Section 05
Jesus claimed to be God
Jesus made claims about himself that, in their first century Jewish context, are direct claims to divinity.
The "I am" sayings in John echo the Septuagint translation of YHWH’s self revelation in Exodus 3:14. "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58) draws stones from the crowd.
In Mark, the earliest Gospel, Jesus forgives sins on his own authority (Mark 2:5 to 7). The Pharisees object correctly: who can forgive sins but God alone. Jesus does not deny the framing.
At his trial, the high priest asks if he is the Christ, the Son of the Blessed. Jesus invokes Daniel 7. The high priest tears his robes and declares blasphemy. The reaction confirms what the claim was.
Truly this man was the Son of God.
Mark 15:39, the Roman centurion at the crucifixion.
By the numbers
- "I am" sayings in John
- 7
- Time to high Christology
- years, not centuries
- Earliest Christian hymn
- ~50s AD (Phil 2:6 to 11)
Strongest counter position
The strongest skeptical position (Ehrman) holds that full divine identity was a development of the early church. Even on this view the development is fast.
What this does not prove
Single sayings are contested. The case rests on the convergence of "I am" sayings, Synoptic prerogative claims, Son of Man material, the trial reaction, and the immediate worship pattern.
Citations
- John 8:58, 10:30, 14:9.
- Mark 2:5 to 7, 14:61 to 64.
- Daniel 7:13 to 14.
- Larry Hurtado, Lord Jesus Christ, 2003.
Goes deeper