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Definition:
Adoptionism is an early doctrine about the nature of Jesus Christ and his
relationship to God. According to those who adhered to adoptionism, Jesus was
simply an exemplary person who was "adopted" by God to be his son - only
then did he acquire a divine nature.
This doctrine was based upon the story in Mark when Jesus was baptized by John and was widely accepted among those who were reacting to the ideas in Gnosticism and Docetism, where it was argued that Jesus was a wholly spiritual being who merely appeared to be physical. Adoptionism was also popular among those who found it difficult to reconcile monotheism with trinitarianism.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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