The term "Son of God"

[Elijah John]

What does the term "Son of God" mean, to:

-The ancient Romans?
-Jews?
-Early Christians?
-Trinitarians?
-Jehovah's Witnesses,?

-to you the debator?

Does the term "Son of God" mean different things to different people? If so, why do so many people throw around the term "Son of God" in relation to Jesus? As though it is just assumed that "everyone knows that Jesus is the Son of God" and what that means.

[brianbbs67]

Genisis 6:1-8 and Psalm 82 answer this quite well as does Jesus' quote of Psalm 82.

[Divine Insight]

What does the term "Son of God" mean, to:

-The ancient Romans?
-Jews?
-Early Christians?
-Trinitarians?
-Jehovah's Witnesses,?

-to you the debator?

Does the term "Son of God" mean different things to different people? If so, why do so many people throw around the term "Son of God" in relation to Jesus? As though it is just assumed that "everyone knows that Jesus is the Son of God" and what that means.

Did you ever hear the story of the Virgin Mary?

Jesus is supposed to be the literal Son of God. No metaphor intended.

What it means to people outside of Christianity would be a rather moot point would it not?

In order to reject the literal meaning of "Son of God" you'd need to first reject the stories of the Virgin Mary as being totally fabricated falsehoods. So unless a person is out to claim that Christianity is a fraudulent religion the term "Son of God" in Christianity clearly means that Jesus was the literal virgin-born Son of God.

That's what it means. No need to pretend that it could mean something else with respect to Jesus.

~~~~~~

Caveat:

There are then, of course, arguments over what it means to be the literal "Son of God". If it's taken too literally we end up with Jesus being a demigod, and the religion becomes polytheistic like Greek Mythology. So the Christians argue that even though Jesus was the "Son of God" born through a virgin mortal woman, he still wasn't a demigod, but instead he was a direct manifestation of God himself. In fact, this is what Paul claims. Paul claims that Jesus was the deity itself in bodily form.

And, of course, from this is born the idea of the Trinity, a God who has three distinct separate personalities but is still just one monotheistic deity.

I'll be the first to confess it gets beyond ridiculous. But that's Christian Theology. There isn't really much that can be done about it at this point. The theology evolved a very long time ago, and there's no going back to rewrite it now. All we can do at this point is claim that it must have been nothing more than a bunch of falsehoods, either intentionally fabricated, or spawned by genuine superstitious tales that people actually believed.

Apparently these types of stories are easy for people to believe. Just look at how many people believe them today. Not only do they believe them, but some of them are willing to devote their entire lives to manufacturing apologies in an attempt to defend them. They believe in them with tenacious devotion.

[Elijah John]

What does the term "Son of God" mean, to:

-The ancient Romans?
-Jews?
-Early Christians?
-Trinitarians?
-Jehovah's Witnesses,?

-to you the debator?

Does the term "Son of God" mean different things to different people? If so, why do so many people throw around the term "Son of God" in relation to Jesus? As though it is just assumed that "everyone knows that Jesus is the Son of God" and what that means.

Did you ever hear the story of the Virgin Mary?

Jesus is supposed to be the literal Son of God. No metaphor intended.

The author of the earliest Gospel, the Evangelist Mark seems not to have heard of the story. So, the term "Son of God" obviously meant something different to him, and probably to the earliest Christians.

What it means to people outside of Christianity would be a rather moot point would it not?

Not at all. The term previously meant something different to Jews. Jesus was a Jew, wasn't he? So Jewish context is important. The Jewish understanding (If I understand correctly ) is that the term refers to the Jewish people, collectively, and/or a specially annointed person of God, and/or someone with an especially close relationship to God.

Roman context too, is important. Remember, Christianity developed in a Gentile, Roman setting. The influence of that pagan culture on Chrisianity was arguably just as important as was it's Jewish origins. i

In order to reject the literal meaning of "Son of God" you'd need to first reject the stories of the Virgin Mary as being totally fabricated falsehoods. So unless a person is out to claim that Christianity is a fraudulent religion the term "Son of God" in Christianity clearly means that Jesus was the literal virgin-born Son of God.

"Totally fabricated"? "Fraudulent"? I prefer John Dominc Crossan's (a former RC Priest and currently a scholar) characterization of the story as a "pious fiction".

That's what it means. No need to pretend that it could mean something else with respect to Jesus.

That's what it means to you and to Trinitarians. When an Evangelical preaches to outsiders, they sometimes (if not often) tell the prospective convert that Jesus is the "Son of God" as though the listener would understand the term to mean the same thing that the preacher does.

So it is an important matter, to come to an understanding on what the term means to other people.

Also, to Trinitarians the term means that Jesus is God Himself.

To Jehovah's Witnesses, (and to Paul, it seems) the term only means that Jesus was the "firstborn of all Creation, through whom all things were created".

So are you saying that only the Trinitarian definition matters? As though they invented the term? (they did not, by the way)

A good number of Christians on this very site have a different understanding of what the term means. They believe Jesus is the "Son of God" but reject the notion that he is "God the Son". There's a difference.

[ttruscott]

What does the term "Son of God" mean, to: -to you the debator?

It means to be the very essence of GOD, ie, that which is GOD.

[JehovahsWitness]

SON OF GOD

The official one of Jehovah's Witnesses view of the term is as follows:

The Hebrew word ben and the Greek word hui·osʹ, both meaning “son,� are often used in a sense broader than merely to designate one’s immediate male offspring. [...] Those who pursue a certain course of conduct, or who manifest a certain characteristic, are designated by such expressions as “sons of the Most High,� “sons of light and sons of day,� “sons of the kingdom,� [...] Angels, created by God, are sons of God. (Job 1:6; 38:7) Adam as a creation of God was a son of God. (Lu 3:38) Those judges and rulers in Israel against whom God’s word came were called “sons of the Most High,� doubtless because they held office in Israel as representing the divine rule, though they had transgressed. (Ps 82:6) Those whom God selects to be joint heirs with his Son Jesus Christ are called “God’s sons.�​—Ro 8:14-17. - Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2 p. 993

Source: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200004179

JESUS CHRIST SON OF GOD

Jesus’ being called the “only-begotten Son� (Joh 1:14; 3:16, 18; 1Jo 4:9) does not mean that the other spirit creatures produced were not God’s sons, for they are called sons as well. (Ge 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7) However, by virtue of his being the sole direct creation of his Father, the firstborn Son was unique, different from all others of God’s sons, all of whom were created or begotten by Jehovah through that firstborn Son. - Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2 p. 53

Source: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002451#h=10

JW