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is strongly indicated in John: to all who believed, “he gave power to become children of God,” and they “will do greater works than these” (John 1:12; 14:12). This could be called the Christification of believers, as also in the letter: “when he is revealed, we will be like him” (1 John 3:2). How could anyone even approach this, unless divinized—transformed in character and attributes—by following Jesus? Even if human divinization can only be partial and limited, it comes from the transforming touch of God, and is a foretaste of more change to come (Phil 1:6; 3:21).

      Regarding this teaching, the believer can use the test that Jesus recommended for all teachings: “Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own” (John 7:17).

      1. See Finlan, “Can We Speak?” 68–80.

      2. Rush Rhees, in Abbott et al., “The Kingdom of God,” 12–13.

      3. Lyman Abbott, in ibid., 12.

      4. Dodd, Parables, 84 n.1.

      5. Roberts, “Kingdom,” 3, 6.

      6. Ibid., 8; e.g. Luke 12:31; 18:16; Mark 10:15; Matt 13:45.

      7. O’Neill, “Kingdom,” 141.

      8. Luke 11:37; 13:31; Acts 5:34–39; 15:5; 23:6–9.

      9. Bradford, Age of Faith, 31.

      10. This is the best translation of huios theou without the article. Further, a Roman soldier would be more likely to speak of “a son of God” than of a unique “God’s Son.”

      11. Harper, “Be Perfect,” 244.

      12. Matt 5:6; 6:33; John 6:27.

      13. Matt 9:11–13; 11:19; 21:31.

      14. Matt 23:26–28; 15:18; Mark 7:15–23.

      15. Harper, “Be Perfect,” 244.

      16. Albertz, History of Israelite Religion, 132.

      17. Abodah Zarah 5a. Neyrey says “Israel could be called god because deathless” (Neyrey, “‘I Said: You Are Gods,’” 656)

      18. Mekilta Bahodesh 9; Neyrey, “‘I Said: You Are Gods,’” 655. Same point in Num. Rab. 16:24.

      19. Neyrey, “‘I Said: You Are Gods,’” 657–58.

      20. Ibid., 659.

      21. A principle strongly affirmed by the church fathers Irenaeus and Athanasius. See the articles “Irenaeus on the Christological Basis of Human Divinization” and “Athanasius on the Deifying Work of the Redeemer” by Jeffrey Finch in the collection Theōsis, 86–121.

      22. Russell, Doctrine of Deification, 88.

      23. Candelabra and torches were lit on the last day of Sukkoth, the Feast of Tabernacles (Smith, Days of His Flesh, 339).

      24. Mark 5:34; 10:52; Matt 9:22; Luke 7:50; 8:48; 17:19; 18:42.

      25. Grenfell and Hunt, ΛΟΓΙΑ ΙΗCΟΥ, 7.

      26. Puech, “Gnostic Gospels,” 294.

      27. Thomas Lambdin’s translation, published in Cameron, The Other Gospels.

      28. Robinson et al., Critical Edition of Q, 498; Layton, Nag Hammadi Codex II, 2–7, 114.

      29. Puech, “Gnostic Gospels,” 298.

      30. Turner, “Theology of Gospel of Thomas,” 105.

      31. Robinson et al., Critical Edition of Q, 498.

      32. Cameron, The Other Gospels, 33.

      33. Refutatio 5.7.20, from Attridge, “Appendix: The Greek Fragments,” 103.

      34. Turner, “Theology of the Gospel,” 83.

      35. Gos Mary 4; Luttikhuizen, “Evaluation of Teaching of Jesus,” 168 n.22.

      36. Gos. Phil. 38; Layton, Gnostic Scriptures, 337.

      37. On the theme of imitation of God in 2 Pet 1:4, see Starr, Sharers in Divine Nature, 117, 165, 231, and throughout.