The Bible speaks of only one Divine Entity.

The apostle Paul wrote

[“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

For  although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—

Yet for us there is one God, theFather, from whom are all things and for   whom we exist, and one Lord, JesusChrist, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”](1Cor 8:4-6 [ESV2011])

So why would people  teach already declared truth about the entity of God ?

The whole bible speaks only a Divine Entity and of its form and direct us to the image of the invisible God who is our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”(Eph 4:3-6 [ESV2011])

From the above verses it is very clear that there is Only One Supreme God, the Father.

There is neither Great God nor small God and  this is paganism and has its roots in Gnosticism.

“(96:9) For thou art Lord Most High over all the earth; thou art greatly exalted above all gods.” (Ps 97:9 [LXXE])

“(82:18)And let them know that thy Name is Lord; that thou alone art MostHigh over all the earth.” (Ps 83:18 [LXXE])

Believers in the days of Paul waited the appearing of this GREAT GOD in the last days of the age of the Old Testament.

“Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of Our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”(Titus 2:13-14 [ESV2011])

Now as for as the mystery of Godliness is concerned  I would like to bring forth  the greek ancient text in order to understand what exactly  says and how it changes the meaning  as follows  both versions based on the ancient manuscripts.

“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” (1Tim 3:15-16 [ESV2011])

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Cod._Sinaiticus_1_Tim_3%2C16.jpg

ΤΟ ΤΗC EYCEBEIAC MYCTHRION : OC EΦΑΝΕΡΩΘΗ ΕΝ CAΡΚΙ  ΕΔΙΚΑΙΩΘΗ ΕΝ

«ἐαν δέ βραδύνω, ἵνα εἰδῇς πῶς δεῖ ΕΝ ΟΙΚΩ ΘΕΟΥ ἀναστρέφεσθαι, ήτις έστιν ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ ΘΕΟΥ ΖΩΝΤΟΣ, στῦλος καί ἑδραίωμα τῆςἀληθείας· καί ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστίν το τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· ΟΣ ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ.» (1Timothy. 3:15-16 [SBLGNT])

There is also another version of the manuscript which is not the most valid where instead of OS which means WHO. This is ΘC. OC in ancient greek language with UNCIAL LETTERS  means WHO  but if the scribe put a mark inside of O changes whole the meaning it has the word OC-ΘC=ΘEOΣ=THEOS=GOD which is not far from the truth.

Admitting, therefore, that the text correctly says OS (that is, WHO) which is an explanation of what Paul previously wrote "you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God".

Therefore OS(that is, WHO) refers to GOD LIVING or more simply to LIVING GOD. So we understand very well that THE LIVING GOD APPEARED IN THE FLESH and not some other person. He is the ONLY LIVING, He is, the ONLY IMMORTAL.

“For even as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26 [Darby])

In the First Epistle of John it is very clear that GOD FATHER HIMSELF APPEARED AS THE SON OF GOD to take away our sins.

“See what love THE FATHER has given to us, that we should be called [the] children OF GOD. For this reason the world knows us not, because it knew HIM not.

Beloved, now are we children OF GOD, and what we shall be has not yet been manifested; we know that whenHE IS MANIFESTED(the Father) we shall be likeHIM, for we shall see HIM as HE IS.

And every one that has this hope in HIM purifies himself, even as *HE* is pure.

Every one that practices sin practices also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

And ye know that *HE* HAS BEEN MANIFESTED (the Father) that he might take away our sins; and in him sin is not.

Whoever abides in HIM, does not sin: whoever sins, has not seen him or known him.”(1John 3:1-6 [Darby])

“He that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested (Jesus is the image of God the Father), that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is begotten of GOD doeth no sin, because HIS seed abideth in him: and He cannot sin, because He is begotten of GOD.”(1John 3:8-9 [ASV])

The book of Revelation reveals who Jesus really is.

“When I saw HIM, I fell at HIS feet as though dead. But he laid HIS right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I AM THE FIRST and THE LAST,

And  THE LIVING ONE. I DIED, and behold I AM ALIVE FOREVERMORE, and I HAVE the keys of Death and Hades.”(Rev 1:17-18 [ESV2011])

THE LIVING ONE is the ONLY TRUE GOD and FATHER. But GOD is SPIRIT and LIFE and it was impossible for HIM to die. Through HIS love and wisdom HE prepared the best for the salvation of the whole world. GOD manifested in the flesh as the Son of Man and "surrendered for our transgressions and was resurrected for our justification." (Rom. 4:25)

At the end of the book of Revelation we see that in the New Jerusalem there is only ONE TEMPLE and ONLY ONE THRONE. ONLY ONE PERSON is worshiped on the Throne and ONLY ONE NAME is the name of JESUS.

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY and   THE LAMP. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for THE GLORY OF GOD gives it light, and its LAMB is THE LAMB.”(Rev 21:22-23 [ESV2011])

“No longer will there be anything accursed, but THE THRONE of GOD and of the LAMB will be in it, and  HIS servants will worship HIM. They will see HISFACE, and HISNAME will be on their foreheads.”(Rev 22:3-4 [ESV2011])

From the above verses  that Jesus Christ is the Lamb who came to reveal GOD and FATHER to us. On the throne sits GOD our FATHER and the LAMB. But we see that John does not say that they worship THEM, that is, two persons, but "HIS SERVANTS will worship HIM." He also does not say they will see their faces but "They will see HIS FACE".

So Paul writes very correctly to the Corinthians and the Colossians:

“But if also our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those that are lost;

in whom the god of this world has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving, so that the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory OF THE CHRIST, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD, should not shine forth [for them] .

For we do not preach ourselves, but CHRIST JESUS  LORD, and ourselves your bondmen for JESUS’ sake. Because [it is] THE GOD WHO spoke that out of darkness light should shine WHO has shone in our hearts for the shining forth of the knowledge OF THE GLORY OF GOD in THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST.”(2Cor 4:3-6 [Darby])

The Apostle Paul declared clearly that the human wisdom an enemy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

“See that there be no one who shall lead *you* away as a prey through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the teaching of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to CHRIST.

For IN HIM dwells ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD;”(Col 2:8-9 [Darby])

God our Father did not dwell in any man before Jesus Christ came to earth.

The prophets were overshadowed by the Spirit of God and they ministered but the Spirit of God did not dwell in them.

All the prophets in part knew and in part prophesied.

Our Lord Jesus Christ THE PROPHET to Whom GOD did not

give HIS SPIRIT by MEASURE but dwelt in JESUS, while he was here on earth with ALL His FULNESS. In fact, the disciples found that HE KNEW EVERYTHING and not aside and that HE HAD COME OUT OF GOD. 

 “HE WHO COMES FROM ABOVE IS ABOVE ALL. He who has his origin in the earth is of the earth, and speaks [as] of the earth. HE WHO COMES OUT FROM HEAVEN IS ABOVE ALL,  [ and] what he has seen and has heard, this he testifies; and no one receives his testimony.

He that has received his testimony has set to his seal that God is true;

For HE whom GOD has sent speaks the words of GOD, for GOD gives not the Spirit by measure.”(John 3:31-34 [Darby])

 “Hither to ye have asked nothing in MY NAME: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things I have spoken to you in allegories; the hour is coming that I will no longer speak to you in allegories, but will declare to you openly concerning the Father.

In that day ye shall ask in MY NAME; and I say not to you that I will demand of the Father for you, for the Father himself has affection for you, because ye have had affection for me, and have believed that I came out from God.

I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I leave the world and go to the Father. His disciples say to him, Lo, now thou speak openly and utter no allegory.

Now we know that thou knows all things, and hast not need that any one should demand of thee. By this we believe that thou art come from God.”(John 16:24-30 [Darby])

FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED BY EVIL THINGS AND HE WAS MANIFESTED IN FLESH

This is the wonder and the greatness, while JESUS​​ was THE SAME ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD appeared as Man in the likeness of sinful flesh while He was the image of God.

The flesh of Jesus was from heaven, it was the Word that became flesh.

The Infinite and Timeless God came in flesh and while He was THE LIFE giver  he entered time and was limited to human data had to eat, drink, rest, sleep, laugh, cry, fast like all people.

Every person inherits the decay and the tendency towards sin and death from the moment that Adam by his disobedience sinned and gave way to the Devil and death.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—“(Rom 5:12 [ESV2011])

Jesus is and was the Man from heaven and His flesh came from God Himself. Therefore in His flesh He did not inherit decay and the tendency to sin. The Devil had no place and no authority in the BODY OF JESUS.

“I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world comes, and in me he has nothing;” (John 14:30 [Darby])

He has been tempted in all things in our behave while he was life giver , He never  inherited innate desires and weaknesses like us, but by external human infidelities, doubts, hardheartedness, and sins.

Just as the Israelites "tempted" God in the wilderness, so the Jews tempted Jesus, with the difference that now God endured these temptations by bringing His Body, His image, on the Cross for the sake of all people.

But GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED BY EVIL THINGS and most importantly for  those who believe that the Word who is God became flesh should remember and think that "there is no variation or shadow due to change " in God. The Divine Body and Blood cannot become an earthly body and Blood.

 “Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.” (1Cor 15:45-48 [ESV2011])

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”(Jas 1:13-17 [ESV2011])

We were not bought with common human blood but with the BLOOD OF GOD which is  THE ETERNAL TESTAMENT.

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which THE HOLY SPIRIT has made you overseers, to care for THE CHURCH OF GOD, which HE ONTAINED with HIS OWN BLOOD.”(Acts 20:28 [ESV2011])

“of how much worse punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy who has trodden under foot the Son of God, AND ESTEEMED THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, whereby he has been sanctified, COMMON, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”(Heb 10:29 [Darby])

Here is the MYSTERY. Christ as a man from heaven became a MEDIATOR and a NOTARIER with HIS BLOOD.

The mystery continues.

 In order for a COVENANT to be valid, it must be preceded by the death of the TESTATOR, i.e. the One who made the COVENANT.

Who made the first and the second covenant with the people of Israel?

Did not GOD and FATHER make both the Old and New Testaments?

So God had to die. But GOD is SPIRIT and can not die, so HE prepared BODY and BLOOD, that is, THE MAN FROM HEAVEN, who came and died for the sins of the whole world.

