When a reader of the Gospels refuses to read them within the confines of the symbolism in Jewish scripture the Gospels become greatly distorted. The concept of the “son of God” and the “virgin birth” are linked together using familiar building blocks of symbols and metaphors found in Jewish scripture. The newness of the Gospels comes from not new building blocks but the arrangement of these building blocks and how they relate to one another.
If a person starts a journey slightly off course, the more he travels down that path, the more off course he gets. In the very first chapter of the very first book of the New Testament the author mentions the virgin birth of Jesus. If the reader misunderstands the meaning of the virgin birth then as the reader continues to read the book the more and more he will misunderstand.
To ask how Jesus is the son of God is jumping the gun. First a person must understand how Israel is God’s first born son then move on to how Jesus is God’s son.
Good to see the spirit of the Christian apologist in you!
I tend to start with the most recent religion that has Teachings that are most relevant to the age in which we live, with fewer translation problems, and from a culture that is more readily comprehensible because its not thousands of years ago. From that point I work back. Otherwise I might confine myself to the theological world for an age that no longer exists.
So how might that work?
"As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation that its divine origin is unconditionally acknowledged, that the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ are fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended. The Founder of the Christian Faith is designated by Bahá’u’lláh as the “Spirit of God,” is proclaimed as the One Who “appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost...” Shoghi Effendi
So lets look at the key verses:
In Mathew 1:18-25 it is written:
"This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
”The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”-- which means, “God with us.”
When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
We also consider
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that however believes in Him should not perish and have everlasting life."
John 3:16
This is important to contrast with the quote we are all sons of God. The significance of this quotation is the unique role of Jesus to humanity as distinct from other humans.
Then a review of the Gospels we find 'Son of God' mentioned about 30 times in the synoptic gospels.
On the other hand the phrase "Son of man" is mentioned 81 times!
Son of man (Christianity) - Wikipedia
In considering Old Testament themes:
1) the seed of the woman would crush the seed of the serpent in Gen 3. That opens the door to a virgin birth?
2) a son of is like the same kind or Divine in some sense.
3) we see a strong 'Son of God' motif with the promise to King David (and his descendants like Solomon) where God will be his Father and it gets carried through the Psalms as well.
4) In the fiery furnace in the story of Daniel accompanied by his 3 friends the Babylonians saw a 4th person and he was like a 'son of God'
5) Jesus is the root and offspring of David
Then bringing it together and considering comparative religion:
(1) The idea that Jesus is physically or literally the Son of God is derived from the "Son of God" designation that appears throughout the Gospels but also in other New and Old Testament texts.
(2) It is a designation that highlights the Uniqueness and Greatness of Jesus when compared to the rest of humanity.
(3) However other religions may also have different designations such as Muhammad being the seal of the prophets or Baha'u'llah being the Glory of God. These different designations may serve a similar purpose to highlight the Uniqueness of a particular Man who Manifests God's Greatness with a Revelation that transforms communities, traditions, and morals.
(4) There is an underlying unity in all the Great Prophets or Manifestations of God.
So that's a summary of this thread to date.
What do you feel I have missed?
