Robert L. Mowery, «Son of God in Roman Imperial Titles and Matthew», Vol. 83 (2002) 100-110

The christological formula qeou= ui(o/j, which appears in the NT only in three Matthean passages (14,33; 27,43.54), exactly parallels the two-word Roman imperial son of god formula found in the titulature of Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, Titus, and Domitian. This formula occurred more widely in first century imperial titulature than has previously been reported; in addition, various three-word imperial son of god formulas also deserve notice. The Matthean formula qeou= ui(o/j would have evoked Roman imperial usage for at least some members of Matthew’s community.

embedded in the words o( ... ui(o/j. Paul may have pulled the genitive forward in this (ad hoc?) construction because he had used the noun qeo/j in the preceding verse, 2 Cor 1,18⁵.

        The fourth and the fifth formulas have only anarthrous nouns. While the fourth formula (ui(o_j qeou=) occurs relatively infrequently in the NT, it occurs in a series of widely-scattered passages, including the centurion’s ‘confession’ in Mark 15,39, the angel’s proclamation in Luke 1,35, the words of Jesus’ accusers in John 19,7, the traditional material in Rom 1,4, and the textually uncertain words in Mark 1,1. Despite the absence of definite articles, this formula agrees with most other NT references to the Son of God in placing the noun ui(o/j before the genitive qeou= ⁶.

        The fifth formula (qeou= ui(o/j), which has a prepositive genitive qeou=, occurs in the NT in only three passages, all of them in Matthew (14,33; 27,43.54). Before arguing that this formula would have evoked Roman imperial usage for some members of Matthew’s community, we must examine the use of this formula in Roman imperial titulature.

2. Son of God in Roman Imperial Titulature

        When surveying the son of god formulas in Roman imperial titulature, we will focus on Greek inscriptions and other Greek sources from the eastern part of the empire, since the First Gospel was presumably composed in Greek in this part of the empire⁷. We will survey the son of god formulas in the titulature of first century emperors from Augustus to Domitian; however, we will delay the consideration of the imperial cult until Section 3.

        Julius Caesar’s will named Octavian as his adopted son and heir. After the deceased Julius was consecrated a divus ⁸, Octavian began to call himself divi filius (‘son of a divinized man’). Note that he chose divi filius rather than dei filius; however, since both phrases were usually translated into Greek as qeou= ui(o/j, the Latin distinction was lost in translation ⁹. Many provincials who read inscriptions containing this Greek phrase must have assumed that Octavian, who received the title Augustus in 27 BCE, was being honored as ‘son of (a) god’. Indeed, various eastern sources hail his adoptive father Julius as qeo/j¹⁰.

        Although the phrase qeou= 'Iouli/ou ui(o/j appears in a few sources which refer to Augustus, especially sources from the early years of his reign¹¹, the two-word formula qeou= ui(o/j became much more common. This two-word formula appears in various longer formulas, including the five-word formula