So, when did Jesus become regarded as God? Jesus never proclaimed he was God—not even once—so how did this belief come about? And was this always the view, or did the early Christian Church understand it differently?
One important point to consider is that many people today may not have had the opportunity (or the encouragement) to explore the Bible deeply for themselves. Often, beliefs are passed down through tradition or guided by religious institutions like the church, which can shape how people understand their faith. But when we take the time to read the Bible personally and carefully, we find that Jesus is referred to as a Prophet multiple times, in fact 10 times. Nowhere does he claim divinity, ask to be worshipped, or present himself as more than a messenger of God.
In fact, the Bible (consistent with the Qur’an) describes Jesus as a prophet, in line with the tradition of previous prophets, as illustrated on page 2 in the family tree of the prophets.
Here are a few examples taken directly from the Bible:
“And the crowds said, “This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” — Bible, Matthew 21:11
“…The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” — Bible, Luke 24:19
“So, they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” — John 9:17
“Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet.” — John 4:19
“When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the prophet we’ve been expecting.” — John 7:40
In an another 3 verses, Jesus refers directly to Himself as a prophet:
“But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” — Mark 6:4. (This verse also appears in Matthew 13:57 and Luke 4:24.)
That story was narrated after Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth, where He began teaching in the synagogue. Instead of welcoming Him, the people questioned His authority, saying essentially, “Isn’t this the carpenter, Mary’s son?”
In those verses, Jesus referred to Himself as a prophet, highlighting that prophets are often rejected by those who know them best: their family, hometown, or community.
Jesus is also referred to as a prophet in Matthew 13:57, Luke 13:33, John 6:14, and Mark 6:4. So when did Jesus move from being a humble prophet to becoming a divinity and being worshipped as God himself?
Jesus was officially declared God in the 4th century.
Some historical facts: After Jesus (pbuh) was no longer on this earth, the early Christian church saw rapid growth but also faced significant internal divisions over theological matters. By the 4th century AD, debates became more intense, particularly regarding the nature of Jesus, the doctrine of the Trinity as we know it today “The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” and the role each person had was not clearly defined, leading to theological disputes, particularly regarding the nature of the Son, which caused divisions and began to seriously threaten the stability of the Roman Empire. The central question that divided the believers was the following: Is Jesus God or not? Consequently, is He divine or simply human, like the other prophets who came before Him?
The two main theological theories that persisted during this troubled time were the Arianism and the Athanasius theories:
- The Arius Theory:
Arius was a priest who developed the Arianism doctrine stated that there was a time when Jesus did not exist, and only God the Father existed, therefore Jesus the Son was not co-eternal with the Father because he was a created being, distinct from God the Father. And he believed that if Jesus were elevated to divinity in the same way God is, it would undermine the absolute monotheism at the core of the Christian faith (a view that closely aligns with the Islamic perspective: God is one, has no equals, and this absolute monotheism is exactly what all the prophets listed on page 2 of this website preached).
His theory was supported by prominent figures of the church who agreed with him that Jesus was not God, figures such as Bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, Bishop Theognis, Bishop Ursacius of Singidunum, Bishop Valens of Mursa, Bishop Macedonius of Constantinople and that just to name a few, they all believed that Jesus could not be divine the same way God is, as he was a created being.
- The Athanasius theory:
Athanasius’ theory although very confusing to understand to this day, insisted that Jesus had always existed with God from the beginning of time, that Jesus was not “born” in the way humans are born, as He is eternal and uncreated being of the same essence as the Father. In his work On the Incarnation, Athanasius argues that Jesus, the Son of God, existed before time and was the eternal Word. While Jesus’ human birth in Bethlehem was a real event, it was the moment the eternal Word assumed a human body, not a beginning of His existence. Thus, Jesus’ divinity is eternal, and His incarnation was a unique act of God entering into a human body to be sacrificed later on the cross in order to allow the forgiveness of our sins.
At the council of Nicaea 325AD: Jesus became God
By the order of Constantine, Emperor of Rome, the Council of Nicaea took place in 325 AD in the city of Nicaea (modern-day İznik, Turkey). The Council of Nicaea would have been very similar to what a modern papal conclave is today, while both involve decision-making within the church, the Council of Nicaea was more about voting on a doctrine, while a modern conclave is focused on electing a new Pope.
It’s important to mention that Constantine himself was not particularly religious, having been baptized only shortly before his death in 337 AD, twelve years after the Council of Nicaea and that although Rome is far from Turkey, Constantine made sure to be present at the Council of Nicaea to influence the outcome.
Constantine the Great, who reigned from 306 to 337 AD, was widely regarded as a great strategist, both in terms of his military expertise and his political manoeuvring. He recognized that the growing divisions among Christian factions were beginning to threaten the stability of the Roman Empire. It is written that he invited all of the 1,800 bishops from across the Christian world (roughly 1,000 from the East and 800 from the West) to join him at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The purpose was to take a vote to resolve the theological dispute between the two main theories: Arius and Athanasius.
Knowing that Constantine was openly in favor of the Athanasian theory, it is recorded that only a small number of bishops attended. Bishop and Roman historian Eusebius of Caesarea counted 220, Athanasius of Alexandria counted 318, and Eustathius of Antioch counted 270 bishops present at the council of Nicaea.