“But CHRIST being come high priest of the good things to come, by the better and more perfect tabernacle not made with hand, (that is, not of this creation,) nor by blood of goats and calves, but BY HIS OWN BLOOD, has entered IN ONCE for all into the [holy of] holies, having found an eternal redemption.”(Heb 9:11-12 [Darby])

 “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,

how much more will THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, who through THE ETERNAL SPIRIToffered himself without blemish to GOD, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”(Heb 9:13-14 [ESV2011])

“And for this reason HE IS MEDIATOR of a new covenant, so that, DEATH HAVING TAKE PLACE for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, the called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

(For where there is a testament, THE DEATH OF THE TESTATOR must needs come in.For a testament is of force when men are dead, since IT IS IN NO WAY OF FORCE whileTHE TESTATOR is ALIVE.)

Whence neither the first was inaugurated without blood.”(Heb 9:15-18 [Darby])

The Glory of the Lord and God was revealed

​“And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”(Isa 40:5 [ESV2011])

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning to God.

All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”(John 1:1-5

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14 [ESV2011])

“And we know that THE SON OF GOD has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know HIMWHO IS TRUE; and we are IN HIM WHO IS TRUE, in HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. HE is THE TRUE GOD and THE ETERNAL LIFE.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”(1John 5:20-21 [ESV2011])

Everything else is evil and pagan.

Mesopotamian Mythology

“Mesopotamian Mythology is the mythology of the people   -Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians - who lived in the valley of Mesopotamia.

It seems that the first phase of the Mesopotamian religion was naturalistic -that is, the worship of the forces of life. Man translated these forces of life into the spirits of euphoria and fertility represented by a couple,  just like people’s life. Man also created gods / spirits for all things necessary for people’s life, such as the spirits of grain, forest, vines, springs, etc. Their mortal gods died and were born again, just like the seasons whose productive power they represented.

Mesopotamian religion does not have a single origin but responds to the very constitution of the country. The most ancient countries of Sumer (Shinar Valley), which had their autonomy at the time of their formation, annexed the neighboring states one after another, each of which had its local clergy, which had already formed a tradition. The priesthood of each city had established its own theory of the genealogy of its gods as well as a different patron god for protection from the other cities. As the states slowly became more and more integrated, the pantheon of the one came close to the pantheon of the other.

The gods of Sumer then came in contact with the gods of the Semitic invasion -Akkades-  and were mixed. So the list of gods doubled. There were double names and tangled generations that nevertheless represented the turmoil that existed in the lives of both peoples. As the years went by, discreet processes had to be made, but the great reform came in the years of the first dynasty of Babylon. The priesthood and the leadership decided to formally unite the two concepts by proposing Marduk (a trivial god until then) as the new official, great god of the state and Babylon. With great mastery, the clergy reduced neither the number nor the value of the earlier gods; simply picked one and raised him above the others without, however, abolishing the old ones. Then the poem of Creation was written which "explains" the predominance of Mardouk and generally proposes another genealogy and mythology, the new and common pretty much for all.”

 Source

Anu

“In Sumerian mythology, and later in Assyrians and Babylonians, Anu or An was the god of the sky and the constellations, the king of the gods, the spirits and the demons. Anu was considered to have the power to judge those who had committed crimes. He was the father of the Anunnaki. In art, he is usually depicted as a jackal. The basic symbol of Anu is a crown with horns.

Anu was the oldest god in the pantheon of the Sumerian mythology, and he was a Triad along with Enlil, god of the sky, and Enki, god of the waters. Anu is often associated with the city of Uruk, the corresponding biblical Erech, and therefore it is believed to have been his original worship center. The deity of Inanna-Ishtar, also worshiped in Uruk, was often considered to be his companion for this reason.”

Source

Greek triadic deities

Indicatively, we will mention the triple goddess Hecate mentioned in Greek mythology as the queen of the sky, earth and sea, protector of justice, army, hunters, fishermen, flocks with the synergy of her lover Hermes, and protector of newborn babies, hence the name kourotrofos (= child nurturer). In the ancient statues, she was depicted with three faces and in the pots holding two torches. In her honor, people celebrated Hecatea at three way crossroads outside their cities.

Other than the above perceptions were that the brother gods Jupiter or Zeus, Pluto and Poseidon had distributed the kingdoms; Jupiter was the god of the sky, Pluto was the god of the underworld, and Poseidon was the god of the waters. [Justin the Philosopher, Exhortation to the Greeks (730)]

From the above we can see that:

·         Polytheism arose from people’s need to interpret  natural phenomena,  love, wisdom, arts, beauty, etc., by inventing gods of various specialties and responsibilities, donors of good or evil things, supposedly protecting them, their cities, their families, their flocks, their boats, their army, their occupations, etc. (cf. today)

·         The clergies always exercised power over any authority, since the emperors supported their perpetuation through the blessings and the oracles of their false prophets.

·         The authorities without the support of the clergy could not be respected by the people. (cf. today)

·         The gods always complied with the modern needs and policies of the authorities. (cf. today)

·         The inventions of the triadic gods were purely arose from polytheism, implying co-governments hierarchically structured in three similar units (three gods), in the way people-kings ruled together.

·         Biblical cities such as Erech (Uruk), Nineveh, Babylon and others, were worship centers of triadic imaginary gods.

The sun’s disc and its phases

The natural sun and its three phases, sunrise, culmination and sunset, were the reason for the creation of triadic deities as the New International Encyclopedia informs us.

“The triad became the world’s most widespread number of deity ... The worship of the sun is one of the oldest forms of religion, and the ancient man sometimes distinguished between the rising, the culminating and the setting sun. The Egyptians, for example, separated the solar god into three deities: Horus - the rising sun, Ra - the culminating sun, and Osiris - the setting sun.” (Egyptian deities)

Therefore, the word of the Lord God to Israel through Moses “Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord” was made to overturn this mindset of the polytheists; a mindset which the Israelites from Chaldea also had, who, even in the time of Ezekiel’s ministry, worshiped the sun. (Ez. 8:15)

And Josiah the king of Juda “he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.” (II Kings 23:11)

Hear, Israelites, your own Lord God (unlike the others) is one Lord (not a dyad – dyadic or triad - triadic).

It is worthwhile to observe the prayer of king Jude Hezekiah when he prays to be freed from the Assyrians:

“So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.” (You are not together with others – that is, you are not dyadic or triadic). (II Ki. 19:19)

Agreement with the New Testament

Our Lord Jesus Christ answering a question from one of the secretaries confirms:

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” (not dyad - dyadic or triad – triadic). (Mark 12:29)

And the secretary responding also confirms: “And the scribe said to him, Well, Master, you have said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.” (Mark 12:32)

And elsewhere he said: “And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” (Mat. 23:9)

And Paul said: “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph. 4:6)

And James also wrote: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.”  (2:19)

 So whoever believes that the Lord God is not dyadic or triadic but ONE is right; besides, the demons believe the same thing, and for that reason they are horrified (they shiver from fear). If, hypothetically, God was dyadic or triadic, then the demons would not be horrified.

Therefore, the father of lies has every reason to deceive for centuries by distorting the truth that the Lord God is ONE (and not a triad - triadic or dyad - dyadic).

Concepts of God’s triadicity apart from the above

(a) Cabalistic thoughts

“The Truth is where Cabalists talk about the veils of the Absolute. The Truth was named in a number of ways: some named it God in general, others named it Father - God, Absolute, Unexpressed, Negative Existence, and some even more vaguely "superior power.” The variety of names and adjectives suggests that the totality of God remains incomprehensible to the human intellect. This knowledge - acceptance is ancient. The ancient peoples had realized that behind the one whom they called father - God there was "something" in which their central God remained accountable. Probably one more superior God, unintelligible even by their supreme God, let alone by themselves. That’s why they mention or hint at him but they do not deal with him, they do not try to interpret him because such an interpretation would be arbitrary. The Cabalistic approach does not escape this. It admits its ignorance and speaks of three veils that give a hint to God, but in essence, like all veils, they conceal him. These veils are Negativity, Unlimited, and Unlimited Light.

These three symbolic veils do not stand out and are not distinct from each other. As a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He is a "consubstantial and inseparable Triad," others and even the highest insider of this solar system (and others greater than him) cannot enter into their secrets.”

Source

(b) Hermes Trismegistus

“There is one deity in the world”

Hermes is mentioned as an omniscient during the reign of Sostros. The following was written by John Malalas (7th - 8th century):

“Hermes Trismegistus the Egyptian, a man with incredible wisdom, said that the name of the unintelligible and creator has three hypostases in a single deity,” thus giving the triadic of God’s hypostasis, which was then integrated in Orthodoxy.

Source                                                                         

(c) Holy Trinity

“The Triadic God is described as a Triune Unit which is manifested by actions and works in creation and history. He has three faces, but these three faces are not three separate gods, otherwise Christianity would not be a monotheistic but a tritheistic religion. According to the doctrine, the reason that the triadic God is one, although with three hypostases, is the absence of space and time. Space and time differentiate human hypostases from each other so that different faces to be different people. But because space and time are created (God’s creations), God is not subject to them. So we have the mystery (incomprehensible to people) of the Triune Unit.”

Source

It follows from the above that the acceptance of the Triadic Doctrine (Triune Unit) entails the acceptance of ignorance, the unintelligible, the incomprehensible, the mystery, and the introduction of new mathematical and grammatical rules. If someone has in mind or sees three veils, three angels, or three ships in a row, this doesn’t mean that God is a triad - triadic. Also, the justification that God is triadic, because he is not subject to space and time, leaves the possibility that he is also, tetradic, pentadic, hexadic, etc.

What is the chaff  to the wheat? (Jer. 23:28)

The Holy Scripture is profitable for instruction

 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works.” (II Tim. 16-17)

The words of the Lord are simple, pure, and comprehensible; they illuminate and they are able to make the man wise, and they are inconsistent with these human triadic, polytheistic perceptions. (cf. Mat. 15:9)

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Mark. 12:29)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119:105)

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” (Ps. 19:7)

“Lead me in your truth, and teach me: for you are the God of my salvation; on you do I wait all the day.” (Ps. 25:5)

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (I John 5:20 Esv2011)

Note: The AKJV quotes by mistake “This is the true God.” (Grk txt: Ούτος = He)

The apostles preached neither a triadic god nor an earthly Jesus, but they preached through the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life.

The prophecy of Isaiah for the Son

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6)

For unto us a child is born

The pronoun “us” is in the dative (giving) case of the person and indicates the person who benefits from something, the person for the sake of whom an action takes place.

“Born” is the past participle of the verb “to bear,” which means that the child, Jesus, was not born by us, but by God who is Spirit, for us.

