When Jesus Became God

When Jesus Became God – Richard E. Rubenstein

In the early fourth century, Christianity was transformed from a persecuted faith into the favored religion of the Roman Empire. At the same moment, a bitter controversy erupted within the church over a fundamental question: was Jesus Christ fully God, equal to the Father, or a divine but created being, subordinate to God? In When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity During the Last Days of Rome, Richard E. Rubenstein, a professor of conflict resolution, tells the story of this dispute.

The controversy began in Alexandria, where a popular priest named Arius taught that the Son was created by the Father and therefore not equal to him. His bishop, Alexander, and later Alexander’s successor Athanasius, insisted that the Son was eternal and of the same substance as the Father. The dispute quickly spread across the empire, dividing bishops, cities and ordinary believers, and sometimes leading to riots and violence.

Rubenstein describes how Emperor Constantine, hoping to unify his empire, summoned the Council of Nicaea in 325, which produced a creed affirming that the Son was of one substance with the Father. Yet the conflict was far from over. For decades afterward, emperors, bishops and theologians fought over the question, with exiles, reversals and political intrigue, until the Council of Constantinople in 381 confirmed the Nicene position.

Rubenstein writes as a historian rather than a theologian, focusing on the personalities, politics and social forces involved, and he explores how the outcome shaped Christianity and Western civilization.

Lively and accessible, When Jesus Became God is a fascinating read for those interested in history and religion. Its interpretations are discussed and debated by historians and theologians.