Christology Flashcards
What two things does a good Christology address?
o Person of Christ
o Work of Christ
What will a Christology ask of the Person of Christ?
- How he is fully human and fully human
* Explain how he’s one (person)
What will a Christology ask of the work of Christ?
• What salvific work did he do?
Who does Athanasius say is the Image of God, after whom human beings have been made in the image and likeness?
Jesus Christ
Athanasius identifies an aspect of human beings that needs to be renewed, what is it that needs to be renewed?
The image of God in human kind
Athanasius - Who is it that is able to recreate this aspect of human beings? And why is that “person” able to recreate this aspect of human beings?
The Word of God
He alone is the image of God.
Athanasius - What are the two different kinds of actions that Jesus did, what examples does he provide for each kind of action, and what does each kind of action prove about Jesus?
Ordinary Acts – being born, taking food > recognized as being present with the body, not merely an appearance
Extraordinary acts – cleansed lepers, made the lame walk > proved himself to be the son of God
What is the “double account of the Savior” that is the “basic meaning and purport of Holy Scripture”?
- Fully divine human because he took FLESH not necessarily soul and mind
- Humanity is limited to the body and the soul and mind play no logic to this argument
(This is standard Orthodox Christianity at the time but neglects Jesus’ human nature)
Athanasius - How does Jesus’ divinity use his body?
- Jesus’ body is an INSTRUMENT of His divinity
- bore the weaknesses of the flesh while the flesh renders assistance from the works of the Godhead for it was God’s body.
Athanasius - How are “the proper works of the Logos himself… accomplished”?
“through the instrumentality of his own body”
Divine mind in a human body
Athanasius points out that Jesus’ miracles involved the use of his human body, what exactly do these examples show that he possessed (the exact wording is important)?
They showed that he possessed a body in reality and not as matter of mere seeming.
Athanasius - Why is it that “human beings no longer continue as sinners and dead persons?”
The Logos has become human and made flesh his very own, these passions no longer affect the body because the Logos has come to dwell within it.
Accoriding to Athanasius, why did “the Logos dwell among them (human beings)” and why is it that he “became flesh”?
To redeem the members of the human race
What is “the purpose and point” of the Logos’ communication of the attributes of deity, holiness, and eternal life to his humanity (the humanity of Jesus)?
Through his mediation, human beings, made sharers in the divine nature…being set free from corruption they will reign eternally.
Apollinaris - What will no one deny “is knit together”?
The earthly body and the Godhead
Apollinaris - What are the two things that are mingled in the person of Christ?
The uncreated is comingled with the creature
What “is constituted” as a result of the mingling in the person of Christ according to Apollinaris?
One nature is constituted out of parts severally
What does the flesh receive that it does not possess according to Appolinaris?
Impassibility, a heavenly way of life, royal authority, being worshipped by the whole creation, being graced with the name above every name.
Apollinaris explains that “the human race is saved… by the assumption of flesh (by the Logos)”. Exactly “what was needed” according to Apollinaris?
- Salvation comes through the incarnation because
o The divine mind (Logos) avoids sin
o The Logos adapted the flesh to himself
o When other human beings unite themselves to the Logos by faith the can share in the divine attributes that Jesus has.
Apollinaris - What are the three parts that make up a human being?
Spirit, Soul, and Body
According to Apollinaris, Jesus doesn’t have one of the human parts. Which one?
Human spirit because he has a Divine Spirit/Mind
Apollinaris - If human beings “are made up of three parts, while he (Jesus) is made up of four”, then what is Jesus?
Man-God
What is Apollinaris’ case for the unity of God?
Nature: says that the union happens on the level of nature when the divine and human mix to make a divine-human hypostasis
o two natures mixed to form one hypostasis
o can’t be both fully human and divine because he would be worshipping himself
- One Will
o Only has the mind/will of God
- One Activity
o Jesus does divine stuff guided by the divine will
o Body used as an instrument
Indwelling is Theodore’s way of describing how the divine nature (person) is united to the human nature (person) in the person of Jesus. How should indwelling “fittingly be described as taking place”?
- by good pleasure
Theodore - What does “good pleasure” mean?
- the best and noblest will of God
What type of union is indicated by the notion of indwelling?
A union of will – like marriage where you choose to marry someone; divine person + human person