Deification, Mormonism and the Early Church

In his book “Are Mormons Christians”, Mormon scholar Stephen Robinson undertakes the task of positioning his church among the mainstream “orthodox” Christian ecclesiastical bodies. Perhaps nowhere is this attempt more significant when it comes to the question of “deification”. Right off, Robinson acknowledges that many have “claimed it is a pagan doctrine that blasphemes the majesty of God”. He seems understand the scope of what is at stake. He then proceeds to utilize the writings of the early church fathers in attempt to shift the lines of demarcation of orthodoxy.

The LDS goal in this case, is to present the argument that the early church fathers believed in deification as they do. An astute observer may notice at the outset that this tack is inconsistent with most other defenses of Mormon doctrine, since it is frequently asserted by LDS scholars that the early church fathers, and their penchant for Platonism, were the cause of apostasy and false doctrine in the church. It is unusual that in this topic, they would like to make the opposite case. Just the same, I have no doubt that any Mormon investigating these sources that Robinson has quoted to support LDS doctrine will likely conclude by saying “well, they were all apostates anyhow”. The only purpose I have in this exercise is to let them define what they believed, and demonstrate to what lengths some LDS scholars will go to assert something that isn’t true. First of all, we need to define what “deification” in Mormon thought is.