Syllabus Entry 21

How Jesus Became God

Although How Jesus Became God is also a work of historical scholarship rather than a defense of atheism, it has become an essential book for readers interested in understanding how one of Christianity's central doctrines developed over time. Drawing on decades of New Testament research, Bart Ehrman argues that Jesus himself did not claim to be God in the later orthodox sense and traces how early Christians gradually came to regard him as a divine figure through evolving beliefs about resurrection, exaltation, and incarnation. Ehrman carefully distinguishes the historical Jesus from later theological interpretations, presenting the evidence from the earliest Christian writings in a clear and accessible style. Whether readers ultimately agree with his conclusions or not, the book provides a compelling introduction to the historical development of Christology and the methods of modern biblical scholarship. For its careful historical analysis, accessibility, and profound implications for understanding the origins of Christian belief, How Jesus Became God deserves its place as the number twenty-one atheist book.