Similarly the phrase “unto us a son is given.” The Savior was not born by an earthly man so that he can give him to save the world; God who is Spirit and everlasting did that. Otherwise, the Savior would be an earthly man, unable to save, and not the heavenly Lord Jesus Christ. (I Cor. 15:47)

"For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 NET)

Only - begotten = born alone||without any others||without having any brothers or sisters. [Dictionaries: Scarlatos Vyzantios’ ancient Greek dictionary and Pantazidou Homeric dictionary]

The created and earthly Adam is also called son of God (Luk. 3:23/38). So if the born son of God Jesus had Adam’s earthly nature, he wouldn’t be the only-begotten Son of the Father full of grace and truth. Besides:

 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (Gen. 1:27, Is. 1:2, John 1:14, 3:16)

“Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is (The Lord) from heaven.” (I Cor. 15:45-47 Esv2011)

The only-begotten son of God

An only-begotten son of God is defined as He who was born through the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, he was given birth by her “where is he that is born king of the Jews?” (Mat. 2:2), and was given the name Jesus by the Lord’s commandment through an angel. The only-begotten son of the Father that was sent to the world, Jesus, had no brothers or sisters born of the Holy Spirit in the womb of a woman, as he was, but:

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood (Grk txt: Bloods) nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

“He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)

James, Joseph, Simon, Judas and Jesus’ sisters had the same mother but a different father.

“Is not this the carpenter's son? “as was supposed,” is not his mother called Mary? and his brothers, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? From where then has this man all these things? And they were offended in him.” (luk. 3:23, Mat. 13:55-57, 12:47-50)

The birth of Jesus

“And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary to the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born (of you) shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:30-35 AKJV)

Note: In the verse of Luke 1:35, Grk txt omits (of you). Let’s read the same verse in different Bible Versions:

·         “And the angel answering said to her, [The] Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and power of [the] Highest overshadow thee, wherefore the holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God.” (Darby)

·         “And the Angel aunswered, & saide vnto her: The holy ghost shall come vpon thee, & the power of the hyest shall ouershadowe thee. Therefore also that holy thyng whiche shalbe borne, shalbe called the sonne of God.” (Bishops)

·         “And the angel responding said to her; The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore, indeed, that holy thing that is begotten shall be called the Son of God.” (Godbey)

·         “The angel answered her, "the holy spirit shall descend upon thee, and the power of the most high shall over-shadow thee: wherefore thy holy offspring shall be called the son of God.” (Mace)

·         “And the angel, answering, said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of [the] Most High will overshadow you; wherefore also the Holy Thing that is begotten shall be called [the] Son of God.” (Worrell)

The angel did not tell Mary that the holy one who would be born of her would be called the son of God, but he told her that the holy one who would be born in her would be called the son of God.

The same is confirmed to her husband, Joseph, by the angel of the Lord in a dream. In Matthew chapter one and verse twenty we read:

·         “And reflecting upon these things, behold a messenger of the Lord appeared to him saying, Joseph, thou son of David, thou shouldest not fear to take to thyself Mary thy wife: for that begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (SLT)

·         “And he meditating on these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying; Joseph, son of David, do not fear to receive Mary thy wife; for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit;” (Godbey)

·         “And he having pondered these [things], behold— [an] angel [of the] Lord appeared [to] him in [a] dream saying “Joseph, son [of] David, do not fear to take Mary [as] your wife, for the [child] having been fathered in her is by [the] Holy Spirit.” (DLNT)

·         “But while he pondered on these things, behold, an angel of [the] Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take to [thee] Mary, thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is of [the] ​Holy Spirit.” (Darby)

·         “Το γαρ εν αυτή γεννηθέν εκ πνεύματος έστιν αγίου.” (Nestle-Aland Grk txt)

This was the reason he was called the only-begotten son of God, because the holy one born in the womb of Mary was from the Holy Spirit not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will or power of man or woman.

Continuing, the angel said to Joseph: “And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”  Joseph believed the angel’s message.  “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Mat. 1:21-24)

“And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” (Luke 2:21)

The earthly Mary neither conceived through ordinary means “And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Seth, saying, For God has raised up to me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew” (Gen. 4:25, LXXE), nor received a fertilized egg (embryo) in order to give birth to a demigod according to the customs of the Olympians in Greek mythology, nor impregnated by herself as Hera did with Hephaestus who was born through parthenogenesis and his father was the dispute and discord according to the ancient doctrines, nor gave birth to an earthly son, but she conceived miraculously and gave birth to the heavenly Jesus who was born by his Father the eternal Holy Spirit, within her; and everyone born has a beginning.

“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Col. 1:18)

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things said the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (The new spiritual creation).” (Rev. 3:14)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Cor. 5:17)

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (Gal. 6:15)

Emmanuel

The first-century church of God “which he obtained with his own blood” recognized Jesus as the only true God and called him “Emmanuel,” that is, “God is with us.” (Acts 20:28, Ι John 5:20, Isaiah 7:14, 8:8)

This was the reason why the Jews wanted to kill him, because they thought of Jesus as the son of Joseph and Mary and did not believe that he was the only-begotten of the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:33)

The opposed Jews did not believe in the teaching of the apostles

The teaching

“For let this be in mind among you, which also in Christ Jesus; Who, being in the form (image) of God, thought not robbery to be equal to God. But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, born in the likeness of men: And found in fashion as man, he humbled himself, being obedient until death, and the death of the cross.” (Philip. 2:5-8 SLT)

Here, Paul is not talking about a pre-existing Son, but about the only-begotten of the Father (the Holy Spirit), the one who was born by Mary, who was given the name Jesus, the one who was already resurrected when Paul wrote the letters.

“For the impossibility of the law, in that it was weak by the flesh, God having sent his own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the justification of the law be filled up in us, not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:3-4)

Jesus was a Heavenly Man, from Heaven, “the  image of the  invisible God,” and not from the earth, not earthly. (Col. 1:15)

“Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (I Cor. 15:45)

What Jesus who was born by Mary testifies about himself

“Jesus said to them, If God were your father ye would have loved me, for I came forth from God and am come [from him] ; for neither am I come of myself, but he has sent me.” (John 8:42 Darby)

“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” (John 3:13)

For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38)

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

“And Jesus said to them, You are from beneath (from earth); I am from above (from heaven): you are of this world; I am not of this world.” (John 8:23)

“The bread that I will give is my flesh (Grk: Sarx 4561).”  The flesh / body of Jesus was from heaven (the manna in the wilderness was also from heaven), and when Paul, apostle of Jesus, wrote about the mystery of piety “God was manifested in the flesh” he did not disagree with Jesus neither he preached an earthly savior.

Paul wrote: “For the impossibility of the law, in that it was weak by the flesh, God having sent his own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” (Rom. 8:3)

An earthly man could never assert for himself similar testimonies.

Actions of Jesus that were impossible to be carried out by an earthly man

·         “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mat. 7:29)

·         “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mat. 20:28)

·         “For whoever will save his life shall lose it: but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luk. 9:24)

·         “And when he saw their faith, he said to him, Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luk. 5:20)

·         “Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17-18)

·         Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (John 4:31-32)

·         “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

·         “And after six days Jesus takes Peter, James, and John his brother, and brings them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (Mat. 17:1-2)

·         “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark. 4:14)

Jesus was not an angel

“For to which of the angels said he at any time, You are my Son, this day have I begotten you? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?” (Heb. 1:5)

“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me have.” (Luk. 24:39)

The body of Jesus, the only-begotten son of God, was special, separate, unique, it was made in the likeness of man

“But made himself of no reputation, (Grk: emptied himself) and took on him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.” (Philip. 2:7-8)

The blood of Jesus

The bones of the heavenly man Jesus, produced a unique divine blood

“Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” (Rom. 3:25)

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Eph. 1:7)

“Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14)

What the apostles said and wrote

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”  (Col. 2:9-10)

“For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”  (Col. 1:19-20)

“For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.” (I Cor. 15:39-40)

“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being (soul) the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (I Cor. 15:44-45)

The apostles were sent neither to preach Homer or Middle Platonism, nor to preach a demigod (son of a god and a mortal woman). There were many such gods both in the Greek pantheon and in the pantheon of other tribes. But they preached Jesus Christ as the living God and true savior of the world. (I John 5:20, Rom. 9:5, Titus 2:13, Rev. 1:8)

More testimonies

(a) John the Baptist

John the Baptist said that Jesus was above all because He had come from heaven.

“He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.” (John 3:30-33)

And Jesus said that among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.

“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Mat. 11:11)

If Jesus was a man according to the perception of the disagreeing Jews he wouldn't have said that John was the greatest among those born of women, but he would have said, “I am the greatest among those born of women.”

(b) The teaching of the Apostle Paul about resurrection

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul (natural body); the last Adam was made a quickening (live-giving) spirit (spiritual body). However, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” (I Cor. 15:42-49)

The distinction between the earthly and the heavenly is evident, the earthly man is seeded with human sperm and is born as a psychic body "in wear, in unrighteousness, in sickness," and while living on earth, he is spiritually dead because of sin. But the first earthly Adam “was a type of the one who was to come,” that is, a pattern of the spiritual man Jesus. (Rom. 5:14)

The heavenly man Jesus Christ “became a Spirit that gives life” in order to rebirth, give life, resurrect, and let the spiritually dead man “have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) 

“But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (Mat. 8:22)

“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” (Acts 4:1-2)

“Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:5-6)

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” (Col. 2:11-13)

“For this my son was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found. And they began to make merry.” (Luk. 15:24, Darby)

“Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” (Rom. 6:13)

This work of salvation -the remission of sins and the resurrection of the spiritually dead earthly man- would have been impossible if Jesus had a human, earthly, perishable nature.

Jesus Christ is the word of life that became flesh; he is the truth, and the life, and the imperishable seed that gives eternal life.

James informs the Jewish Christians: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James to Hebrews 1:18) (Beget = to create children, to give birth)

 And Peter in his first letter to the Hebrews said: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and stays for ever.” (I Peter to the Hebrews 1:23)

The teaching of the first church about the Word of life

“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.” (Eph. 3:8 Esv2011)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with towards God, and the Word was God God was the Word. He was in the beginning with towards God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 Esv2011)

Note: Grk txt omits, with, instead is “προς τον” (Nestle-Aland). Προς with accusative (τον), to, toward, denoting direction toward a thing (Liddell Scott)

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with  towards Father and was made manifest to us.” (I John 1:1-2)

Compare: “And the Word became flesh,” “God was manifest in the flesh,” “life was made manifest.” (John 1:14, I Tim. 1:16, I John 1:2)

The Jewish writer did not write about a different pre-existing god-word, but, he wrote about the word that was the eternal life, the life of the eternal God / the Father, which was manifest.

