The claim at the heart of the Christian faith is that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. But this is not what the original disciples believed during Jesuss lifetimeand it is not what Jesus claimed about himself. "How Jesus became God" tells the story of an idea that shaped Christianity, and of the evolution of a belief that looked very different in the fourth century than it did in the first. As a historiannot a believerEhrman answers the questions: How did this transformation of Jesus occur? How did he move from being a Jewish prophet to being God? The dramatic shifts throughout history reveal not only why Jesus's followers began to claim he was God, but also how they came to understand this claim in so many different ways. Written for secular historians of religion and believers alike, "How Jesus became God" will engage anyone interested in the historical developments that led to the affirmation at the heart of Christianity.