In 1 Cor. 15:49, Paul refers to Jesus as the "heavenly man" compared to the "first Adam." 

The idea of the "heavenly man" was not new to the Jews of the first century. In fact, we see this term used in the writings of Philo of Alexandria who was a Jewish philosopher
(20 BC - 50 AD). 

The "heavenly man" is derived from a mystical vision that Ezekiel records in Ezekiel 1.

Ezekiel sees the figure of a man sitting on a throne in heaven that is the fullness of the glory of God (Ezekiel 1: 26-28).  The "heavenly man" is, therefore, a king. 

Philo also calls this heavenly man - the Word (Greek Logos). 

In this lesson, we will explore how both Paul and John use these terms to refer to Jesus and how it pertains to our spiritual growth as we transform into His likeness. 

Class Handout to help with your studies:

Louis Ginzberg - Adam Kadmon - 
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/761-adam-kadmon

Daniel Boyarin, "Logos, a Jewish Word: John's Prologue as Midrash" 

Adam Kadmon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Kadmon

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We explore the idea of what it means to be a Christian.

Christ is the Greek word for "the anointed one" and is generally applied to a king.

Jesus is the Christ - the King. We then are "little kings" - little Christs - that are maturing in our faith to become "like" the King.

How can we conceptualize this for our walk in the world today?

In this video, we will explore the idea of becoming or being like a king.

Meister Eckhart was a 13th-century mystic.

He was known for using the Christmas story as a metaphor for our own spiritual journey.

Join us as we explore his teaching and how it can be metaphorically applied to our lives.

Soul and Psyche - Wayne G. Rollins

From Infinity to Man- Eduard Shyfrin

The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart - ​Maurice O'C Walshe

Luke's narrative of the birth of Jesus as the Christ - or the King - is set explicitly against the Roman Empire's Imperial Cult.

The reigning emperor at the time was Caesar Augustus.

Join us in this lesson as we see how the story of Jesus and Caesar Augustus intersect.

​The New Testament writers are forcing us to ask the question, 'Who do you call Lord'?

Priene Calendar Inscription:  An inscription was found in an ancient city called Priene, which is located in modern-day Turkey.  The calendar inscription mentions that Caesar Augustus's birth was considered the "good news" for all humanity. You can read the full inscription here: ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar_Inscription_of_Priene

Omrit: Omrit is located in Israel and was one of the (3) sites that Herod the Great built a temple to Caesar Augustus - ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omrit

Over the past two thousand years, we have told and re-told the Christmas story so many times that details have crept in where they should not be.

In the next few videos, we'll take a closer look at the biblical narrative to see what is actually being said. People are usually surprised at what has been added over the years.

The website www.earlychristianwritings.com is a tremendous resource for documents that existed within the early years of Christianity. 

In the video, I specifically mention a document called the Infancy Gospel of James. Here is a direct link:  http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/infancyjames-roberts.html

A second resource mentioned is the book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, by Kenneth Bailey.