Page 202 - Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God

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

Corrupted by Hellenism?":
Throughout the ancient world, as far back as Babylonia, the wor-
ship of pagan gods grouped in threes or triads, was common. That
influence was also prevalent in Egypt, Greece and Rome in the cen-
turies before, during, and after Christ. After the death of the apos-
tles, such pagan beliefs began to invade Christianity… While [Plato]
did not teach the Trinity in its present form, his philosophies paved
the way for it. 77
In his important work The Christianity of the New Testament, Oscar
Cullmann examines how the Son of God was used in the East and in the

Hellenistic culture when the Gospels were written. He states that
Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian kings and their people regarded
themselves as holy beings and had themselves referred to as the son of
God. He also notes that in Greek religions, everyone believed to possess
78
sacred powers was referred to as the son of God.l The miracles performed
by Prophet Jesus (pbuh) were enough for him to acquire this title. Varner
says that the Gentiles who heard Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) message shaped
their opinion of him within the framework of these ideas and adds:

(Surely God is beyond the expressions that follow)
Their idea of a son of God was rooted deeply in polytheistic thought
and was, therefore, difficult to transform into the monotheistic mes-
sage of Jesus and His apostles. Whereas kings and other holy men in
Oriental and Hellenistic thought claimed to be sons of God, Jesus
claimed and was proclaimed to be the Son of God. 79