Various beliefs about Jesus in early Palestine

In response to a question by Rev. Vinod John about various 'Jesus movements' in early Palestine...




Well it is true that there were a plurality of Jesus movements in early Palestine. James the Elder (traditionally believed to be Jesus' brother, also son of Mary) was believed to be the head of one group who considered Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and believed that he was a prophet and not the son of God (The Jewish Messiah so to speak was never thought to be the 'Son of God' in an exclusive sense but rather like the way it says in the Bible that you will be called the 'sons of God'.)

One faction was supposedly headed by Mary Magdalene and was more Essene in nature and belief). 


Then you have Peter - Paul group, which actually created the concept of Jesus as exclusive 'Son of God'. It was this faction which prevailed and then later on in the 4th century A.D. prevailed upon Constantine to make Christianity the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire. 


It was around this time that the Council of Nicae was convened and certain books were canonised into the Bible as we know it today. Many concepts that existed prior to this, most notably the widespread belief in reincarnation was declared 'heresy'. It was also during this time that Jesus was 'deified' and declared to be God. This was never believed for the first three centuries of Christianity.