Christ-bearers of God as gods in Early Christian Exegesis of Psalm 82

Ten years ago, Mark D. Nispel wrote “Christian Deification and the Early Testimonia,” an article in Vigiliae Christianae, 53 (1999): 289-304, where in he noted a peculiarity that Western Christendom virtually ignored the early Christian conception of mankind’s potential as becoming gods, and in fact, being gods. Easter Christianity’s main theological diet was, in fact, this very doctrine. And the main scripture used was Psalm 82, usually against the Jewish contenders against the fledgling Christian faith.

 Bishop Alexandria, in point of very fact, noted that the theology of Christ and the incarnation more than made it certain that “the description of salvation as ‘becoming god’ as a logical...

proof for the divine nature of Christ,” was one of the pillars of early Christianity. (p. 290)

 In using Ps. 82: 1, 6-7, the Christians mentality was “…the use of these texts required that all believers in some way be considered gods.” (290). Most astonishingly, because the so-called “pagan polytheism” had been so decried, and the Christian determination to face the music of their theology of the divinity of Christ, and the non-divinity of the other gods, the rejection of the pagan deification, they became known as “atheists!” (291). The Christian deification song and tune they danced to, with their use of Ps 82 as a buttress to their doctrine of salvation was a natural development following Nispel. In fact, he showed that the use of ps 82:6 time and time again in the later fathers of the East demonstrated the ultimate goal of salvation was the obvious “becoming god.” (292). This is, of course, because Jesus quoted this psalm in John 10 to refute his accusers.

 The early “Testimonia” of Christianity concerning the divinity of Christ against the Jewish polemics was gathered together of all sources in the Old Testament which demonstrated the Christological aspects of the prophecies concerning Christ, and in the process, the actual salvation of mankind as gods along with the Divine Christ. (293-4).

 In Africa, Nispel  notes, that Tertullian taught that since Christ appropriately  quoted the Psalm as proof that even mankind were gods, it was entirely logical that He, being God-sent, was at the very least, a Son of God.  Therefore the title God can and was shown to be part of Christ’s makeup and character.(294)

 Scripture was not afraid to designate mere himans as gods, therefore how much moreso the Divine Christ, God’s very son? “ The requirement, as it were, of this argument, as also in the Gospel, is the mino premise that righteous men or believers are called gods.” (295). Justin contended that Christians, who are “from Christ, who begot us unto God, like Jacob, and Israel, and Judah, and Joseph, and David, are called and are the true sons of God.” (296) He literally meant “the ‘sons of god’ are also worthy of becoming gods… those who are deified are those who have lived near to God in holiness and virtue.” (297)

 More interesting still is the exegesis presented by Irenaeus that the very incarnation of Jesus “makes possible the adoption of sons, by immortality absorbing mortality and incorruption corruption.” (298) Adoption of sons to God as “becoming the son of God… is intimately related to becoming god. For the despising of the incarnation has the result that such people ‘defraud human nature of the ascent unto God’ made possible by the Word of God becoming flesh. This ascent relates again to the Holy Spirit who is the ‘ladder of ascent to God – scala ascensionis ad Deium – for it is by the Spirit that one ‘ascends’ to that which is perfect. And for Irenaeus, salvation is the ascent by which Christians become perfect in likeness to God through the Spirit and the Son. And to become perfect in likeness to God is to ‘become god.’” (299)

 Pretty powerful stuff I would propose! There is much more in this article, but one last point I wish to share that Nispel has shown is that this teaching of divinization of humans did not originate in paganism, nor is this where they got the idea. It is strictly in the Jewish scriptures themselves, the prize example for the Early Christians being Psalm 82. (302) Ignatius really pours it on with his statement that “Christians are ‘God-bearers,’ and temple-bearers, Christ-bearers’ and, according to Ignatius we know that the Lord dwells in us, to the end that we may be his temples and he himself may be in us as our God. For Ignatius, faith and love together bring the Christian to union with God. (303).

Comments

[jondh]

I'm glad you picked up on this. You might enjoy my previous post on this very topic:

http://thesundaypage.net/2008/10/25/divine-council-from-justin-martyr-to-augustine/

[David Alan Richards]

I never knew that before. And neo-pagans are always going on about how special they are in this regard.

Very interesting.

Thank you.

-David

[Anthony]

What a beautiful, resplendent and restored doctrine. It makes me feel all the more closer to our Heavenly Father. What a relationship we can have with him!

Exaltation is by far the greatest news a loving God could give to His children. Even the lowliest can be like Him.

[Kerry Shirts]

Well he does say the First shall be last and the last shall be first.....

[Wendell]

Does not Ephesians tell us that the purpose of the Apostles and Prophets and other offices are to work for the "perfection of the Saints, the work of the ministry and the edification of the body of Christ. Until we come into a UNITY of the faith, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the FULLNESS of Christ? Sounds like more than confessing Jesus at a camp meeting to me. Ephesians 4:11-14.