Page 158 - Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God

156 Prophet Jesus (pbuh): A Prophet, Not A Son, of God

Jesus (pbuh) and was frequently used for important individuals.
Therefore, his disciples adopted the son of God and used it to de-
scribe their leader: Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Accordingly, Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) was described as the son of God, just like the kings from the
line of David and persons of religious and moral importance living
in Jewish society. According to Hick, in Jewish thought those kings
and important people who were awarded this title were never liter-
ally regarded as being God's son. Rather, they were honored by
being regarded as such, and were revered and praised, solely on ac-
count of their personal characteristics. In other words, the title in
question was never used in a literal sense in Jewish thought. The
term son of God was used for people throughout Jewish history. The
Messiah, for example, was regarded as an earthly king who would
have to be descended from the line of Prophet David, regarded as
the son of God… The followers of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) were able to
adapt this term to him very easily. The way that Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) was seen as an entity with divine attributes is first of all the
result of the culture in which he lived. Accordingly, at the time of
Prophet Jesus (pbuh), certain individuals with important character-
istics were known as the son of God in the symbolic sense." 54
After considering Hick's views in some detail, Aydın says this about
the use of the term the son of God:
Neither Prophet Jesus (pbuh) himself ever suggested that he was di-
vine, nor did the disciples ever ascribe to him any form of divinity
or god-likeness. On the contrary, the idea of his divinity was put for-
ward inside the first Christian community and gradually devel-
oped, assuming the nature of doctrine and dogma. That is because
expressions regarding the divine sonship gradually left the Jewish
context and entered that of Hellenistic Roman culture. 55

P. M. Casey, a New Testament scholar and author of several books
on the origins of early Christianity, says: "… Jesus could have been called