Clivedurdle

What are the possible ways that this might be achieved?

Do we have a full set in the various Greek legends, gospel stories and xian heresies?

Why is one version "better" than the others?

A quick list, please add to this.

Pretense - Zeus pretending to be human
Hybrid - Hercules
Special birth - Jesus
Special annointing - Jordan baptism
Not really human - ghost in human form - early heresy
God with us - Immanual
We are the temple of the holy spirit.


Do we not actually have a variety of interpretations where one has been given precedence for political reasons?

Why is an actual Jesus thought to be necessary to solve this religious conundrum of how do the gods and humanity actually relate?

A historical Jesus is not only unneccessary but superfluous.

gstafleu

God always was man--no special action needed. (Maybe you were saying that in the last two items?)

Gerard Stafleu

Clivedurdle

I am trying to see if the Jesus story is predictable and logical, one of a clear set of permutations of how god could become man, and as such, nothing special.

Larsguy47

You have to look at the REALLY BIG picture. Basically, in heaven there was no SINS so no death penalty. But Satan was becoming a "resister" and God had to find a way to get rid of him, so he created the material universe where the opportunity for ACTIONS (sins) connected with penalties were involved. So the Garden of Eden was a trap not for Adam and Eve but for Satan. Satan fell into the trap and was willing to die a short life in rebellion and he proved he was worthless by bitterly influencing the death of Adam and Eve before they had children and thus the death of billions. This sealed Satan's fate, but to save mankind, Adam's innocent children, the "Ransom Sacrifice" rules were set in place in line with the "resurrection" and Christ, the chief advocate for God was involved and so became the sacrifice, showing he was willing to die himself for what was right.

As far as how it actually happened, it probably can't be explained, but apparently something related to the living being of Michael, the Archangel was transferred to the womb of Mary and combined with the DNA from her ovum that became a perfect human child. That person, being faithful and dying childless could offer to "adopt" the children of Adam and offer them a second chance.

God by putting to death all his servants, symbolically, requiring them to be willing to die for what they believe is right, answers Satan's challenge at the same time allows him to rid the world and the universe of a nuisance to peace and happiness.

Tehcnical point: Jesus was human when he was human, and that includes when he materializes. When he is an angel (spirit) then he is spirit. He is never both at the same time. After giving up his perfect body in sacrifice for mankind, he no longer was able to materialize a human body. That's what he gave up.

LG47

Clivedurdle

So it is quite easy to invent more permutations!

aa5874

I think you should have stopped there. Please don't try to explain the inexplicable.

Clivedurdle

Ah but I think my original op might be explicable - that there is a limited set of ways that gods may become human and all we need do is list them and create - like Linnaeus - a catalogue of "ways" one of which will be the xian set - (actually that feels like quite a large family in itself - Julian defines it as a three god religion)! As we have many varieties of dog, but which are traceable to ancestors, maybe the same thing can be done with god!