The orthodox view of Jesus is that he was eternal with god and descended to earth as a human for a while. But Paul and the gospels all show signs of non-orthodox views of Jesus, or proto orthodox views if you like. These include:
Jesus was a man adopted and exulted by god to divine status. This would be the exaltation or adoptionist Christology. The adoption occurred- either at baptism, or at crucifixion, take your pick.
Jesus was god on earth and created by god at birth, but still fully human.
Jesus was god on earth in the semblence of a human. The gnostics held that view.
Jesus was a man inhabited by god (probably during baptism) who died at crucifixion when god left him. Some Gnostics held this view as well. The Jesus who says, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me," is this later idea of the human Jesus deserted by the spirit of god at death.
If you look at the texts concerning the baptism of Jesus, you will notice that with the exception of the earliest Mark, they all grapple a little with whether Jesus ever sinned. Baptism was supposed to be a purification of sin by moral superior, yet Jesus was baptized so his baptism is problematic, if he's supposed to be sinless. Each of the gospels handles this problem differently. They also reveal different ideas about the divinity of Jesus revealed in what god says at the baptism and when he says it.
Jesus was a man adopted and exulted by god to divine status. This would be the exaltation or adoptionist Christology. The adoption occurred- either at baptism, or at crucifixion, take your pick.
Jesus was god on earth and created by god at birth, but still fully human.
Jesus was god on earth in the semblence of a human. The gnostics held that view.
Jesus was a man inhabited by god (probably during baptism) who died at crucifixion when god left him. Some Gnostics held this view as well. The Jesus who says, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me," is this later idea of the human Jesus deserted by the spirit of god at death.
If you look at the texts concerning the baptism of Jesus, you will notice that with the exception of the earliest Mark, they all grapple a little with whether Jesus ever sinned. Baptism was supposed to be a purification of sin by moral superior, yet Jesus was baptized so his baptism is problematic, if he's supposed to be sinless. Each of the gospels handles this problem differently. They also reveal different ideas about the divinity of Jesus revealed in what god says at the baptism and when he says it.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
