Theosis, unchristian ?

[Guest guest]

www.fairwiki.org/index.php/Deification_of_man

 

 

UnChristian?

 

 

Critics insist that the doctrine of theosis is unBiblical and

unChristian. Unfortunately for the critics, a review of Christian

history illustrates that this doctrine was and is a common belief of

many Christians; modern critics are perhaps the exception, rather

than the rule.

Irenaeus

Saint Irenaeus (AD 180), who may justly be called the first Biblical

theologian among the ancient Christians, was a disciple of the great

Polycarp, who was a direct disciple of John the Revelator.[3]

Irenaeus is not a heretic or unorthodox in traditional Christian

circles, yet he shares a belief in theosis:

While man gradually advances and mounts towards perfection; that is,

he approaches the eternal. The eternal is perfect; and this is God.

Man has first to come into being, then to progress, and by

progressing come to manhood, and having reached manhood to increase,

and thus increasing to persevere, and persevering to be glorified,

and thus see his Lord. [4]

Like the LDS, Irenaeus did not believe that this belief in any way

displaced God, Christ, or the Holy Ghost:

there is none other called God by the Scriptures except the Father of

all, and the Son, and those who possess the adoption....Since,

therefore, this is sure and stedfast, that no other God or Lord was

announced by the Spirit, except Him who, as God, rules over all,

together with His Word, and those who receive the Spirit of adoption.

[5]

Yet, Irenaeus—whom it is absurd to exclude from the ranks of orthodox

Christians—believed in theosis in terms which agree with LDS thinking

on the matter:

We were not made gods at our beginning, but first we were made men,

then, in the end, gods.[6]

Also:

How then will any be a god, if he has not first been made a man? How

can any be perfect when he has only lately been made man? How

immortal, if he has not in his mortal nature obeyed his maker? For

one's duty is first to observe the discipline of man and thereafter

to share in the glory of God.[7]

And:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, of his boundless love, became

what we are that he might make us what he himself is. " [8]

And:

But of what gods [does he speak]? [Of those] to whom He says, " I have

said, Ye are gods, and all sons of the Most High. " To those, no

doubt, who have received the grace of the " adoption, by which we cry,

Abba Father. " " [9]

And, Irenaeus considers the doctrine clearly Biblical, just as the

LDS do:

For he who holds, without pride and boasting, the true glory

(opinion) regarding created things and the Creator, who is the

Almighty God of all, and who has granted existence to all; [such an

one, ] continuing in His love and subjection, and giving of thanks,

shall also receive from Him the greater glory of promotion, looking

forward to the time when he shall become like Him who died for him,

for He, too, " was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, " to condemn

sin, and to cast it, as now a condemned thing, away beyond the flesh,

but that He might call man forth into His own likeness, assigning him

as [His own] imitator to God, and imposing on him His Father's law,

in order that he may see God, and granting him power to receive the

Father; [being] the Word of God who dwelt in man, and became the Son

of man, that He might accustom man to receive God, and God to dwell

in man, according to the good pleasure of the Father.[10]

 

Said one Protestant theologian of Irenaeus:

Participation in God was carried so far by Irenaeus as to amount to

deification. 'We were not made gods in the beginning,' he says, 'but

at first men, then at length gods.' This is not to be understood as

mere rhetorical exaggeration on Irenaeus' part. He meant the

statement to be taken literally.[11]

 

Clement of Alexandria

Clement (AD 150-215), an early Christianleader in Alexandria, also

taught the doctrine of deification:

yea, I say, the Word of God became a man so that you might learn from

a man how to become a god.[12]

And:

....if one knows himself, he will know God, and knowing God will

become like God...His is beauty, true beauty, for it is God, and that

man becomes god, since God wills it.[13]

Those who have been perfected are given their reward and their

honors. They have done with their purification, they have done with

the rest of their service, though it be a holy service, with the

holy; now they become pure in heart, and because of their close

intimacy with the Lord there awaits them a restoration to eternal

contemplation; and they have received the title of " gods " since they

are destined to be enthroned with the other " gods " who are ranked

next below the savior.[14]

[edit]

Justin Martyr

Justin the Martyr said in 150 A.D. that he wishes

to prove to you that the Holy Ghost reproaches men because they were

made like God, free from suffering and death, provided that they kept

His commandments, and were deemed deserving of the name of His

sons... in the beginning men were made like God, free from suffering

and death, and that they are thus deemed worthy of becoming gods and

of having power to become sons of the highest...[15]

Athanasius

In 347, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria and participant in the

council of Nicea, said:

the Word was made flesh in order that we might be enabled to be made

gods....just as the Lord, putting on the body, became a man, so also

we men are both defied through His flesh, and henceforth inherit

everlasting life...[we are] sons and gods by reason of the word in us.

