2004). Psalms Volume 2 of College Press NIV Commentary. College Press. pp. 326–327. ISBN   978-0-89900-888-2 . Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  34. ↑ Luke 20:41–44
  35. ↑ Matthew 22:41–45
  36. ↑ Mark 12:35–37
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Aquila H. I. Lee (2009). From Messiah to Preexistent Son. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN   978-1-60608-630-8 . Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  38. 1 2 Flint, Peter W; Jr Miller, Patrick D; Brunell, Aaron; Roberts, Ryan (2005). Peter W. Flint, Patrick D. jr Miller, Aaron Brunell, Ryan Roberts (editors), The Book of Psalms: Composition and Reception, Volume 99 (Brill 2005 ISBN 978-90-0413642-7), p. 53. ISBN   90-04-13642-8 . Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  39. 1 2 3 S Edward Tesh; Walter Zorn (2004). Psalms Volume 2 of College Press NIV Commentary. College Press. ISBN   978-0-89900-888-2 . Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  40. ↑ Acts 2:29–30
  41. ↑ James L. Kugel, ed. (1990). Poetry and Prophecy: The Beginnings of a Literary Tradition. Cornell University Press. p. 45. ISBN   0-8014-9568-7 . Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  42. 1 2 G. K. Beale; D. A. Carson, eds. (2007). Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Baker Academic. ISBN   978-0-8010-2693-5 . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  43. ↑ Judges 6:13
  44. ↑ "Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament" . Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  45. ↑ Frederick Copleston, A History of Philosophy, Volume 1, Continuum, 2003, p. 460.
  46. ↑ J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, 5th ed., HarperOne, 1978, p. 11.
  47. ↑ Matthew V. Novenson (2012). Christ Among the Messiahs: Christ Language in Paul and Messiah Language in Ancient Judaism. Oxford University Press. pp. 145–146. ISBN   978-0-19-984457-9 . Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  48. ↑ Ronald E. Heine (2007). Reading the Old Testament with the Ancient Church (Evangelical Ressourcement): Exploring the Formation of Early Christian Thought. Baker Academic. pp. 132–133. ISBN   978-1-4412-0153-9 . Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  49. ↑ Psalm 2:7
  50. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Catholic Encyclopedia: Son of God" . Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  51. ↑ Luke 3:38
  52. ↑ Matthew 10:34
  53. ↑ Luke 12:51
  54. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 For this subsection and the themes treated hereinafter, compare Gerald O'Collins, Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus . Oxford:Oxford University Press (2009), pp. 130–140; cf. also J. D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, Edinburgh: T&T Clark (1998), pp. 224ff.; id., Christology in the Making, London: SCM Press (1989), passim; G.D. Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Study, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson (2007), pp. 508–557; A.C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eedermans (2000), pp. 631–638.
  55. ↑ Luke 1:32–35
  56. ↑ "'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, 'You are Christ, the Son of the living God'. Jesus replied: 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah'". (Matthew 16:15–17) in: Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 ISBN   0-664-25752-6 page xvi
  57. 1 2 Symbols of Jesus: a Christology of symbolic engagement by Robert C. Neville 2002 ISBN   0-521-00353-9 page 26
  58. ↑ Mark 1:11
  59. ↑ Mark 9:7
  60. 1 2 3 Who do you say that I am?: essays on Christology by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 ISBN   0-664-25752-6 pages 246–251
  61. ↑ Matthew 14:33
  62. ↑ Dwight Pentecost The words and works of Jesus Christ 2000 ISBN   0-310-30940-9 page 234
  63. ↑ Matthew 16:15–17
  64. ↑ Who do you say that I am? Essays on Christology by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 ISBN   0-664-25752-6 page xvi
  65. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 1988 ISBN   0-8028-3785-9 pages 571–572
  66. ↑ Mark 15:39
  67. ↑ Mark 3:11
  68. ↑ John 1:34
  69. ↑ John 11:27
  70. ↑ John 14:7–9
  71. ↑ Studies in Early Christology by Martin Hengel 2004 ISBN   0-567-04280-4 page 46
  72. ↑ Jesus' (human) consciousness of such divine sonship is one thing, whereas such (human) consciousness of divine pre-existence would be quite another thing. Cf. Byrne, loc. cit.
  73. ↑ John 3:17
  74. ↑ John 4:34
  75. ↑ John 5:24–37
  76. ↑ John 8:23
  77. ↑ John 8:38–42
  78. ↑ John 10:30
  79. ↑ John 14:7
  80. ↑ John 3:35
  81. ↑ John 5:20
  82. ↑ John 10:17
  83. ↑ John 17:23–26
  84. ↑ John 5:21–26
  85. ↑ John 6:40
  86. ↑ John 8:16
  87. ↑ John 17:2
  88. ↑ John 1:14
  89. ↑ John 17:5–24
  90. ↑ Romans 8:14–29
  91. ↑ Hebrews 2:10–12
  92. ↑ Mark 9:37
  93. ↑ Matthew 15:24
  94. ↑ Luke 10:16
  95. ↑ Luke 22:29–30
  96. ↑ Luke 12:8–9
  97. ↑ 1 John 3:1–2,10
  98. ↑ 1 John 5:2
  99. ↑ Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Philippians 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 3
  100. ↑ Cf. J.D.G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, cit., pp. 224–225, 242–244, 277–278; Fee, Pauline Christology, cit., pp. 508–512, 530–557.
  101. ↑ For the implications of Corinthians, cf. A. C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, cit., pp. 631–638.
  102. ↑ 1 Corinthians 8:6
  103. ↑ Colossians 1:16
  104. ↑ Colossians 1:15–20
  105. ↑ Other Son of God passages in Paul centre on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and their (immediate and final) salvific consequences. Cf. int. al., Romans 5:10, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Romans 8:14–17, Galatians 4:6–7.
  106. ↑ Matthew 16:15–16
  107. ↑ One teacher: Jesus' teaching role in Matthew's gospel by John Yueh-Han Yieh 2004 ISBN   3-11-018151-7 pages 240–241
  108. ↑ Mark 14:61
  109. ↑ Who is Jesus?: an introduction to Christology by Thomas P. Rausch 2003 ISBN   978-0-8146-5078-3 pages 132–133
  110. ↑ The Wiersbe Bible Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe 2007 ISBN   978-0-7814-4539-9 page 245
  111. ↑ The person of Christ by Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer 1954 ISBN   0-8028-4816-8 page 163
  112. ↑ Luke 2:49
  113. ↑ John 2:16
  114. ↑ Luke 3:22
  115. ↑ Jesus God and Man by Wolfhart Pannenberg 1968 ISBN   0-664-24468-8 pages 53–54
  116. ↑ Romans 15:6, 2 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 11:31, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Peter 1:3, Revelation 1:6
  117. ↑ Charles H. H. Scobie The ways of our God: an approach to biblical theology 2003 ISBN   0-8028-4950-4 p. 136 "God is "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 15:6; Eph 1:3), but also the Father of all believers (cf. Bassler 1992: 1054–55). Clearly this derives from the usage and teaching of Jesus himself."
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