What was the significance of this statement to the 1st century Christian church in the context of the Graeco-Roman culture of which they were part? What exactly did this declaration mean to them?
Quotes from historians, theologians, please, to support your answer?
Thanks in advance for all sincere, polite replies.
May God bless you.
2007-10-02 06:11:55 · 4 answers · asked by Carlito 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am a Theologian, and I could cite my own commentary on the Apostles Creed.
The first century Greek speaking Jews--keeping the tradition begun with the Septuagint, used the Greek Kurios, for the Hebrew Tetragrammaton (the four letter Divine Name in Hebrew). They refused to call ANY human by that title, and indeed were killed for refusing to say "Caesar eis Kurios" (Caesar is Lord). They would have been willing to say Caesar was ANYTHING, except 'kurios.' Yet Jesus was consistently referred to during His earthly life as Kurios, REPEATEDLY. Christians, like the Jews refused to say Caesar was Kurios, because to them ONLY Jesus was Lord.
2007-10-02 10:05:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps 1 John 4:2 & 3 will help
"Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.
And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come, and even now already it is in the world."
John's opponents may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son who came in flesh was also one with the Father. This position was held by man Gnostics.
John says that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come in the flesh. This is a particular doctrinal test for a particular time. Jesus himself speaks of those who call Him "Lord" but are false followers (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46). KJV Study Bible
If you have the Holy Spirit in you, you cannot speak against Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit puts us into the body of Christ.
2007-10-02 13:33:31 · answer #2 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Christianity...[has become] the most perverted system that ever shone on man....Rogueries, absurdities and untruths were perpetrated upon the teachings of Jesus by a large band of dupes and imposters led by Paul, the first great corrupter of the teaching of Jesus." --- Thomas Jefferson
“The son-ship of Jesus Christ is the greatest fiction of human history.” (Lord Bishop of Canterbury Commission, the Spiritual Head of England, 1910.)
“The son-ship of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the blood sacrifice of the lamb of God, atonement are not the teachings of Jesus. These are all inventions of Saint Paul who never really met Jesus.” (Hastings Rashdall, The Theory of Good and Evil)
"Initially there were 34 gospels that were compiled by word of mouth. Four were chosen for unclear reasons and 30 were left behind [burned]. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
“There is strong reason to believe that St. Paul fabricated the belief system of Christianity from Zoroastrian mythology. In order to hide Paul’s plaigerism… Christians burned the library of Alexandria in 390 A.D. Books in that library kept Mithra’s original story of what Pauline Doctrine is an almost exact copy. (George Sarton , Introduction to History of Sciences) ,
2007-10-02 13:21:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
LOL!
I was just thinking of this verse today!!!
I was singing in the car, praising the Lord, along with the worship music I was listening to, and I said out loud "Jesus is Lord!" and thought of this verse....
Meaning someone who does not have the Spirit cannot say this meaning it. I mean those who do not believe, would NOT say it anyway....And we who do believe would never say something ill of the Lord.
2007-10-02 18:15:04 · answer #4 · answered by Mandolyn Monkey Munch 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