[16]

He also states that Christ " became man that we might be made divine. "

[17]

Augustine

Augustine (354-430), considered one of the greatest Christian

Fathers, said

but He himself that justifies also defies, for by justifying He makes

sons of God. For He has given them power to become the sons of God,

(John 1:12). If then we have been made sons of God, we have also been

made gods.[18]

Jerome

Jerome (A.D. 340-420) also described the deification of believers as

an act of grace, which matches the LDS understanding precisely:

" I said 'you are gods, all of you sons of the most high.' " let

Eunomius hear this, let Arius, who say that the son of God is son in

the same way we are. That we are gods is not so by nature, but by

grace. " but to as many as receive Him he gave power to becoming sons

of God " I made man for that purpose, that from men they may become

gods. We are called gods and sons!...[Christ said] " all of you sons

of the Most High, " it is not possible to be the son of the Most High,

unless He Himself is the Most High. I said that all of you would be

exalted as I am exalted.[19]

Jerome goes on to say that we should

give thanks to the God of gods. The prophet is referring to those

gods of whom it is written: I said `you are gods' and again `god

arises in the divine assembly' they who cease to be mere men, abandon

the ways of vice an are become perfect, are gods and the sons of the

most high...[20]

[Guest guest]

Dear Jagbir,

 

Could you please upload Nicole's article to HSS? Thanks. [i seem to be repeating

this request rather often [sMILE] however, that is how we will populate the

Editor's Choice.]

 

violet

 

 

,

" nicole_bougantouche " <nicole_bougantouche wrote:

 

> www.fairwiki.org/index.php/Deification_of_man

>

>

> UnChristian?

>

>

> Critics insist that the doctrine of theosis is unBiblical and

> unChristian. Unfortunately for the critics, a review of Christian

> history illustrates that this doctrine was and is a common belief

of

> many Christians; modern critics are perhaps the exception, rather

> than the rule.

> Irenaeus

> Saint Irenaeus (AD 180), who may justly be called the first

Biblical

> theologian among the ancient Christians, was a disciple of the

great

> Polycarp, who was a direct disciple of John the Revelator.[3]

> Irenaeus is not a heretic or unorthodox in traditional Christian

> circles, yet he shares a belief in theosis:

> While man gradually advances and mounts towards perfection; that

is,

> he approaches the eternal. The eternal is perfect; and this is

God.

> Man has first to come into being, then to progress, and by

> progressing come to manhood, and having reached manhood to

increase,

> and thus increasing to persevere, and persevering to be glorified,

> and thus see his Lord. [4]

> Like the LDS, Irenaeus did not believe that this belief in any way

> displaced God, Christ, or the Holy Ghost:

> there is none other called God by the Scriptures except the Father

of

> all, and the Son, and those who possess the adoption....Since,

> therefore, this is sure and stedfast, that no other God or Lord

was

> announced by the Spirit, except Him who, as God, rules over all,

> together with His Word, and those who receive the Spirit of

adoption.

> [5]

> Yet, Irenaeus—whom it is absurd to exclude from the ranks of

orthodox

> Christians—believed in theosis in terms which agree with LDS

thinking

> on the matter:

> We were not made gods at our beginning, but first we were made

men,

> then, in the end, gods.[6]

> Also:

> How then will any be a god, if he has not first been made a man?

