Who was Jesus according to the scriptures?
This is a question that must be asked critically. If we take a look at the scriptures, we can see an unbiased picture of who Jesus Christ was.
Jesus was the Jewish Messiah
Let us first consider who Jesus was before his ministry began. Jesus was Jewish. The Bible clarifies that he is from the lineage of the covenant people,
“…the son of David, the son of Abraham”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 1
Jesus was the Messiah, who was written about and prophesied in Jewish scriptures. This is clear from the story of how he proclaimed that he is the long-awaited Messiah.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 4, Verses 14-21
Clearly Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, who was prophesied in the Jewish scriptures. Fast forward 2,000 years, and Christianity claims that the Messiah, Jesus, is God.
But we need to ask, what did the Jews think?
Was the Messiah understood to be God by the Jews? Were they expecting God? Or a Prophet? Or a world savior figure? What was the nature of the Messiah expected to be?
What did the Jewish prophecies say about the Messiah?
There are only a few passages that speak explicitly about the Messiah. He is described as a king, savior, and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology.
The term “messiah” comes from the Hebrew word “Mashiach,” which means “anointed.” The anointed one is to be a human leader, physically descended from the lineage of Prophet David and Prophet Solomon (PBUT). He is thought to accomplish predetermined things in only one future arrival, including the unification of the tribes of Israel, the gathering of the Jews, the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and perhaps most importantly – the ushering in of the Messianic age.
The Messiah was expected to be a redeemer of the Jewish people:
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.
– The Holy Bible, Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 23, Verse 5
The Messiah was expected to be a servant of God, not God himself:
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Isaiah, Chapter 42, Verse 1
The Messiah was expected to be enforced by the Spirit of God:
"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Isaiah, Chapter 11, Verses 2-3
So that’s what we find. Similar verses describe the qualities of the Messiah. He will be a ruler, he will be just, and he will be a servant of God, enforced by God. But what we do not find is an indication that the Messiah will be God in human form.
If Christianity, as it stands today, was the intended outcome of the Hebrew Bible, why isn’t there any mention of God becoming man?
In fact, the scriptures explicitly state that God cannot be human:
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Numbers, Chapter 23, Verse 19
Some argue the following verse equates the Messiah with God:
"“In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.'"
– The Holy Bible, Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 23, Verse 6
“The LORD our righteousness” is the translation of the Hebrew term “YHWH Tsidkenu” But this is called “Theophory” or the theophoric method.
“So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Judges, Chapter 6, Verse 24
"There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel. (The God of Israel)"
– The Holy Bible, Book of Genesis, Chapter 33, Verse 20
And according to Jeremiah chapter 33, Jerusalem the city will be called “the Lord our Righteousness”:
"In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 33, Verse 16
The term is clearly used to refer to things that are not God and therefore, this cannot be argued as a proof. It is never stated that the Messiah will be God. That’s why the many Jewish sects today are not looking for God incarnate. They are looking for a savior figure, a figure more like a man that will come.
Did Jesus ever call himself God?
No. In fact, he made it very clear that his role was that of a Messenger from God.
Jesus taught Monotheism, meaning, he called people to worship God alone.
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 18, Verses 18-19
“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of John, Chapter 7, Verse 16
“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of John, Chapter 14, Verse 28
Jesus affirmed the first commandment of Moses, calling people to worship the one true God.
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
– The Holy Bible, Book of Mark, Chapter 12, Verses 28-34
Jesus prayed to God, and he asked God for things. If we look at the words of Jesus, it is clear He was not the absolute God, rather he was a word of God, a Messenger sent by God.
Did people in Jesus’ time think he was God?
If we look at the Bible, it is clear that the people regarded Jesus as a holy man and a Prophet of God.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 24, Verse 19
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 16, Verses 13-16
From the statement of Simon Peter, we can infer that some believers regarded Jesus as the “Son of God” but what exactly does that mean?
What Does “Son of God” mean in the Bible?
The common interpretation is that “Son of God” implies Jesus’ deity. However, the title, “Son of God” is not exclusive to Jesus in the Bible. Although Jesus is called the “Son of God” we also find this term applied to humans and angels. The term “son of God” is applied to the first man Adam, angels, Israel, those who make peace, and Christians.
Adam, the first man, was called the son of God.
"The son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 3, Verse 38
The Old Testament says that the nation Israel is God’s son.
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Hosea, Chapter 11, Verse 1
Angels are called “sons of God.”
“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Job, Chapter 2, Verse 1
Those who make peace are called the “sons of God.”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 9
The designation “sons of God” is also used for Christians.
"For they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection."
– The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 20, Verse 36
The terms “Son of God” and “Son of the LORD” are also found in several passages of the Old Testament.
How Did Jesus refer to himself in the Bible?
Jesus indicated that he was the Messiah and vicegerent of God, rather than God incarnate. He makes it clear that he is sent by God.