 Jesus addressing the Jews said to them: “For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself;” (John 5:26)

“Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe you this?” (John 11:25-26)

Nor did the Jewish writer abolish the scriptures that said:

“As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.” (I Cor. 8:4)

“For ever, O LORD, your word is settled in heaven.” (Ps. 119:89)

“And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” (Ex. 3:14)

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Is. 42:8, 48:11)

“Thus said the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Is. 44:6)

“Thus said the LORD, your redeemer, and he that formed you from the womb, I am the LORD that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by myself;” (Is. 44:24)

“You are my witnesses, said the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior.” (Is. 43:10-11)

“Listen to me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.” (Is. 48:12)

The God-breathed scriptures and the philosophy of people

The apostles were not teachers of heresy  “denying  the only Master and Lord, Jesus Crist” and they knew the scriptures that said:

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” (I Cor. 3:19-20)

“For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (I Cor. 1:19-20)

“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (I Cor. 1:21)

The writers of the New Testament letters were not in agreement with the polytheistic gentiles, who, according to the Greek theological thinking, believed in a hierarchical union of member gods where the high god does not create but gives birth to God the Word who is the cause of creation. The apostles never wrote: Brothers, just like Zeus gave birth to his son Hermes and sent him to difficult and critical missions making him the intermediary between the gods and the people, so did ours, the one god. The pagans believed these fables.

“And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.” (Acts 14:11-12)

Nor did they perform a philosophical analysis by accepting the sophistries about the "Word" of Middle Platonism in order to spread the latest Platonic trends mixed with the teaching of Jesus. This was achieved by the fanatical Hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo who lived in Alexandria, Egypt  -whose library attracted all the philosophical trends-  and considered the “Word” to be the “idea of ​​ideas,” “the firstborn son of the uncreated Father” and “second, inferior god.” He belonged to the so-called apologists, who adopted the Philonian Word of Middle Platonism, which, along with Plotinus, evolved into Neoplatonism, which post-evolved into “patristic theology”. The apologists compromised the comparative Greek theology with Christianity, teaching, like Justin, that:

“And the first power after God the Father and Lord of all is the Word, who is also the Son; and of Him we will, in what follows, relate how He took flesh and became man.” (Justin Philosopher A’ Apology chap. 32,10)

“What sober-minded man, then, will not acknowledge that we are not atheists, worshipping as we do the Maker of this universe, and declaring, as we have been taught .…   Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judæa, in the times of Tiberius Cæsar; and that we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third, we will prove.” (Justin Philosopher A’ Apology chap. 13)

"I shall attempt to persuade you, since you have understood the Scriptures,[of the truth] of what I say, that there is, and that there is said to be, another God and Lord subject to the Maker of all things; who is also called an Angel, because He announces to men whatsoever the Maker of all things--above whom there is no other God--wishes to announce to them." (Justin Philosopher Dialogue with Tryfo chap. 56)

Eventually, this mixing of human earthly wisdom with the wisdom that is from above gave birth to theological battles and great heresies in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries.

The formers of the new Byzantine-type Christianity were wounded by the Philonian love to Plato, damaging the basic idea of ​​the bible that God is love, and that He is One, with the sad effect of the Hellenization of the monotheistic early Christianity, its nationalization and protection from the Roman empire, its armed enforcement, the discovery of the incomprehensible triune unit with the prevalence of the ontological equality between the Father and the Son, and the introduction of new theological terms, non-existent in the sacred biblical texts, such as: consubstantial – undivided – inseparable – two natures – first, second, third person – holy trinity, have mercy on us – blessed virgin – ever virgin – coeternal – co-everlasting – incarnation [incarnate = to give physical substance to someone// reincarnate// metempsychose (Stamatakos Grk dictionary)] etc.

 The Word became flesh

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

Note: It doesn't say "the Word took flesh," as the apologists and philosophers were saying, but it says: "the Word became flesh."

Grammar says that the predicate (flesh) through the middle voice linking verb (became) attributes a property to the subject (the word).

That is, the flesh / man Jesus became a property (an attribute) of the word of life “I am the resurrection and the life.” Mary’s biological participation is absent, otherwise it would say [the word was made flesh by Mary].

The body of Jesus was the temple of God. When the Jews asked for a sign and Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days," the Jews thought that he was telling them about the temple of Solomon. “But he spoke of the temple of his body.” (John 2:19-21)

The heavenly body of Christ is the true tent

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation).” (Heb. 9:11)

In the Old Testament, God filled with his presence the inside of the tent of the tabernacle, and from there, between the two cherubs on the mercy seat, he spoke to Moses within the people’s earshot. (Ex. 25:22)

In the New Testament, the temple of the body of the Son of God is the true tent “not made with hands, that is, not of this creation,” where the whole fullness of deity dwells, and through this body, the one God the Father speaks and acts. (cf. Rev. 21:22)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:19-22)

In this passage we see the prominent spiritual function of the heavenly flesh of Jesus, which allows us to enter in Holy Spirit into the true holies in heaven.

And we beheld His glory

“And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Is. 40:5)

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;” (I John 1:1-2)

“God was manifest in the flesh.” (I Tim. 3:16)

 Was manifest = he made himself visible.

 In the flesh = dative. Here we have the dative of the instrument or means (manner), through which, with what, e.g.

He tells us in what way he was manifest. “The word was made flesh.” So God manifested himself in the flesh - (heavenly) body. (John 6: 51)

Glory as the only-begotten from the father

The only-begotten son is: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature …” (Heb. 1:3)

So, the only-begotten son was the radiance of the glory of the Father and the imprint of his hypostasis (one hypostasis), he was the living image (portrayal - imprint) of the invisible Father, the self of God who is Spirit, the one the Father commanded us to call Jesus (Savior). “For him hath God the Father sealed.” (John 6:27)

Whoever saw the body of Jesus, saw the Father

“Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffises us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father? Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?  the words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works.” (John 14:8-10)

“And he said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)

“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be to you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;” (Rev. 1:4)

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, said the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev. 1:8)

The fullness of Jesus

The fullness of the son was his heavenly Father. “For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col. 2:9)

 “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John 1:16)

“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:19)

Remission of sins, salvation, cure, consolation, liberation from passions, grace, mercy, love, faith, Holy Spirit, everything was and is given by the one God, the Father, the fullness of Jesus, who was and is his body. (cf. Col. 1:19-22)

That is what the apostles were taught by the Lord “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (II Cor. 3:17)

Testimonies of Jesus and the apostles

“Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

“And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

“But Jesus answered them, My Father works till now, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:17-18)

“Then answered Jesus and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for what things soever he does, these also does the Son likewise.” (John (5:19)

“For as the Father raises up the dead, and vivifies them; even so the Son vivifies whom he will. For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son, That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.  He that honors not the Son honors not the Father which has sent him.” (John 5:21-23)

“For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself;” (John 5:26)

“For the bread of God is he which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33)

“Then said they to him, Where is your Father? Jesus answered, You neither know me, nor my Father: if you had known me, you should have known my Father also.” (John 8:19)

“All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knows who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” (Luke 10:22)

“And he said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world.” (John 8:23)

“Then said they to him, Who are you? And Jesus said to them, Even the same that I said to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spoke to them of the Father.” (John 8:25-27)

The Jews could not accept what Jesus said to them, they were resting in their religion, their biological origins, their customs and practices, their feasts, their temple, and their worship according to their traditions, and “They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.”

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

The true servants of Christ and housekeepers of the mysteries of God wrote to those who “received” him, saying:

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (II Cor. 4:6)

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (I John 5:20)

Amen

The birth of the state religion of the Ecumenical Councils

Writer: Evangelos D. Kepenes (01/24/2018)

Biblical references from: ESV2011, AKJV and LXXE

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John, 8:31-32)

The formed byzantine “patristic” Christianity differs in its structure from the early Christianity which was established by Jesus and the apostles, and which is the completion of Biblical Judaism.

Hellenized christianity and christianized hellenism were attained by the involvement of Plato's thinking fundamentally and the monotheistic Jewish christianity, with the hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo as a pioneer, and later with the philosophical apologists. Gradually, this blending formed a new philosophical current, which was a meta-evolution of Plotinus  Neo-Platonism, which is characterized as a patristic philosophy, the Byzantine thinking. According to this new “patristic” philosophy, the heavenly man, Jesus Christ,  has two natures, he is a perfect man and a perfect god, and so the Jewish deniers who led Jesus to the cross with deceit were half-justified.

“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:33)

The “fathers” of the new religion, who were also excited by Philo's love for the contradictory Greek philosophy, forgot the Scriptures, which say that:

“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (I Cor. 1:21)

“However, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nothing: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (I Cor. 2:6-8)

Early Christianity is the manifestation of God's love and “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” and is in contradistinction to human philosophy. (II Cor. 4:6)

“And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.” (I Cor. 2:13)

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but to us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ” (I Cor. 1:18-20)

The apologetic philosophers equated this contradistinction by, on the one hand, downgrading the “gospel of God” to the level of human philosophy and, on the other hand, by upgrading the human contradictory philosophy to a divine level. (Rom. 15:16)

“For Plato, with the air of one that has descended from above, and has accurately ascertained and seen all that is in heaven, says that the most high God exists in a fiery substance. But Aristotle, in a book addressed to Alexander of Macedon, giving a compendious explanation of his own philosophy, clearly and manifestly overthrows the opinion of Plato, saying that God does not exist in a fiery substance: but inventing, as a fifth substance, some kind of aetherial and unchangeable body, says that God exists in it.” (Justin’s hortatory address to the Greeks, chap. 5)

With this contradictory philosophy, a large portion of “Christians” walked from the 2nd century AD onwards, enticed by the apologists, who mistakenly taught that philosophy is a tutor that brings people to Christianity and a fellow-helper in the understanding of truth.

This teaching was in stark contrast to the teaching of the apostles who said:

“But, before the faith came, we were kept guarded under law, being shut up to the faith about to be revealed. So that the law has become our tutor [to lead us] to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But the faith having come, we are no longer under a tutor;” (Gal. 3:23-25, Worrell)

The very few references to Greek literature in the New Testament have simple human meaning and do not prove the parallel dissemination of philosophical currents by the apostles. This is mistakenly claimed by the adherents of the meta-evolved and processed “patristic” Christianity, which, as it was mentioned above, is the result of a multi-year process of mixing philosophy with the revelation of the truth by the Holy Spirit, which was sent from heaven. (I Peter to Hebrews, 1:2)

Biblical testimony

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (I Cor. 2:4-5)

By accepting this proper strategy of the apostle Paul, the Jews of Veria were “nobler” than the Jews of Thessaloniki, and when Paul visited them at their synagogue, they accepted the word with all willingness. In order to ascertain the truth of Jesus, they “examined the Scriptures every day” without consulting the Greek philosophy, which grabbed Christ as a loot from the believers.

