Alexander or Jesus?: The Origin of the Title "Son of God"

To many people the four Gospels are seen as biographies of Jesus of Nazareth who was declared by God to be his Son. To many more these Gospels are works of theology incorporating the myths stories and legends surrounding a then little-known young Jew who lived two thousand years ago. This book explores the reasons why such a comparatively obscure person should be called Son of God soon after his death. William Broad sets stories of Jesus against the backdrop of the religions of the time and shows how St. Paul in Greece chose the mythical title son of a god for Jesus as being one that would attract the attention of his Gentile hearers and reveal his great significance. However Broad notes that Jesus was not the first historical person to have been called a son of god. Alexander the Great had been so titled 350 years before. Alexander or Jesus? explores stories of this remarkable king and shows that these tales significantly affected the way the Gospels declared the Divine Sonship of Jesus. It further reveals that Jesus birth and his epiphany are not the unique events that many believe. If the reader is willing to take this journey with Canon Broad then there is much of value to be learned from this book. Alexander or Jesus? Both in their own way can be said to be the most significant figures to have come down to us from Graeco-Roman antiquity and each have had their biographers the evangelists in the case of Jesus and Plutarch among others in the case of Alexander. As exemplified in his Parallel Lives Plutarchs method Canon Broad reminds us was to take two famous figures of history and contrast them. By comparing Alexander with Julius Caesar he produced for both lives that are rich in history and legend. By comparing Alexander with Jesus and the history and legend that surround each Canon Broad himself has followed in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor. --from the foreword by William R. Telford Visiting Fellow St Johns College Durham University Durham UK Bill Broad spent his working life as a Prison Chaplain and Parish Priest in the Church of England. In retirement he gained a Master of Letters degree at Durham University. He is Canon Emeritus at Durham Cathedral.