How

> can any be perfect when he has only lately been made man? How

> immortal, if he has not in his mortal nature obeyed his maker? For

> one's duty is first to observe the discipline of man and

thereafter

> to share in the glory of God.[7]

> And:

> Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God, of his boundless love,

became

> what we are that he might make us what he himself is. " [8]

> And:

> But of what gods [does he speak]? [Of those] to whom He says, " I

have

> said, Ye are gods, and all sons of the Most High. " To those, no

> doubt, who have received the grace of the " adoption, by which we

cry,

> Abba Father. " " [9]

> And, Irenaeus considers the doctrine clearly Biblical, just as the

> LDS do:

> For he who holds, without pride and boasting, the true glory

> (opinion) regarding created things and the Creator, who is the

> Almighty God of all, and who has granted existence to all; [such

an

> one, ] continuing in His love and subjection, and giving of

thanks,

> shall also receive from Him the greater glory of promotion,

looking

> forward to the time when he shall become like Him who died for

him,

> for He, too, " was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, " to condemn

> sin, and to cast it, as now a condemned thing, away beyond the

flesh,

> but that He might call man forth into His own likeness, assigning

him

> as [His own] imitator to God, and imposing on him His Father's

law,

> in order that he may see God, and granting him power to receive

the

> Father; [being] the Word of God who dwelt in man, and became the

Son

> of man, that He might accustom man to receive God, and God to

dwell

> in man, according to the good pleasure of the Father.[10]

>

> Said one Protestant theologian of Irenaeus:

> Participation in God was carried so far by Irenaeus as to amount

to

> deification. 'We were not made gods in the beginning,' he says,

'but

> at first men, then at length gods.' This is not to be understood

as

> mere rhetorical exaggeration on Irenaeus' part. He meant the

> statement to be taken literally.[11]

>

> Clement of Alexandria

> Clement (AD 150-215), an early Christianleader in Alexandria, also

> taught the doctrine of deification:

> yea, I say, the Word of God became a man so that you might learn

from

> a man how to become a god.[12]

> And:

> ...if one knows himself, he will know God, and knowing God will

> become like God...His is beauty, true beauty, for it is God, and

that

> man becomes god, since God wills it.[13]

> Those who have been perfected are given their reward and their

> honors. They have done with their purification, they have done

with

> the rest of their service, though it be a holy service, with the

> holy; now they become pure in heart, and because of their close

> intimacy with the Lord there awaits them a restoration to eternal

> contemplation; and they have received the title of " gods " since

they

> are destined to be enthroned with the other " gods " who are ranked

> next below the savior.[14]

> [edit]

> Justin Martyr

> Justin the Martyr said in 150 A.D. that he wishes

> to prove to you that the Holy Ghost reproaches men because they

were

> made like God, free from suffering and death, provided that they

kept

> His commandments, and were deemed deserving of the name of His

> sons... in the beginning men were made like God, free from

suffering

> and death, and that they are thus deemed worthy of becoming gods

and

> of having power to become sons of the highest...[15]

> Athanasius

> In 347, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria and participant in the

> council of Nicea, said:

> the Word was made flesh in order that we might be enabled to be

made

> gods....just as the Lord, putting on the body, became a man, so

also

> we men are both defied through His flesh, and henceforth inherit

> everlasting life...[we are] sons and gods by reason of the word in

us.

> [16]

> He also states that Christ " became man that we might be made

divine. "

> [17]

> Augustine

> Augustine (354-430), considered one of the greatest Christian

> Fathers, said

> but He himself that justifies also defies, for by justifying He

makes

> sons of God. For He has given them power to become the sons of

God,

> (John 1:12). If then we have been made sons of God, we have also

been

> made gods.[18]

> Jerome

> Jerome (A.D. 340-420) also described the deification of believers

as

> an act of grace, which matches the LDS understanding precisely:

> " I said 'you are gods, all of you sons of the most high.' " let

> Eunomius hear this, let Arius, who say that the son of God is son

in

> the same way we are. That we are gods is not so by nature, but by

> grace. " but to as many as receive Him he gave power to becoming

sons

> of God " I made man for that purpose, that from men they may become

> gods. We are called gods and sons!...[Christ said] " all of you

sons

> of the Most High, " it is not possible to be the son of the Most

High,

> unless He Himself is the Most High. I said that all of you would

be

> exalted as I am exalted.[19]

> Jerome goes on to say that we should

> give thanks to the God of gods. The prophet is referring to those

> gods of whom it is written: I said `you are gods' and again `god

> arises in the divine assembly' they who cease to be mere men,

abandon

> the ways of vice an are become perfect, are gods and the sons of

the

> most high...[20]

>