The gradual development of the Divine nature of Jesus

The beliefs of early Christians regarding the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit were complex and varied, particularly in the first few centuries of the church. By the end of the first century, a significant number of Christians began to view Jesus as divine, influenced in part by Hellenistic thought, which emphasized philosophical concepts of divinity and the nature of the divine. However, the understanding of Jesus' divinity was not uniform, and many early Christians held a range of views, from seeing Jesus as a purely human prophet to recognizing him as a divine figure.

The concept of the Holy Spirit's divinity developed more gradually and was less clearly defined in the early church. The formal doctrine of the Trinity, which articulates the belief in the full divinity of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, was not fully established until the fourth century, particularly at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This council was pivotal in addressing various theological disputes and in affirming the divinity of Jesus in relation to God the Father.

The influence of Greek philosophy played a significant role in shaping early Christian thought. Hellenistic ideas about the nature of the divine, the Logos (Word), and the relationship between the divine and the material world contributed to the development of early Christological beliefs. For instance, the concept of the Logos, as articulated by philosophers like Philo of Alexandria, provided a framework for understanding Jesus as a divine intermediary between God and humanity.

Despite these influences, it is likely that a substantial portion of the early Christian community did not hold a fully developed Trinitarian understanding of God. While some Christians embraced the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, many others maintained more traditional Jewish views of God, which did not include a triune understanding. Therefore, it can be argued that prior to the third century, a minority of Christians may have adhered to a fully Trinitarian belief system, with the precise proportions remaining difficult to ascertain due to the lack of comprehensive historical records.

In summary, the early Christian understanding of the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit was shaped by a variety of influences, including Greek philosophical thought. While some early Christians recognized the divine nature of Jesus, the formal articulation of these beliefs, particularly regarding the Trinity, developed over time and was not universally accepted in the early centuries of the church.