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PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) and .doc files (Microsoft Word format) of the overheads used in this presentation are available from the Survey of Theology Page or the Download page.
Topics These topics are taken primarily from: Chapter 11 “The Doctrine of the Person of Jesus” in: Christian Theology. An Introduction. Third Edition. Alister E. McGrath, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, 2001
1. The Place of Jesus in Christian Theology 1.2. Jesus is the historical point of departure for Christianity 1.5. Jesus defines the shape of Christian life 2. New Testament Reflections on Jesus 3. The Early Church’s Debate Over the Person of Jesus 3.1. The Council of Chalcedon Doctrine on the Person of Jesus 3.4. Alexandrian School versus the Antiochene School 3.4.1. Unity Versus Integrity of the Human and Divine Natures in Jesus
1. The Place of Jesus in Christian Theology 1.1. Introduction Jesus hold a pivotal position in Christian thought. In particular:
1.2. Jesus is the historical point of departure for Christianity The event of Jesus in history brought Christianity into being:
Christianity can be described as “a sustained response to the questions raised by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ” (McGrath) Scripture is important because it is the only authentic document embodying the Church’s understanding of Jesus
1.3. Jesus reveals God All statements we make about God must be consistent with the person and work of Jesus
“The importance of the confession ‘Jesus in Lord’ is not only that Jesus is divine but that God is Christlike” - Arthur Michael Ramsey
Jesus’ life, death and resurrection makes salvation possible
1.5. Jesus defines the shape of Christian life Jesus both makes redeemed life possible, and defines the shape of that redeemed life. That is:
New Testament speaks of a life “conformed to Christ” The narrative of Jesus’ life gives flesh to the otherwise abstract values and virtues of the Christian life
2. New Testament Reflections on Jesus 2.1. Introduction Jesus is confessed / affirmed in the New Testament as:
2.2. Jesus is the Messiah Hebrew mashiah (usually anglicalized as “Messiah”) = Greek Christos = “one who has been anointed” primarily reserved for anointing of kings
Jewish expectations for the Messiah during the time of Jesus:
Some were attracted to Jesus because they thought he would be the messianic liberator from the rule of Rome.
Jesus did not let his disciples call him Messiah (the “messianic secret”), perhaps because he did not want people to misunderstand him as a political liberator. Jesus was not the kind of Messiah the people of his day expected. In confessing Jesus as the Messiah, the Church was saying Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament expectations of a Messiah
Old Testament used the term “Son of God” in the sense of “belonging to God”
Paul used “Son of God” for both believers and Jesus
John in his Gospel uses separate terms for believers and Jesus:
“Son of Man” = Hebrew ben adam, Aramaic bar nasha In the Old Testament, "Son of Man" has three usages:
Jesus as “Son of Man” is used in New Testament:
“to indicate his essential unity with mankind, and above all with the weak and humble, and also his special function as predestined representative of the New Israel and bearer of God’s judgment and kingdom.” - George Caird
2.5. Jesus is Lord “Jesus is Lord” (Rom 10:9) was one of the earliest Christian confessions of faith.
Lord = Greek kyrios, Aramaic mar
2.6. Jesus is God There are three instances where Jesus is called God in the New Testament:
There are also New Testament passages where Jesus, although he is not explicitly called God, is described as functioning as God:
3. The Early Church’s Debate Over the Person of Jesus 3.1. The Council of Chalcedon Doctrine on the Person of Jesus 451 AD: Council of Chalcedon declared that Jesus is:
This formulation was the result of a struggle over the first few centuries of the church to understand:
The tension between these aspects of Jesus' person led to views now considered "heresies" by the standard of the Chalcedon definition (Jesus is one person with two natures, a fully human nature, and a fully divine nature):
3.2. Ebionitism, Docetism Two early views were rejected as heretical:
3.3. Arianism Arius: priest in Alexandria
Criticism of Arius' views by Athanasius:
3.4. Alexandrian School versus the Antiochene School 3.4.1. Unity Versus Integrity of the Human and Divine Natures in Jesus Alexandrian School:
Antiochene School:
3.4.2. Monophysitism Antiochene School: accused Alexandrian position led to a “confusion” / “mingling” of the natures
Chalcedonian position of two natures in Jesus (one fully human, one fully divine) was never fully accepted by all Christians Coptic, Armenian, Syrian, and Abyssinian churches accept Monophysitism (Jesus has one nature, a united divine and human nature) as orthodox
3.4.3. Nestorianism Alexandria School: accused Antiochene position led to a “doctrine of two sons” – Jesus two persons, one divine, one human
Nestorius: Bishop of Constantinople
3.5. Apollinarius Apollinarius worried the unity of the human and divine natures emphasized by the Alexandrian school led to God getting contaminated by human weakness To avoid this, Apollinarius suggested that in Jesus the human mind and soul (“the source of human sinfulness”) was replaced with a divine mind and soul
This view was condemned:
“If anyone has put their trust in him as a human being lacking a human mind, they are themselves mindless and not worthy of salvation. For what has not been assumed has not been healed; it is what is united to his divinity that is saved. . .” - Gregory of Nazianzus
Chapter 11 “The Doctrine of the Person of Jesus” in: Christian Theology. An Introduction. Third Edition. Alister E. McGrath, Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, 2001
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