When did the followers of Jesus start to think he was God?

Question

A friend told me recently that no one thought Jesus to be a God until perhaps 200 years after His death.

Answer 1

In the early days of Christianity, the first 200 years, before the New Testament was canonized, there were several different groups of early Christians who believed different things. One of the biggest disagreements was whether Jesus was a man, a god, or both. 'Both' won out.

The 'both' school was founded by Paul, a man who never actually new Jesus. Another school of thought was headed by people who -had- known him. -They- didn't believe that Jesus was born of a virgin or even that he was resurrected, they saw him just as a very wise and virtuous teacher.

The epistles of Paul in the New Testament are chronologically the earliest books. Notice how Paul doesn't ever quote the gospels? Because they hadn't been written yet! The gospels were written later, and all four of the ones in the new Testament were written by men who believed Jesus was both god and man. There were other gospels that didn't follow this idea, and they were left out of the canon.

Answer 2

The teaching of Jesus was originally thought to be a way of life. Then Paul started pushing the Deity part You see he saw a burning bush. However this was his trying to convince other churches that existed at the time these churches were more family sized then churches we see today. Then 50 t0 100 years later the Gospels were written based on stories heard though these stories were about fabled deities from other lands (Mithraism, Attis of Phrygia, Cybele, and others),
and beliefs changed.
At the Council of Nicea around 325ce, 300 or more ministers gathered and formed the catholic church basics.
This is the bases for our beliefs today.

Answer 3

Answer to primoa:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Jesus is not God. He is the Son.

Explanation of "I and my father are one":
I and my wife are one.
We are a marital unit.
We agree on everything before we do it.
We have the same name.
We have the same address.
She represents me and I represent her.

We are still individual people.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, hence John 3:16.

Any mention in the Bible of Jesus saying he and the Father are one is a figure of speech, just like many of his stories.

Answer 4

Your friend is right. there is evidence that the concept started to form around the mid to late 2nd century. Prior to that, Jesus was viewed as greater than an ordinary man, but not on par with god.

Answer 5

I don't know the date, but they knew before He was crucified. In the scriptures, He asked the disciples who did the people say He was, but then He also asked His disciples and I believe it was Peter who spoke out and said who He was, which Christ had said that Peter could have only known that by it being revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. So they knew BEFORE his Crucifixion. I just don't think they really understood the magnitude of it all. Because it was actually Paul who had to explain to them what Christ dying really meant to the believer as far as the new covenant...the message of the Cross!

Answer 6

The best I can do is to answer from scripture. One week after the resurrection, Thomas exclaimed "My Lord and my God!"

Answer 7

When St. Thomas fell to his knees right after the Resurrection and said to Jesus: "My Lord and my God".

So, I'd say within about six or seven days.

Answer 8

Jesus told them He was the Son of God..He was crucified for blasphemy. Your friend is wrong.

Answer 9

The moment they started smokin the sticky icky.

Answer 10

All they had to do was listen to His words:

John 8:58 "Before Abraham ever was........I Am"
John 10:30 "I and the Father are one"