Throughout history, several individuals and groups have challenged the belief that Jesus is both God and man, a doctrine known as the hypostatic union. Here are some key examples:
* Early Challenges (1st-4th centuries):
* Ebionites: They believed Jesus was a righteous man but not divine. They denied the virgin birth and saw Jesus as the Messiah, but not God.
* Docetism: This Gnostic view held that Jesus only *appeared* to be human; his physical body was an illusion. This challenged his genuine humanity.
* Arianism (Arius, 4th century): This was a major challenge. Arius argued that Jesus was a created being, subordinate to God the Father. He famously said, "There was a time when the Son was not." Arianism was condemned as heresy at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which affirmed the Nicene Creed stating Jesus is "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father."
* Adoptionism (Paul of Samosata): Claimed Jesus was a man who was adopted by God and given divine power.
* Modalism/Sabellianism: Denied the distinctness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, viewing them as different modes or aspects of one God.
* Later Challenges (Post-Reformation and Modern Era):
* Socinianism (16th-17th centuries): Denied the pre-existence of Christ and his deity, seeing him as a human messenger of God.
* Unitarianism: Arose in the 18th century and continues to this day. Unitarians typically reject the Trinity and the full deity of Jesus, viewing him as a great moral teacher or prophet, but not God incarnate.
* Jehovah's Witnesses: They believe Jesus is the first creation of Jehovah God and is subordinate to him. They translate John 1:1 as "the Word was *a* god," rather than "the Word was God."
* Islam: Islamic theology regards Jesus as a prophet of God, but not as God himself or the Son of God. They believe in the absolute oneness of God (Allah).
* Liberal Theology: Some strands of liberal theology, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries, questioned the historical accuracy of the Gospels and the traditional understanding of Jesus' divinity.
Summary
Many different people and groups throughout history have challenged the belief that Jesus is both fully God and fully man. The specifics of their objections vary, but they often center on:
* Denying the deity of Jesus, seeing him as a great man, prophet, or created being, but not God.
* Denying the full humanity of Jesus, arguing that his physical body was an illusion or that he was not subject to human limitations.
* Rejecting the Trinity and the concept of God existing in three persons.
The doctrines of the Trinity and the hypostatic union have been central to Christian theology, and these challenges have prompted significant theological reflection and debate within Christianity.