The title "son of God"
is frequent in the Old Testament. The word "son" was employed among the
Semites to signify not only filiation, but other close connexion or intimate
relationship. Thus, "a son of strength" was a hero, a warrior, "son of
wickedness" a wicked man, "sons of pride" wild beasts, "son of possession" a
possessor, "son of pledging" a hostage, "son of lightning" a swift bird,
"son of death" one doomed to death, "son of a bow" an arrow, "son of Belial"
a wicked man, "sons of prophets" disciples of prophets etc. The title "son
of God" was applied in the Old Testament to persons having any special
relationship with God. Angels, just and pious men, the descendants of Seth,
were called "sons of God" (Job 1:6; 2:1; Psalm 88:7; Wisdom 2:13; etc.). In
a similar manner it was given to Israelites (Deuteronomy 14:50); and of
Israel, as a nation, we read: "And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the
Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn. I have said to thee: Let my son go,
that he may serve me" (Exodus 4:22 sq.).
The leaders of the
people, kings, princes, judges, as holding authority from God, were called
sons of God. The theocratic king as lieutenant of God, and especially when
he was providentially selected to be a type of the Messias, was honoured
with the title "Son of God". But the Messias, the Chosen One, the Elect of
God, was par excellence called the Son of God (Ps. ii, 7). The
Messias besides being the Son of God was to be called Emmanuel (God with us)
Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come,
Prince of Peace (Isaiah 8:8-9) (see MESSIAS).
In the New Testament
The title "the Son of
God" is
frequently applied to Jesus Christ in the Gospels and Epistles. The angel
announced: "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most
High... the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:32,
35). Nathaniel, at his first meeting, called Him the Son of God (John 1:49).
Confession of St. Peter
We
read in Matthew 16:15-16: "Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ,
the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee,
but my Father who is in heaven." The parallel passages have: "Thou art the
Christ" (Mark 8:29), "The Christ of God" (Luke 9:20). As Rose well points
out, in the minds of the Evangelists Jesus Christ was the Messias because He
was the Son of God, and not the Son of God because He was the Messias.
Testimony of Jesus Christ
The key
to this is contained in His words, after the Resurrection: "I ascend
to my Father and to your Father" (John 20:17). He always spoke of MY
Father, never of OUR Father.
"Did you not
know, that I must be about my father's business" (Luke 2:49); "Not every one
that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he
that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven. "At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee,
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father;
for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me by
my Father. In the parable of the wicked husbandmen the son is distinguished
from all other messengers: "Therefore having yet one son, most dear to him;
he also sent him unto them last of all, saying: They will reverence my son.
Compare Matthew 22:2, "The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made
a marriage for his son." In Matthew 17:25, He states that as Son of God He
is free from the temple tax. "David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and
whence is he then his son?" (Mark 12:37).
He is Lord of
the angels. The claims of Jesus Christ, as set forth in the Synoptic
Gospels, are so great that Salmon is justified in writing (Introd. to New
Test., p. 197): "We deny that they [Christ's utterances in the Fourth
Gospel] are at all inconsistent with what is attributed to Him in the
Synoptic Gospels. On the contrary, the dignity of our Saviour's person, and
the duty of adhering to Him, are as strongly stated in the discourses which
St. Matthew puts into His mouth as in any later Gospel.... The Synoptic
Evangelists all agree in representing Jesus as persisting in this claim [of
Supreme Judge] to the end, and finally incurring condemnation for blasphemy
from the high-priest and the Jewish Council.... It follows that the claims
which the Synoptic Gospels represent our Lord a making for Himself are so
high...that, if we accept the Synoptic Gospels as truly representing the
character of our Lord's language about Himself, we certainly have no right
to reject St. John's account, on the score that he puts too exalted language
about Himself into the mouth of our Lord."
"My Father worketh until now; and I work.... For the Father loveth the Son,
and sheweth him all things which he himself doth: and greater works than
these will he shew him, that you may wonder. For as the Father raiseth up
the dead, and giveth life: so the Son also giveth life to whom he will. For
neither doth the Father judge any man, but hath given all judgment to the
Son. That all may honour the Son, as they honour the Father" (v, 17, 20-23).
"Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify
thee.... And now glorify thou me, O Father, with thyself, with the glory
which I had, before the world was, with thee" (xvi, 1, 5).
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