Obviously, the ebionites (the kind of Christians you are alluding, i.e. believers that the Messiah Jesus was a mere man who will return as risen and exalted by God) have to be classified among the "certain Christians" who believe that:GakuseiDon wrote: ↑Mon Mar 02, 2020 4:21 pmWhat about the group of Christians who thought that Jesus was simply a "man of men", which you asked about recently in your Justin Martyr thread? Might they be a possible sub-group here?Giuseppe wrote: ↑Mon Mar 02, 2020 1:46 pmmy simple point is that, insofar Celsus talks only about a sub-group of Christians (in virtue of the word "certain") as having that belief, then eo ipso he is assuming NECESSARILY the existence of the other Christian sub-group: other Christians who denied precisely the statement: "there has already descended upon the earth a certain god or son of a god who will make the inhabitants of the earth righteous".Ben C. Smith wrote: ↑Mon Mar 02, 2020 1:13 pmI am saying that everything Celsus says in the name of these "certain Christians" (one group) comprises one statement: "there has already descended upon the earth a certain god or son of a god who will make the inhabitants of the earth righteous."
About the possible identity of this implicit sub-group, I can only think about Christians who adored a Christ who was crucified not on earth.
"there has already descended upon the earth a certain god or son of a god who will make the inhabitants of the earth righteous"
So no, the only implicit sub-group I am talking about is the sub-group according to which the Son of God has not still descended on earth, despite of his being crucified (that is equivalent to say: their Son of God was not crucified on earth).