Click to Download - Christology
The Christian
encounter with God is in and through the person of Jesus Christ. Christianity
claims to possess the fullness the fullness of divine revelation (DV 2, 7) in
Jesus Christ, the Word become flesh
1.
The Christian
encounter with God is in and through the person of Jesus Christ.
·
We cannot understand the
mystery of God unless god takes initiative to reveal himself.
·
God reveals himself differently
in different cultures and religions in various times and context.
·
For us Christian God has
revealed himself in and through the person of Jesus. Therefore whatever we know
or speak of God is revealed by Jesus.
·
Early Church after his
resurrection experienced him as – Lord and God.
·
Later the church as a
witnessing community, wanting to affirm this experience in new historical
context or setting emerged with the Dogmas. These are a few faith affirmations
in a particular historical context.
·
Jesus Christ is the fullness the divine revelation (DV 2, 7)
·
Jesus Christ is truly god and
truly human(ND 614-615)
·
Jesus is the (unique) only
mediator and saviour of humankind(Mk 16,16; Acts 4,12: 1 Tim 2,5, ND 646)
2.
Jesus Christ is
the fullness the divine revelation (DV
2, 7)
·
Revelation: means a “removing
of the veil” or “disclosure”
·
DV4 and Heb 1:1-2 will say
after God had spoken many times and in various ways(creation, theophanies,
oracles, dreams, prophesies, laws, events etc.) through the prophets, in these
last days he has spoken to us by a Son.
·
Eph 1,19: It pleaed God , in his goodness and
wisdom to reveal the mystery of his will through Jesus Christ.
·
Through DV 2&7 - Church claims the Jesus Christ is the sum
total of revelation.
·
Revelation is not quantitative
but experiential. This doesn’t mean Jesus exhausts the mystery of God.
·
Whatever God wanted to reveal
to humankind has revealed full in Jesus Christ.
Yet process of revelation has not ended in Jesus Christ.
·
God Continues to reveal even
today but all other revelations have to be measured or weighed against Jesus
Christ.
·
Therefore in Jesus Christ god
has revealed himself – definitely, totally
and entirely(Fullness of revelation).
3.
Jn 1,14 : In Jesus Christ, the word became flesh.
·
Christian experience of
fullness in John – logos(word)
·
In Gk –Hellenistic
understanding – principle of order of universe
·
In Stoic Philosophy : Mind of
God – controlling- guiding- directing the universe.
·
Hebrew – Dabar YHWH – dynamic
and creative power.
·
Widom literature – hokmah –
wisdom.
When applied to Jesus Christ – the eternal pre-existent word,
principle of order, creative power, life giving reality, the wisdom which was
present in the –creation –in the life of patriarchs, Israelites, prophets etc
has become personified in Christ. Therefore Christ is the presence of the
embodiment of God in human history.
Note:
Sarx = sinful nature of humanity( 1 Cor5,5)
Physical matter or substance
human nature.
Here it is – Jesus is haring our human nature –in its
weakness and frailty.
Why did the Word
become flesh? (CCC 456-560)
·
To save us by reconciling us with God (1 Jn 4,
10; 4, 14; 3, 5)
·
So that me might know God’s love (1 Jn 4, 9; Jn
3, 16)
·
To be our model of holiness (Jn 15, 12)
·
To make us partners of the divine nature (2 Pet
1, 4)
4. Jesus
truly God and truly man(ND 614-615)
·
The apostles encountered Jesus the human like any of them - having
struggles and temptations, showing human emotions, etc.
·
There was something different about Jesus: He spoke with authority, He
forgave sins, He called God 'Abba', yet he was not conscious that he was God.
·
He was conscious of his mission
that in and through him the Kingdom of God will be brought about.
·
This means he was intimately, uniquely, personally related to
God.
·
After the Resurrection they experienced Jesus as Lord and God. The
early church proclaimed therefore that Jesus is both God and man.
When
they tried to articulate their experience heresies came about: They either
denied the humanity or the divinity of Jesus.
Heresies - ADEGA
1.
Adoptionism: Jesus was adopted
as son at baptism.
2.
Docetism: Jesus is truly
divine. God only appeared to be human.(Denied divinity)
3.
Ebionism : Denied the divinity
of Christ and virginal birth. – Jesus only a normal hb.
4.
Gnosticism: Denied humanity of
Jesus.jesus appears to be human to reveal the secrets of salvation.
5.
Arianism: Jesus is an
intermediary being. he was created by god before everything.(a creature-
supreme creature).
Study of Jesuss’ person gave rise to 2 models:
1.
Antichian school: stressed the humanity of
Christ.(Theodore of Mopusuestic)
2.
Alexandrian : Stresed on
divinity of Chritst.(Athanasius , Cyril of Alexandria).
These confusions
were resolved to certain extent by the the councils.
1.
Council of Nycea ( 325)
·
Condemned Arianism.
·
Jesus is – True God from true
God – light from light - begotten, not
made – consubstantial with the father.
2.
Council of Ephesus (351)
·
Condemned Nestorius
·
Defended the divinity of Christ.
3.
Council of Chalcedon ( 451)
·
Most important Christological
council, where problem between - Antiochians or Alexandrians was solved.
