Additional Resources

Topic Recap

• In the second century, people that identified as Christian argued about the nature of Jesus and whether his Father could be identified with the Jewish God.

• Early Christian speculation on the nature of Jesus ranged from casting him as a normal man adopted by God between his baptism and crucifixion and the Son of God who was too divine to really become human.

• Some early Christians thought that Jesus, who represented the Gospel, had absolutely nothing to do with the Jewish God, who represented the Law (Marcion) 

• Some early Christians thought that the Father of Jesus was a transcendent God that Jesus came to reveal, and the evil creator deity was ignorant of the higher God (Apocryphon of John) 

• Some early Christians thought that the Law was to be fulfilled by Jesus (Ptolemy)

Key Biblical Texts

• Exodus 20:5

• Mark 15-16

• Luke 1

• Luke 5:37-39

• Luke 6:43

• Luke 24

• John 1

• John 20

• 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

• Romans 8:3

Other Key Texts/Primary Sources

• Apocryphon of John

• Plotemy's Letter to Flora

• Marcion

Glossary of Key Terms

• Adoptionism - The belief that Jesus was adopted as the Son of God, at his baptism, resurrection or ascension.

• Apocryphon of John - A text in which Jesus contradicts Moses and says that the creator God is a bad God.

• Docetism - The belief that Jesus only appeared to be flesh (i.e. fully human).

• Heresy - A belief or opinion contrary to orthodox doctrine.

• Hebrew Bible - An alternate way of describing the Old Testament.

• Marcion - A second century Christian thinker who proposed two gods.

• Orthodoxy - Traditional or generally accepted rules or beliefs of a religion, philosophy, or practices.

• Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora - A letter that outlines one view of the Law of Moses.

Suggestions for Group Discussion

• When you think about early Christianity, do you imagine it to be so diverse?

• How were orthodox ideas formed?

• Was orthodoxy inevitable?

• How can these debates help us to think differently about the connections between Judaism and Christianity, both today and accross history?

• What was at stake in these early Christian disputes about the body, the world, salvation, and resurrection?

Suggestions for Further Reading

• How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee, by Bart D. Ehrman

• How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature - A Response to Bart Ehrman, by Chris Tilling and Michael Bird

• The Evil Creator: Origins of an Early Christian Idea, by David Litwa

• The Preexistent Son: Recovering the Christologies of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, by Simon Gathercole