Christology

I. Historical Background

A. Who was Jesus historically?

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

A. Who was Jesus historically?

What we know:

1. Based on the accounts of four authors who claim to have been either witnesses (Matthew, Mark, and John), or interviewed witnesses (Luke).

- Jesus, like Socrates and other famous historical persons, did not leave any writings

- There are not historical artifacts that can be said to belong to him

A. Who was Jesus historically?

What we know:

2. The son of Mary, and a carpenter named Joseph.

A. Who was Jesus historically?

What we know:

3. Jewish, born in Israel during Roman occupation. Augustus was emperor during his birth.

A. Who was Jesus historically?

What we know:

4. Likely had some religious education/standing.

- He was able to read

- Profound knowledge of the Torah and Jewish Scriptures

- Likely trilingual: knew Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

1. Jewish Messiah

a. Fulfillment of Jewish prophecies of a promised Savior

(e.g., born of a virgin [Isaiah 7:14]; would be betrayed [Zechariah 11:12-13]; would suffer and die [Isaiah 53].

b. Claimed to be the fulfillment of these prophecies to his disciples, and his apostles did the same later.

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

2. Son of Man: fully human.

3. Son of God

a. Said of Jesus differently from others

b. People are "adopted" children of God

c. Jesus called "God's own Son"

d. Understood, from the beginning, as somehow divine

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

3. Son of God

a. Said of Jesus differently from others

b. People are "adopted" children of God

c. Jesus called "God's own Son"

d. Understood, from the beginning, as somehow divine

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

4. Lord

a. Asserted to show that Christ rules over us and the world.

b. Lord in Greek is kyrios, which Jews used for the Hebrew word adonai, which both means "Lord" and replaces the unspeakable name of God, YHWH.

c. Both Jews and Christians refused to call the Roman Emperor kyrios, because it was reserved for God alone.

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

5. Savior

a. The power to heal (illness, deformity, demonic possession, etc.)

b. The power and right to forgive sins

-- story of Mark 2:7:

* Priests: "only God forgives sins."

* Jesus: "So that you may know that I have the power to forgive sins..." He then heals a paralytics after saying his sins are forgiven.

B. Who was/is Jesus said to be?

6. God

a. These titles and attributes led to the conclusion that Jesus was not simply divinely anointed.

b. Jesus is somehow God

c. John 1; John 20:28; Philippians 2

II. The Incarnation

= The belief that Jesus was God become human.

Historically, one of the central parts of the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Why?

A. Reasons for the doctrine

B. Some early heresies

II. The Incarnation

Account of the Gospel of Luke:

The Annunciation to Mary: The announcement to Mary that she will bear a son despite being a virgin

II. The Incarnation

Account of the Gospel of Luke:

- Was not a direct witness of Jesus

- Interviewed others for his Gospel (1:1 - 4)

- Likely written either in the 60s or 80s CE

II. The Incarnation

A. Reasons for the Doctrine

1. The revelation of the transcendent God

The Incarnation

2. Christ as Mediator

a. Bridges gap between the created and uncreated, finite and infinite

b. As human, understands our struggles; as God, forgives us.

The Incarnation

3. Necessary for salvation

a. To forgive sin, an ultimate penalty had to be paid

b. Only a perfect human could attain forgiveness

c. Only God is perfect

d. God became human

The Incarnation

4. Deification/Process of Sanctification

a. "That which he has not assumed, has not been healed." - Athanasius of Alexandria

b. "God became human, so that the human might become god."

II. The Incarnation

B. Early Heresies

1. Ebionites

a. Primarily Jewish group

b. Jesus was an ordinary human being

c. Possessed a higher divine anointment than others

d. Basically in the same vein as the prophets

II. The Incarnation

B. Early Heresies

2. Docetism

a. Jesus was completely divine, not human

b. Only appeared to be incarnate

c. God could not take on matter, because matter is evil

d. Suffering on the cross was an illusion

II. The Incarnation

B. Early Heresies

3. Adoptionism

a. Jesus was an ordinary human being

b. God adopts Jesus, making him divine

c. Denies Christ's eternal deity: man becomes God, rather than God becomes man.

II. The Incarnation

B. Early Heresies

Discussion about Christ's nature is inextricably tied to discussions about the Trinity.

The former led to the controversies of the latter.