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 10, Verses 40-42
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”
“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 4, Verses 22-24
Jesus doesn’t know the hour, only God knows:
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
– The Holy Bible, Book of Mark, Chapter 13, Verse 22
So if Jesus (PBUH) never portrayed himself as God, the question must be asked: how did Jesus become known as God?
Many Christian denominations teach the doctrine of the trinity. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the trinity is the Christian belief in “the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead.”
However, it is important to note that God is never described as being part of a trinity in the Bible. In fact, God is always described as a singular entity in the Bible.
Note these Bible passages:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
— The Holy Bible, Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, Verse 4
“Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”
— The Holy Bible, Book of Psalm, Chapter 83, Verse 18
“A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.”
— The Holy Bible, Book of Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 20
Even Jesus, himself, commanded that God alone should be worshipped.
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
— The Holy Bible, Book of Luke, Chapter 4, Verse 8
Considering that God is described as a singular entity in the Bible, it is important to examine why the majority of Christian denominations teach that God is part of a trinity.
What is the Origin of the Trinity Doctrine?
Let us look at what Martin Luther says about Trinity.
The Sermons of Martin Luther, John Lenker, editor, Vol. 3, 1988, p. 406 “PENTECOST TUESDAY”
1. Today we celebrate the festival of the Holy Trinity, to which we must briefly allude, so that we may not celebrate it in vain. It is indeed true that the name “Trinity” is nowhere to be found in the Holy Scriptures, but has been conceived and invented by man. For this reason it sounds somewhat cold and we had better speak of “God” than of the “Trinity.”
2. This word signifies that there are three persons in God. It is a heavenly mystery which the world cannot understand. I have often told you that this, as well as every other article of faith, must not be based upon reason or comparisons, but must be understood and established by means of passages from the Scriptures, for God has the only perfect knowledge and knows how to speak concerning himself.
3. The great universities have invented manifold distinctions, dreams and fictions by means of which they would explain the Holy Trinity, and have made fools of themselves. We shall therefore quote only passages from the Scriptures in order to determine and establish the divinity of Christ. In the first place, we quote from the New Testament, where we find many proof texts; for instance, John 1, 1-3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made." Now if he is not made, but is himself the Maker, he must indeed be God. John also says afterwards: "And the Word became flesh."
In order to understand how the trinity doctrine came to be, we must critically examine the history of the Christian faith.
In the first centuries after Jesus, Christians were persecuted by the Romans. There was no official bible. In fact, the beliefs of the early Christians were quite diverse.
By the 4th century, we find that Christianity had grown exponentially and spread. The Christians were once persecuted by Romans but now they were gaining power. The Roman Emperor Constantine decided he wanted to bring the Christians under his leadership despite the fact that he was a pagan.
Constantine made Christianity Rome’s state religion. However, he had a problem – Christianity was undefined.
Christianity in 4th century didn’t have a unified vision of who Jesus was.
In the 2nd and 3rd century, many were asking: who exactly was Jesus? Some thought he was God and others thought he was the creation of God. God has a different meaning today than it did back then.
The Roman Empire was heavily influenced by Hellenistic religion, philosophy and culture. Polytheistic religion — Zeus and lower gods. Henotheistic pagans — meaning there is a great God, and lower minor gods. Even rulers themselves were frequently worshipped as gods. Jesus was called the “son of God.” How would a Roman interpret that? Gentiles would have naturally understood Christian preaching about the “son of God” having been begotten by another. Lower gods were called “son of god.” Emperors like Octavius and Vespasian were called “son of God.” Take a look at how the Gentiles interpreted things, through the lens of their culture: They thought Paul and Barnabas were gods.
The controversy began when Arius, an Alexandrian priest, questioned the full divinity of Christ because, unlike God, Christ was born and had a beginning. What began as an academic theological debate spread to Christian congregations throughout the empire, threatening a schism in the early Christian church. Roman Emperor Constantine I, who allegedly converted to Christianity in 312, called bishops from all over his empire to resolve the crisis and urged the adoption of a new creed that would resolve the ambiguities between Christ and God.
The bishops were expected to resolve their differences and depart in unity.
According to historians, 1800 bishops were invited, and approximately 300 showed up. The council was held in the summer of 325.
The main point to figure out in that council was: is Jesus God? Or the creation of God?
Another issue they discussed was Easter as the gospels disagree on the day.
Arius, himself, attended the council, as did his bishop, Alexander. Also there were Eusebius of Caesarea, Eusebius of Nicomedia and the young deacon Athanasius, who would become the champion of the Trinitarian view.
The council was presided over by the emperor himself, who participated in and even led some of its discussions so his political influence was very much present.
Arius argued that the Son had a beginning–only the Son was directly created and begotten of God. There was a time that He had no existence. He also argued that the Holy Spirit was God’s creation. He was capable of His own free will.
