Understanding the Early Christians' Belief in the Divinity of Jesus

The belief in the divinity of Jesus was not a later development in Christian thought, as argued by Bart Ehrman. Scholars like Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, and Richard Hayes have shown that the belief in Jesus' divinity originated early and was deeply rooted in Jewish monotheism. Evidence from Paul's letters and the Gospels, including Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, supports this understanding. While the precise dating of certain texts and the Q source remains debated, the overall consensus is that the belief in Jesus' divinity was present from the beginning of the Christian movement.