Nom, which gedolim “could not hold their owbmn” against him? Did he have chaverim, yoshvei yeshuva who he handled with in learnijg everyday? Or did he just sit with people enraptured by his words and some mashkeh for hours and hours…
In yeshivos, you develop a reputation as an Ari bechaburah with pilpul chaverim…when did he ever do this?
And no, god in a body is not an old concept. Therr are statements in chazal(mentioned abkve) which are ambiguous, but do not say openly “a rebbe is the essence of god wrapped in a body” which oermits you to pray to him.
Lines about the “face” of Hashem open themselves to boundless interpretation. Here, the Lubavitcher rebbe is issuing s psak halacha oermitting one to pray to a rebbe because the rebbe is god.
Big difference.
And that’s why the chazon jsh said he was a kofer, while he had no problem with the zohar and medrashim.