“Beware that no one rob you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8, VW)

The new religion

The new, Platonized, “patristic” thinking, covered behind the Hebrew Bible and the personality of Jesus Christ and having hellenism as a background, eventually formed a new polytheistic religion supported by the Roman politics of the New Rome. Dressed in the cremated forms of Judaism “and the elements shall melt with fervent heat (II Pet. 3:10),” such as earthly temples with symbolic arrangement and operation which intensely reminds of the burnt temple of the Jews, upgraded the “other god word” of Philo and the apologist Justin and other philosophers, from “second” and “inferior” god to “co-eternal” and “co-equal” to the Father, making an ontological equation of God the Father and God the Son.

The misguided effort of the apologists to mix Greek thinking, which believed in complex deities with a hierarchical union of member gods, (henotheism), with biblical monotheism, gave birth to long theological philosophical battles. Finally, with the help of the philosophers, “fathers of the church” and the holding of many councils which in practice fueled new controversies and consecutive depositions and exiles of bishops of all individual factions, a god of three hypostases was created, a three-sunned godhead, thus justifying both the human philosophy and the ever-existing national polytheism. The “Triune unit” which was incomprehensible to people became fully comprehensible at the end of the 4th century AD only by the philosophers, “fathers of the church” who finalized the triadic doctrine, which was proclaimed correct by an imperial order, replacing “Christ’s” teaching. (Colossians, 2:8)

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Excerpt from an edict in the Byzantine-Roman Law

               On the orthodox faith of Christians

                      and that no one should dare

                      to dispute about it publicly.

1) Read βι. α’ τι α chap. α και δ, which say that a Christian is someone who believes that there is one deity of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, with equal power. Anyone who believes the opposite of what has been said is a heretic.

2) No clergyman or monk or soldier or anyone else by gathering a crowd in public should talk about faith, because it will be seen as an insult to the Council of Chalcedon which adequately defined everything, which also allows all heretics to know our point of view. Therefore, if a clergyman does so, he will be expelled from the clergy association. If someone is a soldier, he will be expelled from the army. Let the rest be punished according to their social class.

Source

The Roman emperors Constantine and Theodosius

The sun-worshiper, polytheist, mithraist, bloody emperor of the Romans, Flavius ​​Valerius Constantinus, for political reasons, sought the religious assimilation of his ethnicities, believing that he would also secure the favor of the God of “Christians” in his martial affairs, but also the willingness of themselves to pour their blood for the empire. Being an idolater, whatever knowledge he had about the Son of God was obtained from controversial prophecies by a Sibyl (= oracle, priestess of the god Apollo)  whom he extolled as blessed.

“It is evident that the virgin uttered these verses under the influence of Divine inspiration. And I cannot but esteem her blessed, whom the Saviour (sobriquet of god Apollo) thus selected to unfold his gracious purpose towards us.” (The oration of the emperor Constantine, which he addressed “to the assembly of the saints” chap. 18)

Most of Eusebius' contemporaries believed that the sibylline oracles about Jesus were forgeries as Eusebius himself testifies:

“Many, however, who admit that the Erythræan Sibyl was really a prophetess, yet refuse to credit this prediction, and imagine that some one professing our faith, and not unacquainted with the poetic art, was the composer of these verses. They hold, in short, that they are a forgery, and alleged to be the prophecies of the Sibyl on the ground of their containing useful moral sentiments, tending to restrain licentiousness, and to lead man to a life of sobriety and decorum.” (The oration of the emperor Constantine, which he addressed “to the assembly of the saints” chap. 19)

The emperor Constantine came from the army's ranks and had received his rank for wartime gallantry. His main concern was the proper administration, the increase and the preservation of his territorial sovereignty. Without having any knowledge of the Greek and Jewish literature and being unqualified for Judeo-Christian biblical issues, he summoned the First Ecumenical Council, which is characterized as a political act, aiming at the cohesion of the Roman state through common faith. By signing the decisions of the Council into state law with the death penalty for doubters, he set himself as the protector of the already Hellenized and schismatic Christianity, granting special privileges to the clergy as well. Influenced by his Arian bishops friends and his sister, Constantia, he leaned to Arianism. A few years later, following the condemnation by the Council of Arianism and the exile of Arius, he recalls the latter from exile and punishes in the same way the great adversary of Arius at the Council, the “father” Athanasius of Alexandria.

However, the greatest distortion of the promises of God and the teaching of the genuine Christianity, which has no flag or color, was achieved by the emperor Theodosius, who, in 380 AD, made the processed Christianity the official religion of his empire, thus attributing an ethno-religious identity to his earthly citizens as opposed to the spiritual and not-of-this-world identity recognized by the one God on the “partakers of the heavenly calling.” (Hebrews, 3:1)

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26:29)

The new state religion of the philosophers, “fathers of the church,” supported  by the anti- pagan legislation of its sole dominant protectors who outlawed all the ancient religions by imposing the punishment of beheading and other means of punishment on the dissidents, achieved its violent dominance, yielding continuous spiritual darkness in the East and the West. The excerpt from the Acts of the Apostles that is quoted depicts the complete contrast between God's good intentions towards man and the purposes and the state-served interests of the new religion, the ally of the Byzantium, and the policy of violent cleansing of those of a different faith.

“Delivering you (Grk txt: εκλέγων σε = choosing you) from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom now I send you, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:17-18, AKJV)

The side effects of the nationalization of the new religion

The anti-Christian impacts of Theodosius' decision to nationalize God's work for the salvation of people are perpetuated and imprinted primarily by the results of the anti-pagan policy followed by him and other Roman emperors, which resembles that of the Persian king Artaxerxes.

“And whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.” (Ez. 7:26)

And secondly, they are perpetuated and imprinted by the distinct Christian perception acquired by the Byzantine “Christian” citizens, as it appears in the following excerpt from an article by theologian Manolis Tzirakis:

“However, besides the emperor, the citizen of the Byzantine state is also a genuine and faithful Christian. He believes that the state he belongs to is protected by God and enjoys His favor. This belief is expressed by Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 6th century when he states that: "The State of Romans will not be torn down; it will remain unharmed forever, being the first to believe in the Lord Christ." (att. Ahrweiler, 2009). The members of Byzantine society are law-abiding citizens of the emperor and Christians committed to their faith, they are guided by monks and clergymen, they indiscriminately go by the name of Roman or Christian (identical terms in Byzantium), whom its emperor Leo VI characteristically calls the Nation of Christians, while the Byzantine people was named the Chosen People or New Israel (Ahrweiler, 2009).”

Source

Epilogue

The formed religious and subsequent political dominance of the new secular Byzantine religion points to the military, imperialistic triumphs of Rome rather than to the pure, through the Holy Spirit, heavenly destination, which was carved by the early Christianity with the persuasion of the god-inspired written word and not with the persuasion of the contradictory evolved patristic philosophy and the armed coercion that harmed and adulterated the basic truths that God is love and is One.

“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts, 28:23)

“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in your sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Mat. 11:25-27)

Jesus reigns!

                 Ι. The Birth of Biblical Judaism

Biblical Judaism was the traditional monotheistic religion of the Jews, born after their constitution as a nation. It was the Religion of promises and expectations, with the symbols as a strong element which were images of the heavenly expected spiritual goods, which were fulfilled through Jesus Christ, and it had age-related character with birth, adulthood and old age.

“In that he said, A new covenant, he has made the first old. Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away.” (Heb. 8:13)

His chief prophet and founder was the servant of God Moses who did exactly what was shown to him. The historical conditions for the formation of the nation and the religion of the Jews are made known through the written Torah and the books of the prophets of Israel, the Hebrew Bible.

The guidance and communication of the true God with Israel from the beginning made him a heteronomous nation both socially and religiously. The autonomous peoples chose their land, trading and miscegenation with others, philosophized, legislated and invented their gods and each religion according to their applied politics and their social, spiritual and cultural needs, unless they were under foreign sovereignty.

Israel [= God’s Power] neither chose nor was enforced by other states to be so. It was God himself who spoke to Abram the Chaldean, the son of the idolater Terah, who was then at the age of seventy-five years old, and said to him:

“Now the LORD had said to Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you: And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing:” (Gen. 12:1-2, 7. Acts, chap. 7)

So Abram took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, and went to the land of Canaan. There, the Lord appeared to him again, and told him, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” So God himself decided to create the nation of Israel, he defined the land of its residence and the place where they would worship Him, and made Abram its biological father promising to bless him.

And while Abram had already received the promise that he would be the biological father of the fleshly Israel, at the age of eighty-six he acquired Ishmael from Hagar the Egyptian, the slave of Sarai, which, allegorically interpreted, is the Old Testament (“bearing children for slavery”) or otherwise the Mosaic law, which was given to Moses on Mount Sinai after four hundred and thirty years through angels and which would be the inviolable rule of the religious and political organization of the Jewish nation, with heavenly promises that received spiritual perfection. (Deu. 4:2, Heb. 8:5. Gal. 4:24)

So the national and religious identity of the earthly Israel and the boundaries of its residence on the land where the Amorites lived before were defined by God himself with a predominant command:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” (Judges, 6:10. Acts, 7:53. Deu. 6:4. Gen. 16:16. Gal. 4:22-24)

The promise to Abram

At the age of ninety-nine, the Lord appeared to Abram again and, having self-introduced as his God, said to him:

“As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you ….… And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and you.” (Gen. 17:4-5, 11)

Circumcision as a sign

Circumcision was a sign, a seal which affirmed the vindication by faith and the quickening for all nations. Abraham, according to the promise, would be the father of the faith, the father of all believers whether they were circumcised or not. Circumcision was therefore not an innovation for the Jews who would make them special or superior to other nations, but it was a sign to remind them of God’s promise to Abraham “about the quickening of the dead.” Besides, circumcision was already in use before Abraham by Egyptians, Ethiopians, Syrians and others. (Herodotus, The Histories, Book 2, 104:2)

“What advantage then has the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” (Rom. 3:1-3)

The fulfillment of the promise abolished circumcision. In addressing the Jewish Christians who believed from the beginning, Paul wrote:

“Behold, I Paul say to you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” (Gal. 5:2-3)

“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philip. 3:2-3)

Continuing speaking to Abraham, God tells him to now call his wife Sarai by the name Sarah [= Princess], and while as a young woman Sarai could not bear children, he promises him that during her old age he would give him a son through her, Isaac. Isaac, as a child of promise, became the most important allegory in the history of Judaism and is the New Testament, which frees from the law of sin and death, which is the fulfillment and perfection of biblical Judaism.  [Gen., chap. 17. Gal., 4:22-24. Rom., 10:4]

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:2)

The teaching of Christianity about the promise of  life to Abraham

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.” (II Tim. 1:1)

“Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” (Gal. 4:28)

“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.” (Rom. 4:13-14)

“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel to Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed ……. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Christ (the life).” (Gal. 3:6-8, 16. John, 11:25)

Abraham is the father of faith

“Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” (Rom. 3:29)

“For what said the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness ……. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed to them also. And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.” (Rom. 4:3, 10-11)

“As it is written, I have made you a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who vivifies the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were.” (Rom. 4:17)

So the promise of the one God to Abraham that he will become the father of a multitude of nations spoke of the quickening of the dead Jewish and gentiles.