·
Jesus Christ is one person (One
hypostasiss) and 2 natures – human and
divine – without division or separation, without
confusion or change. this union is called hypotatic union.
4.
Jesus is the only mediator and saviour of Human
kind:Mk 6,16;Acts 4,12;1 Tim 2,5,ND 646)
Salvation in Christ:
·
Salvation about the “wholeness”
of human society.
·
Wholesness is harmony with
oneself, other, world and cosmos.
·
Salvation is inaugurated by
Christ(through PDR).
·
It’s objectively available and
it can be subjectively appropriated through faith in jesus Christ.
5.
Jesus Christ only mediator & Unique saviour:
·
Mk 16, 16: The one who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.
·
Acts 4, 12: There is salvation in no one
else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we
must be saved.
·
1 Tim 2, 5: There is one God; there is
also one mediator between God and mankind, Christ Jesus, himself human
·
ND 646: (Council of Florence): She
firmly believes, professes and preaches that no one ever conceived from man and
woman has been freed from the dominion of the devil, except through faith in
Jesus Christ our Lord, the mediator between God and human beings…
NB:
·
The context of these texts are not doctrinal but mere faith statements.
·
Conditioned by a specific cultural background.
·
They do not have a multi religious context like India.
·
Therefore universal application of texts is unwarranted.
4 theories concerning salvation in Jesus Christ
1.
Christo-centric- and
ecclesiocentric soteriology : Belief in Christ
and being member of church – No salvation outside the church.
2.
Christo-centric and non ecclesio-centric:
Belief in Christ and not necessary to be part of church. –
Anonymus Christians.
3.
Theocentric normative
Christology: Belief in God. God is centre and norm of belief is Xt.
4.
Theo-centric Non normative: Pluralistic postion.
belief in god – There are many
mediators and saviours – Jesus is one among them(Jn Hick)
·
We can’t hold this because
everything is a manifestation of Christ
·
Finally I would say for me as
Christian, Christ is unique and it’s an intimate truth of my faith experience.
·
He is my saviour. But God may
save others in ways known to him alone(GS22). Thus I need not impose my
conviction on others.
6.
How do you meaningfully understand the historical
development of these faiths?
·
Christianity came to existence
due to the living and dynamic experience of Risen Lord.
·
Faith affirmations and
expressions have their context – are culturally bound – against the challenges
confronted by the community,
·
We need to be prudent while
applying them to our context.
·
We need to make a hermeneutical
reading of the same.
7.
In the Indian Context: Jesus and Avatara?
Similarities:
·
Free entry into the world.
God’s initiative.
·
In both God’s divinity and
transcendence remain unaffected.
·
Aim similar – to establish
dharma(reconcile)
·
Response – Loving devotion and
total surrender.
Dissimilarieties:
·
Avatara is mythical and
incarnation is historical.
·
In avatara lacks humanity where
as incarnation includes total humanity.
·
Avatara is repeated whereas
incarnation is – once and for all.
·
Avatara could be detructive
andtriumphant but incarnation involves suffering.
Conclusion:
·
From above discussion we know
these two concepts are from two different world views.
·
Each concept makes sense only
in a particular religious and cultural context.
·
Each should be viewed as
evoking a particular faith response.
·
Therefore it is not proper to
say Christ is one of the Avatara and Krishna is an incarnation of god.
Extra:
Dogmas
are detailed explanations about – what the scripture says and the deepest and
most profound statements of Christian Faith.
Christological Heresies: Categorised into three groups
a. Views that challenge or diminish Jesus’ full
humanity
Gnosticism said that there is a radical dualism between spirit and matter, and
matter is evil. Hence God can not assume a human body.
Docetism: Christ is divine; he only appears to be human. (Idea similar to the
advitic understanding of avatara)
Apollinarianism: Christ is human, but does not have a human soul.
Monophysitism: Before the Incarnation there were two natures, divine and human; but
after the Incarnation there remains only divine nature since the human nature
is absorbed into the divine nature.
Monotheletism: Christ has only one, divine, will; he has no human will.
Monenergism: There is only one, divine, action in Christ; he has no human operation.
Nestorianism: It is
an extreme position of the Antiochean school of thought which defended the
humanity of Jesus. Jesus is real human person.
He is human with body and soul. Logos indwells in him. Logos united (accidental union) with human being by Jesus. This union is
conjecture. Nestorius makes distinction between the divine and human qualities.
Both these qualities remain separate in the person of Jesus. Mary is called not as ‘Theotokos’ meaning
mother of God, but ‘Christotokos’ meaning mother of Christ.
b. Doctrines that deny the divinity of Christ:
Ebionism: Christ did not previously exist and is not divine.
Arianism: Christ has a human dignity superior to all others,
but he still remains a creature, subordinate to the divine.
c. Understandings that do not maintain the hypostatic union:
Adoptionism: By
nature Jesus was only human, but at his baptism he was adopted as God’s Son.
Hence the human nature of Christ does not have its foundation in the second
person of the Trinity.
The Habitus view: The
Word assumed human form as a garment.
The assumptus-homo
doctrine: The Word assumed a complete human nature and therefore a
human person as well.
