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== Theological development ==
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{{See also|Son of man (Christianity)|Trinity}}
Through the centuries, the theological development of the concept of Son of God has interacted with other [[Christology|Christological]] elements such as [[pre-existence of Christ]], [[Son of man (Christianity)|Son of man]], the [[hypostatic union]], etc. For instance, in [[Johannine]] "Christology from above" which begins with the [[pre-existence of Christ]], Jesus did not become Son of God through the [[Virgin birth of Jesus|virgin birth]], he
Early Christians developed various view of how Jesus related to God and what role he played in God's plan for salvation.<ref>Sanders, E. P. The historical figure of Jesus. Penguin, 1993. p. 11–14</ref>
By the 2nd century, differences had developed among various Christian groups and to defend the mainstream view in the [[Early Christianity|early Church]], [[Irenaeus of Lyons|Irenaeus]] introduced the confession: "One Christ only, Jesus the Son of God incarnate for our salvation".<ref name="Irenaeus">''Irenaeus of Lyons'' by Eric Francis Osborn 2001 {{ISBN|978-0-521-80006-8}} pages 11–114</ref> By referring to incarnation, this professes Jesus as the pre-existing [[Logos (Christianity)|Logos]], i.e.
To establish a common ground, the [[Nicene Creed]] of 325 began with the profession of the Father Almighty and then states belief:
[[Augustine of Hippo]] wrote at length on the title "Son of God* and its relationship with the title "[[Son of man (Christianity)|Son of man]]", positioning the two issues in terms of the dual nature of Jesus as both divine and human in terms of the [[hypostatic union]].<ref name="Augustine">''The Augustine Catechism'' by Saint Augustine of Hippo 2008 {{ISBN|1-56548-298-0}} page 68</ref> He wrote:
{{blockquote|Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is God and Man: God before all worlds, man in our world{{nbsp}}[...] But since he is the only Son of God, by nature and not by grace, he became also the Son of Man that he might be full of grace as well.<ref name="Augustine" />
However, unlike ''Son of God'', the proclamation of Jesus as the [[Son of man (Christianity)|Son of man]] has never been an article of faith in [[Christianity]].<ref name="Higgins13">''Jesus and the Son of Man'' by A J B Higgins 2002 {{ISBN|0-227-17221-3}} pages 13–15</ref> The interpretation of the use of "the Son of man" and its relationship to Son of God has remained challenging and after 150 years of debate no consensus on the issue has emerged among scholars.<ref name="Dunn724">''Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making'' by James D. G. Dunn (Jul 29, 2003) {{ISBN|0802839312}} pages 724–725</ref><ref name="Delbert3">''The Son of Man Debate: A History and Evaluation'' by Delbert Royce Burkett (Jan 28, 2000) Cambridge Univ Press {{ISBN|0521663067}} pages 3–5</ref>
Just as in Romans 10:9–13 Paul emphasized the salvific value of "professing by mouth" that Jesus is Lord ({{transliteration|grc|Kyrion Iesoun}}), Augustine emphasized the value of "professing that Jesus is the Son of God" as a path to salvation.<ref>''Augustine: Later Works'' by John Burnaby 1980 {{ISBN|0-664-24165-4}} page 326</ref><ref>''Lord Jesus Christ'' by Larry W. Hurtado 2005 {{ISBN|0-8028-3167-2}} page 142</ref>
For [[Thomas Aquinas]] (who also taught the [[Perfection of Christ]]), the "'Son of God' is God as known to God".<ref name="acquinas">''The thought of Thomas Aquinas'' by Brian Davies 1993 {{ISBN|0-19-826753-3}} page 204</ref> Aquinas emphasized the crucial role of the Son of God in bringing forth all of creation and taught that although humans are created in the [[image of God]] they fall short and only the Son of God is truly like God, and hence divine.<ref name="acquinas" />
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