“But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (Mat. 8:22)

Why he said, Awake you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” (Eph. 5:14)

“Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:5-7)

The same promise cancels out any nationalistic and biological interpretation of Pharisaic Judaism for revival and worldwide domination of the earthly kingdom of Israel. It was a promise of God, which surpassed the narrow limits of the genealogically fleshly Jewish nation and embraced all the children of faith regardless of their earthly nationality. Any biological or national religious perception of the promise is untrue. God did not say to Abraham that he would be the biological father of all nations, but he made him the father of the faith of the children of the promise who are fatherless, motherless, non-genealogical in relation to the cosmic creation, because the members of the household, the living children of God, is a spiritual living nation, a holy nation.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John, 1:12-13)

And to your seed, who is Christ [the Life]

“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” (1 Pet. 1:23)

Nor when he said to him “and to your seed” did he mean the perishable biological seed, because the biological man is sown, he is born in corruption, in dishonor and in weakness. But, by establishing Abraham as the father of faith, he told him about the heavenly man Jesus Christ, who, as a life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), raises within the psychic, perishable and mortal body of the earthly men the inner spiritual man through faith and acceptance in Jesus.

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” (I Cor. 15:42-44)

“What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John,  3:6)

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” (II Cor. 4:16)

“Do not lie to one another. Strip yourselves of the old man, with his deeds, and clothe yourself with the new man, who has been renewed by knowledge, in accord with the image of the One who created him.” (Col. 3:9-10, CPDV)

The old man / the outward man is the mortal, fleshly and perishable man who is “sown,” born by an earthy father and an earthy mother, while the new man / the inward man is the spiritual one, the imperishable one, born within the earthly man by the heavenly Jesus who is a life-giving spirit. (1 Cor. 15:45)

"Of his own will he brought us forth (the inward man) by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." (James 1:18)

The earthy man was a type of the spiritual who was to come

“Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” (Rom. 5:14)

God is Spirit, he cannot be considered as clay; therefore, the execution of the intention of “let us make man in our image, after our likeness” required a heavenly, spiritual man, and not an earthly one from the earth, dependent upon food and drink. (John 4:24, Gen. 1:26))

The earthly Adam (= man) was made “according to the image of God” and he “was a type of the one who was to come” (Gen. 1:27, Rom. 5:14).  His categorization as "the first man" demonstrates the expectation of a second one (1 Cor. 15:47-49) who would be according to the requirements of God's original intent, namely, spiritual, eternal/immortal and heavenly. Therefore, from the beginning of man's creation from the earth, the spiritual man, the new creation, was the expected one. This expectation was fulfilled through Jesus, "who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (the new and spiritual one, not the earthly one). (Col. 1:15)

“A ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations.” (Gen. 49:10, LXXE)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Cor. 5:17)

The flesh/body of Jesus Christ is the Temple of the invisible God (John 2:21)

“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Col. 2:9)

In the Old Testament, God, the Spirit, appeared through the earthly Sanctuary/Temple, in a cloud. In the New Testament, "God was manifest in the flesh." He appeared through the heavenly Temple; through the heavenly body of the Holy child Jesus. (Leviticus 16:2, 1 Timothy 3:16)

“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:19)

The tabernacle, otherwise the sanctuary, “the worldly sanctuary” [Heb. 9:1], was the portable, terrestrial and handmade tabernacle of the Jews, the most powerful institution of Hebrew society and Judaism. It was a type of the true, heavenly, non-handmade dwelling place of God. It was built by Moses at the suggestion of God with earthly materials, with the ark of the testimony as the greatest of all furniture in the holy of holies, where the presence of God was also manifested.

“And thou shalt make me a sanctuary, and I will appear among you. And thou shalt make for me according to all things which I shew thee in the mountain; even the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all its furniture: so shalt thou make it.” (Ex. 25:8-9, LXXE)

The worldly, handmade temple consisted of the first tabernacle where the priests performing the worships entered, and the second tabernacle where the ark of the testimony was kept and where the high priest entered alone with the blood of slain animals “which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.” Between the two tabernacles there was a partition, the veil. For as much time as the first tabernacle existed and was in operation, it was an indication from the Holy Spirit that the way leading to the Holy of Holies was not yet revealed, as it operated with animal sacrifices, offerings, foods and drinks, which were carnal ordinances imposed until the time of the arrival of the true heavenly tabernacle, in which the true spiritual worshippers, the ones "in Christ," would worship. (Hebrew 9:6-10)

The heavenly body / flesh of Jesus is the True, non-handmade Temple; it is the true heavenly tabernacle that has come; it is the way that leads to the holies; it is the way that we approach and worship God who dwells in it, "in spirit and truth." (Hebrews 8:1-2, 10:19)

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent  not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.” (Heb. 9:11)

So, God set aside, canceled the old one, and introduced, inserted the new one. Since then, the quickened by Jesus Christ, the true, spiritual worshipers, the “new creation,” worship in this new heavenly Temple, which is the body of Christ Jesus. (John 2:21)

“But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John, 4:23-24)

The institution of the earthly tabernacle of Jewish society was replaced by the heavenly tabernacle with the new and living way established through the veil, that is, the flesh of Jesus who descended from heaven.

The origin of Jesus

“The angel said: Joseph, son of David, do not fear to receive Mary thy wife; for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit;” (Mat. 1:20)

The Spirit was the Father of the Lord Jesus, and Jesus was made a quickening spirit. If Jesus was a biological, earthly man, he would not be able to make regeneration (= to be born a second time, to return from death or non-existence to life). (Matthew 19:28, 1 Corinthians 15:45)

According to the biblical testimony, Jesus was the seed of the promise to Abraham, and the Spirit was his Father. His characterization as "the second man from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:48) doesn't characterize him as an earthy, biological man. And since God does not dwell in handmade temples, it would be impossible for all the fullness of Deity to dwell in the unblemished and spotless Jesus (1 Peter 1:19) if his flesh, his body, was biological. The biological man is perishable and cannot inherit incorruptibility, neither flesh and blood can inherit God's kingdom. Heirs are the spiritual children of the promise, the new creation, the regeneration.

Jesus was not a type of the first man, but the first man from the earth was a type of the future man, the second man from heaven, Jesus, whose flesh / body was "a likeness of sinful flesh." (Romans 8:3)

“Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” (1 Cor. 15:45-50)

Jesus’ testimony about himself

“And he said to them, You are from beneath; (earthy) I am from above (from heaven): you are of this world; I am not of this world.” (John, 8:23)

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John, 6:51)

“Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)

The authors of the New Covenant letters said about Jesus

“He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)                                                                                   

“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” (John 3:13)

“The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” (1 Cor. 15:47)

“He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.” (Eph. 4:10)

Compare: “the Word became flesh || God was manifest in the flesh || for the life was manifested.” (John, 1:14, I Tim. 3:16, I John, 1:2)

The fulfillment of the promise

Thus, the promise to the fathers of the Jews and founders of the Jewish monotheism, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was fulfilled.

“And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” (Acts, 13:32-33)

Early Christianity is the fulfillment of the written expectations of biblical Judaism, which was completed. Biblical Judaism was declassified as a religion of expectations and as a religion of symbols, “Christ is the end of the law.” The pouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost confirmed the completion of the time of biblical Judaism and its ritual. The torch for the salvation of the man and the true knowledge and worship of the one God was picked up by the true early Christianity, with a mandate neither to be enforced nor to be nationalized, but:

“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.” (Luk. 24:47-48)

As the promises of God to Abraham legitimized the fleshly Israel and biblical Judaism, so the fulfillment of these promises by God legitimizes and establishes the new spiritual Israel and the genuine early Christianity.

Of course, this pure Christianity does not require any secular legitimization or any kind of secular imposition, because it is based on God's will and the unforced will of man, “If any man will come after me …….” (Mat. 16:24)

 II. The Birth of Pharisaic Judaism

God made the priests, the sons of Aaron, responsible for the teaching of the people of Israel and interpretation of the written law, and for their mutual affairs and disputes he suggested appointing judges.

“And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.” (Lev. 10:8-11)

“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” ( Deu. 16:18)

The institution of the kingdom demanded by the Jews by the last judge, Samuel, has created, as in any kingdom, nepotism. Together with the ignorance of the law due to the poor teaching of the priests, who sometimes neglected even the maintenance of the temple (II Kings, 12:4), it created rival political and religious tendencies that brought schisms to the people of Israel, apostasy from God, partition of the kingdom and civil war conflicts. In the acts of the kings, Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, stands out by trying to do what is pleasing to God, and sends some non-responsible rulers along with the Levites to the cities of Judah to teach the people the Book of the Law of the Lord (II Chronicles, 17:7-9). Therefore, the involvement of the elite in the religious matters was in action, and the preservation of the interests required the survival of the nation, resulting in the gradual development of a nationalistic religious conscience and faith in one God, a national protector, who would guarantee the state's prosperity and supremacy against the others. Thus, the perception of God's good intention to bless all nations, as it was announced to Patriarch Abraham, was overshadowed.

Later on, in the Babylonian captivity and dispersion, the destruction of the built temple, the strongest institution of Judaism, strongly emphasized the need for the survival of the Jewish identity and the uplifting of the national and religious spirit. This need was met by the houses of prayer and study that evolved into synagogues, with educators, Jewish scholars, the later rabbis. The synagogues compensated for the lack of the temple and continued as a secondary religious institution after its rebuilding, which was carried out with the support and sponsorship of a foreign power, that of Persia. (Ezra, 7:14-15)

The protagonists at the time of the rebuilding of the temple, which was inferior to the first one in terms of beauty, were the political leader Zerubbabel and the priest and secretary Ezra, an expert in the written law of the Lord, who largely restored the knowledge of the law, appointed Levitical priests and judges, and so the kingdom of Judah continued to survive with those whose heart God had moved to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. (Ezra, 1:5)

Until the birth of Jesus, the Jewish nation continued its religious and political schismatic course. Besides the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, there was also a temple in Samaria, on Mount Gerizim, which was built by the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel and, according to Josephus, was destroyed by the high priest and king of the Jews John Hyrcanus in 128 BC, who inaugurated in Israel the institution of dual power, the political one and the religious one. Also, archaeologists assert a Jewish temple on the island of Elephantine of Egypt that served the needs of the Jewish community there. With the support of Ptolemy VI, another temple was built by the high priest Onias in Leontopolis, Egypt, where he resorted after having been persecuted by the family of the Maccabees; a temple that was the spiritual center of the Jews of Egypt. The participation of the Jews of Alexandria in the rebellion of the Jews of Palestine against the sovereignty of Rome also led to the destruction of the temple in Leontopolis.

