Did St. Ignatius as well as St. Thomas Aquinas say that "god became man so that man may become gods?"

Question

Someone stated this in one of my other posts, which you can view here: (scroll down to responder: Christine P)
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlhuvRK56YlPWH.qUCoRIa_ty6IX?qid=20070721124051AAICgKp

Is it true any of these "saints" said this or is it a misinterpretation of what they REALLY said?

AND - if it is true that they said such a thing, which is DIRECT BLASPHEMY to all of the bible and God (remember this is where Satan fell from heaven) then why are they considered a saint in ANY religion?

Thanks to all that respond..

P.S. WAIT ONE MORE THING I FORGOT TO ADD - I WISH TO HEAR ONLY FROM HEBREWS AND CHRSITIANS ON THE MATTER, IM NOT LOOKING FOR MORMONS WHO SEEK TO CONFUSE THE WHOLE MATTER BECAUSE I KNOW THEY BELIEVE PEOPLE WILL BECOME GODS WHEN THEY DIE LOL..

P.S. - I see what the problem is now.. People who believe that man may become a god is due to the fact they keep reading john 10:34 and 35 over and over thinking that god was calling the people GODS LOL.. Jesus didn't mean this, what he meant wast hat "ye are all GODS (AS IN PROPERTY OF)"

its like saying all those pens are christophers!! like that..

However though, if Jesus WAS ever referring to anyone being of a man/god decent, it was HIMSELF ONLY..

or more like James O and Evolver have written below..

Answer 1

The saints in question never said that.

St. Athanasius and St. Irenaus said something somewhat like it, but he is referring to the communion of man and God in the banquet of the wedding feast... and not anything like the self-divinization doctrine of the Mormons.

Answer 2

They just echo what Jesus said.

(John 10:34 )
Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

We're to become children of God, and a child of God is what?
God right?

We don't become ego Gods, we die to ego learn to love unconditionally, stop judging and merge with God.

It's enlightenment. As Jesus said.
(John 14:20)
At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

So yea it's a lot like Buddhism. Didn't you read that book they say doesn't make mistakes? I'm not trying to be mean it's just funny in a sad way how so many don't "Get it"!

St. Athanasius of Alexandria wrote, "The Son of God became man, that we might become God."

This is all part of Gnosis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh-1JVctSOY
♥Blessed Be♥
♥=∞

Answer 3

You can examine what Aquinas said in the text of the Summa Theologica. What he means is that God takes on a human nature in Jesus Christ so that humanity might participate in the life of God. Aquinas is articulating an ancient principle of orthodox Christology termed the "admirable commercium" or the marvelous exchange.

Answer 4

This is one of the foundations for theosis, yes. That orginal quote is from St Athanasios. Roman Catholicism holds to this concept in theory since they don't have a developed Pneumatology (if they did, it would eradicate the innovation of Papal Supremacy). But the Orthodox birthed this concept through our Holy Tradition. Even the Anglican Church and many protestants have usurped the concept of theosis, having distorted it from its Orthodox heritage to meet their own criteria. Please be careful how you mix and match Roman Catholicism with the Holy Orthodox Church. We have similar histories, yes, but our theologies vary greatly ever since Rome walked away from the Undivided Church. Gnosticism has less authority to speak on this since that cult distorted many doctrines (taking in diverse opinions and non-Christian beliefs) and was the cause for a load of heresies during the Ecumenical Councils.

Answer 5

In Alexandria, Clement wrote, ``the Logos of God had become man so that you might learn from a man how a man may become God'' (Prot 1.8.4; Pelikan 1:155).

"For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" was written by Holy Father Athanasios the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, in De inc., 54, 3: PG, 192B, in his refutation of Arius during the First Ecumenical Council
Some people think that St. Irenaeus of Lyons may have said it before Holy Father Athanasios the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria.

John 10
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken


KITĀB AL-MAGĀLL
OR
THE BOOK OF THE ROLLS.
ONE OF THE BOOKS OF CLEMENT.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/aa/aa2.htm
When the Lord comforted me with this, He said to me, ‘O Adam, grieve not, for thou art a god, as thou thoughtest to become by thy transgression of my commandment, and I will make p. 16 thee a god, not at this time, but after the lapse of years.’

Answer 6

St Athanasius too used this for theosis,the state of being transformed by grace as a partaker of divine nature(2 Peter1:4)
As gods" is from the Psalms. The use of the phrase you quote is perfectly orthodox Christian and should not be understood in a Mormon or polytheistic or pantheistic sense

. Only God is a partaker of the divine essence and we can be "gods' or "engodded" only by becoming Temples of the Holy Spirit by embracing Christ by faith which works through love.

Answer 7

The Bible itself states that we are gods (little g).

Psalm 82:6
6 I HAVE SAID, YE ARE gods; AND ALL OF YOU ARE CHILDREN OF THE MOST HIGH GOD. There is no apostrophe in the word gods which means it is stating everybody is something - not you all belong to...
Jesus quoted this verse to the Jews when they were persecuting Him for blasphemy.

John 10:31-38
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

This is not equal to or above God the Father (big G) like Satan was trying to become but elevated to become JOINT HEIRS with Jesus Christ.

Rom. 8: 17
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Answer 8

So what's wrong with that...it is found in Scripture...
that God wants us to become His Sons and daughters..

"But as many as received him (Jesus), TO THEM he gave the power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe in his name, which were born.... not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God"- (John 1:12)

Answer 9

Me thinks Iggy and Tom were double dipping in the sacramental wine.

Answer 10

No,they didn't.