Son of God

For the second person of the Christian Trinity, see God the Son.
"God's Son" redirects here. For the 2002 Nas album, see God's Son (album). For the 2014 film, see Son of God (film). For other uses, see Son of God (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Demigod or Son of Heaven.
Miniature in Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry depicting the Baptism of Jesus, when God the Father proclaimed that Jesus is his Son.

Historically, many rulers have assumed titles such as the son of God, the son of a god or the son of heaven.[1]

The term "Son of God" is used in the Hebrew Bible as another way to refer to humans who have a special relationship with God. In Exodus, the nation of Israel is called God's firstborn son.[2] Solomon is also called "son of God".[3][4] Angels, just and pious men, and the kings of Israel are all called "sons of God."[5]

In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, "Son of God" is applied to Jesus on many occasions.[5] On two occasions, Jesus is recognized as the Son of God by a voice which speaks from Heaven. Jesus explicitly and implicitly describes himself as the Son of God and he is also described as the Son of God by various individuals who appear in the New Testament.[5][6][7][8] Jesus is called the "Son of God," and followers of Jesus are called, "Christians."[9] As applied to Jesus, the term is a reference to his role as the Messiah, or Christ, the King chosen by God.[10][11] The contexts and ways in which Jesus' title, Son of God, means something more or something other than the title Messiah remain the subject of ongoing scholarly study and discussion.

The term "Son of God" should not be confused with the term "God the Son" (Greek: Θεός ὁ υἱός), the second person of the Trinity in Christian theology. The doctrine of the Trinity identifies Jesus as God the Son, identical in essence but distinct in person with regard to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (the First and Third Persons of the Trinity). Nontrinitarian Christians accept the application to Jesus of the term "Son of God", which is found in the New Testament.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Muller136 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Exodus 4:22
  3. ^ The Tanach - The Torah/Prophets/Writings. Stone Edition. 1996. p. 741. ISBN 0-89906-269-5.
  4. ^ The Tanach - The Torah/Prophets/Writings. Stone Edition. 1996. p. 1923. ISBN 0-89906-269-5.
  5. ^ a b c "Catholic Encyclopedia: Son of God". Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  6. ^ One teacher: Jesus' teaching role in Matthew's gospel by John Yueh-Han Yieh 2004 ISBN 3-11-018151-7 pages 240–241
  7. ^ Dwight Pentecost The words and works of Jesus Christ 2000 ISBN 0-310-30940-9 page 234
  8. ^ The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 1988 ISBN 0-8028-3785-9 pages 571–572
  9. ^ "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Sons of God (New Testament)". BibleStudyTools.com. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  10. ^ Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th ed.) (2001). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
  11. ^ Matthew 26:63