Political division of the Jews

The civil war of the Greeks between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids who prevailed in Palestine, transformed, due to geographical position, the land of Judea into battlefields, dragging the Jews into a political division, dividing them into hellenizontes and nationalists. The violent policy of the hellenization of the Seleucids outlawed the Jewish religion causing a civil war between the Judaic factions with the participation of Hellenistic high priests. The revolution of the Maccabees after many struggles finally gave independence to the Jews again, peace came between the factions without, however, disrupting the spread of the Greek thinking and the tendency of hellenization.

The involvement of the priestly institution in politics weakened its original mission and created a breach between the priests and the wise men and secretaries who controlled the synagogues. In this way, the ground was prepared for the emergence, among the scholars, of the sect of the Pharisees (= those who have been divided) who claimed to be the legal representatives, interpreters and custodians of Judaism, they recognized both the written and the oral Torah, thus creating the dipole of the commandments of God and the commandments of men. They placed a special emphasis on manmade rules, they uplifted the national spirit, and they were popular among the ordinary people. The Pharisees were in a permanent social and religious confrontation with the sect of the Sadducees who rejected the oral tradition, pursued hellenization and defended the rights and privileges of the ruling class.

Τhe oral traditions over the written law of Moses

The Roman conquest, the Roman-friendly policy of the Jewish kings and the Hellenistic tendency mainly of the wealthy Jewish people of Palestine and those who settled in Egypt, strengthened the position of the Pharisees, but created a side effect in the Jewish perception, that of the dominance of the oral traditions over the written law of Moses, resulting in the birth of extreme nationalism. This fact was foreseen by the prophet Isaiah, and the Lord Jesus confirmed it.

“This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Mat. 15:8-9)

Throughout his ministry in the land of Israel, Jesus always referred to the written law and prophets, and never to human traditions and teachings which he rejected.

“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the scriptures.” (Luk. 24:27, NET)

The apostle Paul “from the tribe of Benjamin” was a Pharisee, who studied in Jerusalem “at the feet” of Gamaliel who was also a Pharisee. He was more exceedingly zealous for his paternal traditions, and before his conversion to Christ, not having the spiritual understanding of the written law, he persecuted and abused the church of God.

“For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.” (Gal. 1:13:14, NET)

But when he became aware, he understood that the Scriptures spoke not of a fleshly but of a spiritual people, who would receive a heavenly inheritance and kingdom that would be not of this world. So, what he thought was gain, he now regards it as dung so that he may win Christ. Having this understanding now, he recommends to the church:

“And these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” (I Cor. 4:6)

In Timothy, the same apostle exalts the divine origin of the Scriptures, unquestionably putting the written word of the Hebrew Bible above every human tradition and philosophy.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works.” (II Tim. 3:16-17)

And again: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom.15:4)

Not a single “genuine child of faith,” of the true Jesus, was enticed by the human traditions of the Pharisees; those who hoped in them believed that Jesus was the Jew who would restore the kingdom to the fleshly Israel according to the earthly pattern of David.

“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” (John, 6:15)

The same anti-biblical Pharisaic perceptions were an obstacle to recognizing the heavenly Jesus as the One true God, and for this reason they were asking to kill him, believing that Jesus was an earthly man just like them, who made himself God.

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John, 5:18)

“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John, 10:33)

Pharisaic Judaism remained in the nationalistic, earthly perception of God's promises, and, by not understanding the written prophetic word, it denied the finisher of faith Jesus Christ and persecuted true Christianity from its birth, thus failing to achieve its spiritual fulfillment and become the receiver of the heavenly goods.

“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life.” (John, 5:39)

“For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.” (Acts, 13:27-28)

Today's Rabbinic Judaism, which finds pleasure in collecting human Jewish traditions, is introduced as the ideological continuation of Pharisaic Judaism, with varying tendencies and stripped of the elements that legitimized Judaism, namely, the temple, the prophets, the priests, the sacrifices, the baptisms, the offerings and the genealogical Jewish bloodline; it preserves the expectation of a third handmade Temple in Jerusalem as a means of fulfilling its nationalistic ideologies, completely ignoring that:

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands;” (Acts, 17:24)

ΙΙΙ. The birth of the state religion of the Ecumenical Councils

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John, 8:31-32)

The formed byzantine “patristic” Christianity differs in its structure from the early Christianity which was established by Jesus and the apostles, and which is the completion of Biblical Judaism.

Hellenized christianity and christianized hellenism were attained by the involvement of Plato's thinking fundamentally and the monotheistic Jewish christianity, with the hellenistic Jewish philosopher Philo as a pioneer, and later with the philosophical apologists. Gradually, this blending formed a new philosophical current, which was a meta-evolution of Plotinus  Neo-Platonism, which is characterized as a patristic philosophy, the Byzantine thinking. According to this new “patristic” philosophy, the heavenly man, Jesus Christ,  has two natures, he is a perfect man and a perfect god, and so the Jewish deniers who led Jesus to the cross with deceit were half-justified.

“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:33)

The “fathers” of the new religion, who were also excited by Philo's love for the contradictory Greek philosophy, forgot the Scriptures, which say that:

“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (I Cor. 1:21)

“However, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nothing: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (I Cor. 2:6-8)

Early Christianity is the manifestation of God's love and “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” and is in contradistinction to human philosophy. (II Cor. 4:6)

“And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.” (I Cor. 2:13)

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but to us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? ” (I Cor. 1:18-20)

The apologetic philosophers equated this contradistinction by, on the one hand, downgrading the “gospel of God” to the level of human philosophy and, on the other hand, by upgrading the human contradictory philosophy to a divine level. (Rom. 15:16)

“For Plato, with the air of one that has descended from above, and has accurately ascertained and seen all that is in heaven, says that the most high God exists in a fiery substance. But Aristotle, in a book addressed to Alexander of Macedon, giving a compendious explanation of his own philosophy, clearly and manifestly overthrows the opinion of Plato, saying that God does not exist in a fiery substance: but inventing, as a fifth substance, some kind of aetherial and unchangeable body, says that God exists in it.” (Justin’s hortatory address to the Greeks, chap. 5)

With this contradictory philosophy, a large portion of “Christians” walked from the 2nd century AD onwards, enticed by the apologists, who mistakenly taught that philosophy is a tutor that brings people to Christianity and a fellow-helper in the understanding of truth.

This teaching was in stark contrast to the teaching of the apostles who said:

“But, before the faith came, we were kept guarded under law, being shut up to the faith about to be revealed. So that the law has become our tutor [to lead us] to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But the faith having come, we are no longer under a tutor;” (Gal. 3:23-25, Worrell)

The very few references to Greek literature in the New Testament have simple human meaning and do not prove the parallel dissemination of philosophical currents by the apostles. This is mistakenly claimed by the adherents of the meta-evolved and processed “patristic” Christianity, which, as it was mentioned above, is the result of a multi-year process of mixing philosophy with the revelation of the truth by the Holy Spirit, which was sent from heaven. (I Peter to Hebrews, 1:2)

Biblical testimony

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (I Cor. 2:4-5)

By accepting this proper strategy of the apostle Paul, the Jews of Veria were “nobler” than the Jews of Thessaloniki, and when Paul visited them at their synagogue, they accepted the word with all willingness. In order to ascertain the truth of Jesus, they “examined the Scriptures every day” without consulting the Greek philosophy, which grabbed Christ as a loot from the believers.

“Beware that no one rob you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Col. 2:8, VW)

The new religion

The new, Platonized, “patristic” thinking, covered behind the Hebrew Bible and the personality of Jesus Christ and having hellenism as a background, eventually formed a new polytheistic religion supported by the Roman politics of the New Rome. Dressed in the cremated forms of Judaism “and the elements shall melt with fervent heat (II Pet. 3:10),” such as earthly temples with symbolic arrangement and operation which intensely reminds of the burnt temple of the Jews, upgraded the “other god word” of Philo and the apologist Justin and other philosophers, from “second” and “inferior” god to “co-eternal” and “co-equal” to the Father, making an ontological equation of God the Father and God the Son.

The misguided effort of the apologists to mix Greek thinking, which believed in complex deities with a hierarchical union of member gods, (henotheism), with biblical monotheism, gave birth to long theological philosophical battles. Finally, with the help of the philosophers, “fathers of the church” and the holding of many councils which in practice fueled new controversies and consecutive depositions and exiles of bishops of all individual factions, a god of three hypostases was created, a three-sunned godhead, thus justifying both the human philosophy and the ever-existing national polytheism. The “Triune unit” which was incomprehensible to people became fully comprehensible at the end of the 4th century AD only by the philosophers, “fathers of the church” who finalized the triadic doctrine, which was proclaimed correct by an imperial order, replacing “Christ’s” teaching. (Colossians, 2:8)

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Excerpt from an edict in the Byzantine-Roman Law

                                On the orthodox faith of Christians

                                         and that no one should dare

                                          to dispute about it publicly.

1) Read βι. α’ τι α chap. α και δ, which say that a Christian is someone who believes that there is one deity of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, with equal power. Anyone who believes the opposite of what has been said is a heretic.

2) No clergyman or monk or soldier or anyone else by gathering a crowd in public should talk about faith, because it will be seen as an insult to the Council of Chalcedon which adequately defined everything, which also allows all heretics to know our point of view. Therefore, if a clergyman does so, he will be expelled from the clergy association. If someone is a soldier, he will be expelled from the army. Let the rest be punished according to their social class.

 Source

The Roman emperors Constantine and Theodosius

The sun-worshiper, polytheist, mithraist, bloody emperor of the Romans, Flavius ​​Valerius Constantinus, for political reasons, sought the religious assimilation of his ethnicities, believing that he would also secure the favor of the God of “Christians” in his martial affairs, but also the willingness of themselves to pour their blood for the empire. Being an idolater, whatever knowledge he had about the Son of God was obtained from controversial prophecies by a Sibyl (= oracle, priestess of the god Apollo)  whom he extolled as blessed.

