Was Jesus First Declared Divine Nearly 300 Years After He Died?
by Mike Licona In his blockbuster book, The Da Vinci Code, novelist Dan Brown tells his readers that prior to the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., Christians thought of Jesus only as a mortal prophet and that the jump from mortal to divine occurred when the new doctrine was first broached at the Council, voted on and barely passed. Speaking of the Council of Nicaea . . . “My dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet . . . A great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.” “Not the Son of God?” [said Sophie] “Right,” Teabing said. “Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.” “Hold on. You’re saying Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote? “A relatively close vote at that,” Teabing added. As with nearly all claims in this page-turning novel, this one is easily examined and its silliness exposed. What follows are two reasons why we can be certain that th
