Here we have the next belief in this religion. Now there are many who will refute that Christ and God are one and the same in the trinity, however we are going to go off of what the bible itself states, (Simon saw God and Christ standing next to each other ergo they are two separate beings). Jesus Christ is the son of a woman and a god. There are many different forms of this in other polytheistic religions, but the religion most recognizable for this is the ancient Greek. We have Hercules, Perseus Achilles, the list goes on and on. Even the Greek creation myth involves Zeus turning into a bull and mating with the human Europa (the offspring being king Minos), this is why the continent is named Europe. The demigod is not just any person though, they have special abilities and traits inherited by the deific parent, Hercules for example inherited godlike strength, whereas Perseus has a certain control over the water, and while Achilles had to be dipped in the river Styx by his mother to receive invulnerability, no mortal could have gotten even half the way with godly help. Christ likewise has powers and abilities he inherited from his Father, the power to create for example, which was manifest in many different ways, from healing the sick, to feed five thousand on one loaf of bread and five fishes. He also had dominion over demons and devils, and was invulnerable until the moment he chose to die, just like many other demigods.
This perspective is truly fascinating to me. I never thought of Christ as a Demigod, but after reading your blog, it makes sense. Afterall, he was born from a god and human, which manifests into a Demigod form and offers him specific powers.
ReplyDeleteI guess, from a mythological perspective, I would wonder what Christ's mission was/is? When you grasp a Biblical point of view, Christ is no longer here - his mission is somewhat served. When you look at Christ's existence through various Christian's perspective, Christ is returning, his mission is not complete and he is still available. when you see Christ through Judaic eyes, Christ is a Rabbi, not the son of G-d.
The reason this is fascinating to me is because of the varied views, pending on the culture and religion.
That is definitely part of what I was getting across. many different cultures view Christ in different ways, as you said. Muhammad even taught that Christ was a prophet, which is a step higher than rabbi, and lower than god, I suppose I could possibly have included all of the prophets as demigods, even people like Samson could be considered demigods, to one extent or another. Miraculous births for many of them. The ability to call on Gods angels to protect themselves, curing the sick, or cursing the wicked. Elisha makes an axe float for crying out loud. I mean these people have some amazing powers, and it cannot be denied that in any other culture they wold be revered as great magicians at the very least.
DeleteI think it's great that you talk about Jesus being a demigod. Though, I knew that he was the son of God and Mary, I never really thought to consider him a demigod. When I think about demigods, I think about Hercules and Percy Jackson, never Jesus. I really enjoyed this and I think it's awesome that you made more than one post on here. I honestly only created mine for this assignment and will probably never look at it again, unless I get assigned to do another blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog!
Religion has always been a hobby of mine, especially when you look at the different types of religions and the different regions, and yet they all have similar themes, and basic beliefs. It has many times occurred to me that there was one religion to start with, back way back when our ancestors were still only in Africa, and a very close knit group, and then as they spread out the figures changed, but the message stayed the same.
DeleteVery interesting points you bring up here. Jesus as a demigod is definitely not something I had ever thought of, though by definition it is absolutely correct. It seems that you have a pretty deep interest in this subject. I would be curious of your thoughts on religious contradictions, and/or how religions change based on the needs of society and cultures.
ReplyDeleteI am not entirely sure that I understand what you mean by religious contradictions. if you mean things like Christ teaching peace and then the crusades happening, that is one things entirely, if you mean the difference between how different sects of different religions believe differently, such as how the Catholic church has the trinity, which is God, Jesus and the Holy ghost all as the same being, or some denominations believing in the god head, which is the three being separate, that is something completely different.
DeleteHi Joshua,
ReplyDeleteYou've provided some very thought provoking ideas and analysis. The blog is attractive, provides lots of information, and includes some fantastic artistic representations. I'm commenting to this section because this is one getting all of the other comments. :) I agree that Christ fits the definition, and even role, of demigod. However, I think my perspective is that although he WAS a demigod, once his mortal mission was completed, he became entirely divine - a god in his own right, just like his Father. Of course, that belief is based on my own experience with religious doctrine and study.
It's a great blog!!!