“It is evident that the virgin uttered these verses under the influence of Divine inspiration. And I cannot but esteem her blessed, whom the Saviour (sobriquet of god Apollo) thus selected to unfold his gracious purpose towards us.” (The oration of the emperor Constantine, which he addressed “to the assembly of the saints” chap. 18)

Most of Eusebius' contemporaries believed that the sibylline oracles about Jesus were forgeries as Eusebius himself testifies:

“Many, however, who admit that the Erythræan Sibyl was really a prophetess, yet refuse to credit this prediction, and imagine that some one professing our faith, and not unacquainted with the poetic art, was the composer of these verses. They hold, in short, that they are a forgery, and alleged to be the prophecies of the Sibyl on the ground of their containing useful moral sentiments, tending to restrain licentiousness, and to lead man to a life of sobriety and decorum.” (The oration of the emperor Constantine, which he addressed “to the assembly of the saints” chap. 19)

The emperor Constantine came from the army's ranks and had received his rank for wartime gallantry. His main concern was the proper administration, the increase and the preservation of his territorial sovereignty. Without having any knowledge of the Greek and Jewish literature and being unqualified for Judeo-Christian biblical issues, he summoned the First Ecumenical Council, which is characterized as a political act, aiming at the cohesion of the Roman state through common faith. By signing the decisions of the Council into state law with the death penalty for doubters, he set himself as the protector of the already Hellenized and schismatic Christianity, granting special privileges to the clergy as well. Influenced by his Arian bishops friends and his sister, Constantia, he leaned to Arianism. A few years later, following the condemnation by the Council of Arianism and the exile of Arius, he recalls the latter from exile and punishes in the same way the great adversary of Arius at the Council, the “father” Athanasius of Alexandria.

However, the greatest distortion of the promises of God and the teaching of the genuine Christianity, which has no flag or color, was achieved by the emperor Theodosius, who, in 380 AD, made the processed Christianity the official religion of his empire, thus attributing an ethno-religious identity to his earthly citizens as opposed to the spiritual and not-of-this-world identity recognized by the one God on the “partakers of the heavenly calling.” (Hebrews, 3:1)

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:26:29)

The new state religion of the philosophers, “fathers of the church,” supported  by the anti- pagan legislation of its sole dominant protectors who outlawed all the ancient religions by imposing the punishment of beheading and other means of punishment on the dissidents, achieved its violent dominance, yielding continuous spiritual darkness in the East and the West. The excerpt from the Acts of the Apostles that is quoted depicts the complete contrast between God's good intentions towards man and the purposes and the state-served interests of the new religion, the ally of the Byzantium, and the policy of violent cleansing of those of a different faith.

“Delivering you (Grk txt: εκλέγων σε = choosing you) from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom now I send you, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:17-18, AKJV)

The side effects of the nationalization of the new religion

The anti-Christian impacts of Theodosius' decision to nationalize God's work for the salvation of people are perpetuated and imprinted primarily by the results of the anti-pagan policy followed by him and other Roman emperors, which resembles that of the Persian king Artaxerxes.

“And whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.” (Ez. 7:26)

And secondly, they are perpetuated and imprinted by the distinct Christian perception acquired by the Byzantine “Christian” citizens, as it appears in the following excerpt from an article by theologian Manolis Tzirakis:

“However, besides the emperor, the citizen of the Byzantine state is also a genuine and faithful Christian. He believes that the state he belongs to is protected by God and enjoys His favor. This belief is expressed by Cosmas Indicopleustes in the 6th century when he states that: "The State of Romans will not be torn down; it will remain unharmed forever, being the first to believe in the Lord Christ." (att. Ahrweiler, 2009). The members of Byzantine society are law-abiding citizens of the emperor and Christians committed to their faith, they are guided by monks and clergymen, they indiscriminately go by the name of Roman or Christian (identical terms in Byzantium), whom its emperor Leo VI characteristically calls the Nation of Christians, while the Byzantine people was named the Chosen People or New Israel (Ahrweiler, 2009).”

       Source

Epilogue

The formed religious and subsequent political dominance of the new secular Byzantine religion points to the military, imperialistic triumphs of Rome rather than to the pure, through the Holy Spirit, heavenly destination, which was carved by the early Christianity with the persuasion of the god-inspired written word and not with the persuasion of the contradictory evolved patristic philosophy and the armed coercion that harmed and adulterated the basic truths that God is love and is One.

“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts, 28:23)

“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in your sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Mat. 11:25-27)

Jesus reigns!

The same promise cancels out any nationalistic and biological interpretation of Pharisaic Judaism for revival and worldwide domination of the earthly kingdom of Israel. It was a promise of God, which surpassed the narrow limits of the genealogically fleshly Jewish nation and embraced all the children of faith regardless of their earthly nationality. Any biological or national religious perception of the promise is untrue. God did not say to Abraham that he would be the biological father of all nations, but he made him the father of the faith of the children of the promise who are fatherless, motherless, non-genealogical in relation to the cosmic creation, because the members of the household, the living children of God, is a spiritual living nation, a holy nation.

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John, 1:12-13)

"But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring." (Rom. 9:6-8)

And to your seed, who is Christ [the Life]

Nor when he said to him “and to your seed” did he mean the perishable biological seed, because the biological man is sown, he is born in corruption, in dishonor and in weakness. But, by establishing Abraham as the father of faith, he told him about the heavenly man Jesus Christ, who, as a life-giving spirit, raises within the psychic, perishable and mortal body of the earthly men the inner spiritual man through faith and acceptance in Jesus.

“If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (I Cor. 15:42-44)

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” (II Cor. 4:16)

So the promise spoke of a spiritual living creation. It spoke of a spiritual body, a new man who would be born of imperishable spiritual seed, the word of God, who is the heavenly and not an earthly Jesus Christ.

“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” (I Peter to Hebrews, 1:23)

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Cor. 5:17)

The flesh/body of Jesus Christ

Flesh = sarx||body||form||man  (Stamatakos Grk Dictionary, see also Liddell Scott)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John, 1:14)

Jesus is the life and the resurrection. The man Jesus Christ had glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, he was not full of “dishonor” like the spiritually dead biological man, but he was “the word of life who became man,” the eternal life itself, the life of the eternal Father, the self of God, and not another god. (I John, 1:1-3)

Compare: “the Word became flesh || God was manifest in the flesh || for the life was manifested.” (John, 1:14, I Tim. 3:16, I John, 1:2)

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show to you that  (Grk: the) eternal life, which was with (Grk: towards, to) the Father, and was manifested to us;” (I John, 1:2,  AKJV)

“For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself;” (John, 5:26)

The body of Jesus is the dwelling place, the house, of the fullness of the invisible God, the temple of the one God, who does not dwell in handmade temples. The quickened ones through Jesus, the spiritual children of the promise, are also within Christ, “in Christ,” in the real non-handmade temple, and they are the true living worshipers, “in spirit and in truth,” of God the Father who dwells “in Christ.”  (Col. 2:9)

“Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” (John, 14:6, 2:20-21)

Jesus was not sown as the biological man is sown, but he is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham, the living word of God, the heavenly man, who gives life to the spiritually dead men.

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John, 6:51)

“For the bread of God is he which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” (John, 6:33)

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven,” just as the manna was from heaven; and he is “the imperishable seed” that gives life and bears the spiritual man.

Life-giving Spirit

The “holy one” born in the womb of Mary was from the Holy Spirit, that’s why Jesus Christ is a “Life-giving Spirit.” (I Cor. 15:45)

“And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Ghost shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.” (Luk. 1:35, AKJV)

In the gospel of Luke 1:35 Grk text omits the words “of you.” Let’s see other versions

“And the angel, answering, said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of [the] Most High will overshadow you; wherefore also the Holy Thing that is begotten shall be called [the] Son of God.” (Worrell)

“And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for which reason, also, that which is begotten, being holy, shall be called the Son of God.” (Anderson)

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, and therefore [thine] holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.” (Worsley)

Also notice Matthew chapter one and verse twenty:

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take to you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” (Mat. 1:20)

Jesus repeatedly referred to his Father, “the Spirit,” reminding them of his heavenly origin, and he never called the earthly Mary “mother.” The humanity of Jesus Christ is thus associated with the new, spiritual, “in Christ” man, whose Father is Jesus, “the giver of life,” and not with the perishable earthly man. The similarities of Jesus with the earthly man were two:

a)  He was similar in shape

“Let ye same mynde be in you, which was in Christe Iesus: (who was born of Mary) Who beyng in the fourme of God, thought it not robbery to be equall with God. But made hym selfe of no reputation, takyng on him the fourme of a seruaut, and made in the lykenesse of men, and founde in figure (Grk txt: shape) as a man: He humbled hym selfe, made obedient vnto death, euen the death of the crosse.” (Philip. 2:5-8, Bishops)

b)  He was similar in the sufferings he endured

“For verily not of angels doth he take hold, but he taketh hold of the seed of Abraham (“the children of the promise are counted for the seed” [Rom. 8:9]). Wherefore it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” (Heb. 2:16-18, ERV)

“For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15)

More about the flesh / body of Jesus

“For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;” (Heb. 2:14)

Likewise || Grk txt: παραπλησίως (G3898 Strong’s number) = in a manner near by, i.e., (figuratively) similarly.

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:” (Rom. 8:3)

“And he said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world.” (John, 8:23)

“I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins.” (John, 8:24)

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John, 6:51)

The resurrection of the dead earthly man

"And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” (Mat. 8:22)

“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” (I Cor. 15:42-44)

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” (II Cor. 4:16)

“Do not lie to one another. Strip yourselves of the old man, with his deeds,

and clothe yourself with the new man, who has been renewed by knowledge, in accord with the image of the One who created him.” (Col. 3:9-10, CPDV)

The old man is the mortal, fleshly and perishable man who is “sown,” born by a father and a mother, while the new man is the spiritual one, the imperishable one, born within the earthly man by the heavenly Jesus who is a life-giving spirit.

“What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John,  3:6)

So the promise to Abraham was a statement that put in action the great and incomprehensible for the human mind plan of the love of God for the quickening through Jesus Christ of the spiritually dead  -because of sin-  man, and this happens through faith.

Biblical testimonies

“But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (Mat. 8:22)

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” (Luk. 15:24. I Tim. 6:19. I Cor. 15:42-49. John, 3:6)

Why he said, Awake you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” (Eph. 5:14)

Paul to Felix: “ ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.” (Acts, 24:21b)

“Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:5-7)

The fulfillment of promise

“And Paul stood up, and beckoning with the hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken …… And we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers, that God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (Acts 13:16, 32-33 ASV)