The Problem of the Identity of Jesus as “Son of God” in the New Testament

One of the most important christological epithets for Jesus in the New Testament and in traditional Christianity is “Son of God” (？ υ？？？ το？ Θεο？). The epithet “Son of God” is seen in the pre-Christ period very commonly both in Jewish and pagan cultural circles. In fact, the epithet was received in the Jewish circles with more human significance and it must likewise have been used by the Jerusalem community of Jesus’ first followers as the royal title in connection with the concept of Christ. However, with the spread of Christianity in the pagan world, the meaning of “Son of God also changed. Paul of Tarsus and the authors of the Gospels of the New Testament interpreted this epithet as Jesus’ supernaturality and divinity,and repositioned Jesus in this frame. This article deals with the issue how Jesus was transformed from a “virtuous human” status to a “divine being” status through the meaning proposed by Paul in the epithet “Son of God