The term deification refers to the transformation of Christian believers into the likeness of God. While the Christian faith opposes any literal 'god making' of humankind, the New Testament does speak about a transformation of mind however, along with a metamorphosis of character, a redefinition of selfhood, and an imitation of God. Most of these passages are quite brief yet the concept of deification was important to the early church.
Coined theosis by the great fourth-century theologian, Gregory of Nazianzus, theologians now use the term theosis to designate all instances where any idea of taking on God's character or being 'divinized' (or made divine) occurs. While some articles in this collection discuss pre-Christian concepts of theosis, both Greek and Jewish, most focus on Christian understandings of the concept by examining Old Testament covenant theology along with 2 Peter 1:4.
