Page 204 - Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God

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

One fundamental characteristic of the paganism found in the
Roman Empire is the so-called concept of the man-god. Mythological
Roman and Greek deities, such as Zeus and Hermes, Venus and Jupiter,
were depicted in human form via statues erected in temples or public
squares of large cities. Pagans considered their deities to be touchable
and visible, and so regarded their depictions and appearances to them in
human form as quite natural.

This man-god concept was so open to interpretation that people
claiming to possess the power of working miracles and preaching on re-
ligious matters could easily claim to be such a being. Interesting exam-
ples of this are reported in the New Testament's Acts of the Apostles.
Paul and Barnabas cured a sick man in the city of Lystra (near present-
day Konya in Turkey), whereupon the astonished public imagined
them to be gods:
When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the
Lycaonian language: "The gods have come down to us in human
form!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes be-
cause he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was
just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates be-
cause he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. (Acts,
14:11-13)

A similar incident took place on Malta. When pagans speaking
with Paul saw him bitten by a snake they believed to be poisonous, but
that he did not die, they again resorted to the man-god idea:
The people expected him [Paul] to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but
after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him,
they changed their minds and said he was a god. (Acts, 28:6)