Arius used Scripture to argue that Jesus was not the absolute God. Alexander The First (the Pope of Alexandria) argued that Christ was God. Arius was condemned. On June 19, 325. Arius and two of his supporters were exiled to Illyricum (The Balkans currently). The books of Arius were burned and the emperor Constantine put out the following edict:
“I hereby make a public order, that if someone should be discovered to have hidden a writing composed by Arius, and not to have immediately brought it forward and destroyed it by fire, his penalty shall be death.”
— Edict by Emperor Constantine Against the Arians
Constantine was not a bystander he was leading the debate. Constantine intimidated Arius’ supporters in the vote. Fear made people step back from their original stance. Constantine oppressed whoever opposed him, even his cousins and close ones.
They portray Constantine as someone who gave freedom to all those who agreed with him and opposed him. But look at his order to exile and kill those who opposed him.
The goal of holding this council was to destroy Arius and spread the pagan belief that Jesus was God.
Shenouda III, late Pope of the Coptic orthodox church, said:
Arius used to deny the Divinity of Christ, and see that he was less than the father in essence, and that he was created. And the Arian roots are still present until today. Even after it was condemned by the Ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 A.D, Arius and his followers (The Arians) [who came] after him remained a reason for trouble/exhaustion and disunity and doubt to the Holy Church.
— The Nature of Christ
Shanouda’s quote is referring to Jehovah's Witnesses who still teach the Arian view that Jesus is created.
In fact, half of those who were present in the Council of Nicaea were originally supporting Arius, or were neutral. Priests still admit this fact in their books until today.
“…as Saint Athanasius, who was an eyewitness and one of the members of the council, has mentioned in a speech of his that in the beginning sixteen bishops were supporting Arius, and twenty two bishops were supporting Pope Alexander, and the rest of them had a neutral stance. And by the end of the Council, only two bishops remained supportive to Arius, and they were Secundus and Theonas, whom refused to sign/adhere to the creed of the Council with the rest of the priests whom were attached to them.”
— The Christian Ecumenical Councils – The Ecumenical Councils and Heresies – Bishop Bishoy, a late Coptic Orthodox bishop
Why did the Council of Nicaea rule that Jesus was God?
The question must be asked, what was the motivation?
The emperor Constantine wanted total obedience, similar to the Pharaohs who made themselves successor to Horus. Having control of the church would enable the Emperor to obtain such power as the church would be the one to decide religious law. And the emperor would have the spokesperson of God in his hands. How could anyone disobey him?
The word “trinity” is never mentioned in the bible so where did the concept come from?
The trinity is an ancient concept. Consider in Hinduism, the Trimurti, the triad of gods — Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu. The Ancient Egyptians had Osiris, Isis, Horus. Greco Roman culture had demigods, half god half mortal, also a trinity (father, mother and child). In fact, the Greco-Roman religions were filled with tales of gods procreating with human beings and begetting god-men. The belief that God could incarnate as man, or that there were sons of God, were common and popular beliefs in this culture.
Just consider the tales of demigods such as Hercules. Zeus is said to have come to the human woman Alcmena, disguised as her husband and Alcmena bore Hercules, a “god-man.” In another story Zeus visited the human woman Danae in the form of golden rain and fathered Perseus, a “god-man.”
Such tales bear a striking similarity to Trinitarian beliefs of God being begotten as a man.
The Church Fathers’ conception of the trinity was a combination of Jewish monotheism and pagan polytheism. For the emperor, such an affiliation with God was ideal. And it was not a new concept. It happened in Rome before with Julius Caesar.
An inscription dedicated to Julius Caesar discovered in Ephesus in 49 BCE says:
“Descendant of Ares and Aphrodite. The God who has become manifest and universal savior of human life.”
– Iris Sulimani, Diodorus’ Mythistory and the Pagan Mission: Historiography and Culture, p. 288.
So Julius Caesar was thought of as “God manifest as man,” and “the savior of mankind.”
Doesn’t this sound familiar? Essentially, the Hellenistic religion was swapped with Christianity and the consolidation of the emperor’s power was complete.
The Council of Nicaea aligned the authority of the Catholic Church with the governing authority of Rome. Constantine wanted to use the Christian faith to unify his fragmented Empire.
Following the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, the First Council of Constantinople was held in A.D. 381. During this Council, it was decided which books should be included in the official canon of the New Testament. There was then a concerted effort to standardize Christian doctrines and to promote an agreed canon of New Testament scriptures. So some of the “apocryphal” writings were side-lined, or even suppressed.
By the end of the 4th Century, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were widely accepted as integral to the 27 texts which constitute the New Testament. Together with the Old Testament, these form the canon of Christian scriptures. Over 50 Gospels were excluded from the Bible.
Christianity, as we know it today, was heavily influenced by the politics of 4th century Rome.