--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This oldest Christology of all may be…" description: "\"“This oldest Christology of all may be found in the preliterary traditions in Paul and the book of Acts, but it is not the view presented in any of the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/bart-d-ehrman-3928_books_this-oldest-christology-of-all-may-be-fo_1421335.png" --- # This oldest Christology of all may be found in the… ![“This oldest Christology of all may be found in the preliterary traditions in Paul and the book of Acts, but it is not the view presented in any of the Gospels. Instead, as we will see at greater length, the oldest Gospel, Mark, seems to assume that it was at his baptism that Jesus became the Son…” quote by Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/bart-d-ehrman-3928_books_this-oldest-christology-of-all-may-be-fo_1421335.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/bart-d-ehrman-3928_books_this-oldest-christology-of-all-may-be-fo_1421335.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56e/bart-d-ehrman-3928_books_this-oldest-christology-of-all-may-be-fo_1421335.png) > ““This oldest Christology of all may be found in the preliterary traditions in Paul and the book of Acts, but it is not the view presented in any of the Gospels. Instead, as we will see at greater length, the oldest Gospel, Mark, seems to assume that it was at his baptism that Jesus became the Son of God; the next Gospels, Matthew and Luke, indicate that Jesus became the Son of God when he was born; and the last Gospel, John, presents Jesus as the Son of God from before creation.”” [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage outlines how early Christian texts differ on when Jesus became divine, ranging from baptism in Mark to pre‑creation in John. **In simple terms:** Early texts disagree on when Jesus became divine. Key Takeaway Recognize varied theological origins. Themes theology Christology history scripture interpretation Mood analytical thoughtful Type historical scholarly When to use this quote - Academic study - seminar discussion - religious education - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts Divine sonship biblical criticism historical development Questions to Reflect On - How do these differing views affect modern faith? - What does this suggest about early Christian diversity? A Different Perspective Not all traditions agree on a single timeline for divine status. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Gospels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gospels/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Son of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-of-god/) ## Related quotes > [There are five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Christian. 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Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“It should be noted that all four of these exalted roles—Jesus as messiah, as Lord, as Son of God, as Son of Man—imply, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/it-should-be-noted-that-all-four-of-these-exalted-roles-jesus-as/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“only two people known by name were also called “Son of God.” One was the Roman emperor—starting with Octavian, or Caesar Augustus—and the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/only-two-people-known-by-name-were-also-called-son-of-god-one-was-the/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“The son of a human is human, just as the son of a dog is a dog and the son of a cat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/the-son-of-a-human-is-human-just-as-the-son-of-a-dog-is-a-dog-and-the/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“In this pre-Lukan tradition, Jesus was made the Son of God at the resurrection. This is a view Luke inherited from his tradition, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/in-this-pre-lukan-tradition-jesus-was-made-the-son-of-god-at-the/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“THE VIEW THAT THE earliest Christians understood Jesus to have become the Son of God at his resurrection is not revolutionary among scholars of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/the-view-that-the-earliest-christians-understood-jesus-to-have-become/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“Moreover, this earlier tradition has a different view of Christ than the one that Paul explicates elsewhere in his surviving writings. Here, unlike in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/moreover-this-earlier-tradition-has-a-different-view-of-christ-than/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [In the New Testament alone there are Gospels, acts, epistles, and an apocalypse. Gospels contain literary forms like miracles, parables, pronouncements, proverbs, farewell discourses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-blomberg/in-the-new-testament-alone-there-are-gospels-acts-epistles-and-an/) [Craig Blomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-blomberg/) > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Nonviolence is the very essence of the gospels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helene-iswolsky/nonviolence-is-the-very-essence-of-the-gospels/) Helene Iswolsky > [“I argue that the Jesus of the Gospels is essentially a myth. The Gospels are largely fiction. They were created around the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-elleg-rd/i-argue-that-the-jesus-of-the-gospels-is-essentially-a-myth-the/) Alvar Ellegård > [I look upon all four Gospels as thoroughly genuine, for there shines forth from them the reflected splendor of a sublimity proceeding from Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-look-upon-all-four-gospels-as-thoroughly-genuine-for-there-shines/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Bart D. Ehrman > [“If you get fired from your job, that’s outside your control, so you shouldn’t be personally invested in your job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/if-you-get-fired-from-your-job-that-s-outside-your-control-so-you/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“It’s like what some Episcopalians say about themselves today: get four in a room and you’ll find five opinions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/it-s-like-what-some-episcopalians-say-about-themselves-today-get-four/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“The Synoptics simply accept a Christological view that is different from Paul’s. They hold to exaltation Christologies, and Paul holds to an incarnation Christology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/the-synoptics-simply-accept-a-christological-view-that-is-different/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“If Jesus really were equal with God from “the beginning,” before he came to earth, and he knew it, then surely the Synoptic Gospels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/if-jesus-really-were-equal-with-god-from-the-beginning-before-he-came/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“Moreover, this earlier tradition has a different view of Christ than the one that Paul explicates elsewhere in his surviving writings. Here, unlike in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/moreover-this-earlier-tradition-has-a-different-view-of-christ-than/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“Origen delved into theological areas that had not yet been examined by any of his predecessors in the faith .. Later theologians questioned his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/origen-delved-into-theological-areas-that-had-not-yet-been-examined/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“Later orthodox theologians would have found this view completely inadequate. In stressing that the Father was “greater” than the Son, Tertullian articulated a view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/later-orthodox-theologians-would-have-found-this-view-completely/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“What we think of as the twenty-seven books of “the” New Testament emerged out of these conflicts, and it was the side that won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/what-we-think-of-as-the-twenty-seven-books-of-the-new-testament/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“Paul, by the way, never says that Jesus declared himself to be divine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/paul-by-the-way-never-says-that-jesus-declared-himself-to-be-divine/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [I have such a fantastic life that I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for it. . . . But I don't have anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/i-have-such-a-fantastic-life-that-i-feel-an-overwhelming-sense-of/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“similarity among all the speeches in Acts suggests that they were written by the same person—Luke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/similarity-among-all-the-speeches-in-acts-suggests-that-they-were/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“pastors don’t want to make waves; or they don’t think their congregations are “ready” to hear what scholars are saying;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/pastors-don-t-want-to-make-waves-or-they-don-t-think-their/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“This is one of the hard-and-fast ironies of the Christian tradition: views that at one time were the majority opinion, or at least that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/this-is-one-of-the-hard-and-fast-ironies-of-the-christian-tradition/) [bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“If Jesus predicted that the imminent apocalypse would arrive within his own generation, before his disciples had all died, what was one to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/if-jesus-predicted-that-the-imminent-apocalypse-would-arrive-within/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“In Galatians 4:14 Paul is not contrasting Christ with an angel; he is equating him with an angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/in-galatians-4-14-paul-is-not-contrasting-christ-with-an-angel-he-is/) [Bart D. 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People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This oldest Christology of all may be found in the preliterary traditions in Paul and the book of Acts, but it is not the view presented in any of the Gospels. 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