Jesus Flashcards
Define Hypostatic union
- Belief Christ is both fully divine and fully human
What is the Trinity
Jesus existing as 3 persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit
–> co-existince, co-equal, co-eternal
–> Only one God
What 2 things established the Trinity of Jesus
Nicene Creed
- Council of Bishops met to settle disputes over God’s relationship with Jesus
- Christ as Son of God - “Begotten not made”
Council of Chalcedon
- Creates definition - of Christ with two natures joining together in one beings
- Christ as “Truly God and truly man”
- Jesus has one substance and three persons
- Two natures joined by Hypostatic union
- Jesus is Son of God and Jesus is God
Biblical evidence for trinity
John
- Jesus - “Father and I are one”
–> also suggests JC thought of himself as divine
Genesis
- “In the beginning was God, and the word was with God, and the word was God”
–> the word refers to JC
–> implies Jesus pre-existed the creation of the world, re-enforces trinity
- Descriptions of Son of God’s actions match Jesus
–> Mark - Jesus calms story waters in same way God did in Pslams OT
–> Isaiah - States when Lord returns eyes of the Blind will be opened - JC helps blind see - John - Jesus calls God ‘abba’ - meaning God
–> however, JC also encourages other disciples to do this
Criticism
- Others in Bible referred to as son of God e.g. Adam and Solomon
- John “The Father is greater than I”
–> Not compatible with Trinity co-equal view
Scholars on Trinity
For Trinity
- Karl Bath
–> Trinity requires faith
–> Trinity is a mystery that cannot be understood through human reason
–> “Finite has no capacity for the infinite”
Criticism
- Dr. Channing - Liberal theologian
–> Trinity creates “infinite confusion”
–> Contradicting qualities, cannot be human and divine, weak and mighty, ignorance and omniscient
- John Hick
–> Christ being human solves paradoxical implications of the trinity
Bible on Jesus Self-knowledge of divinity
Jesus thought he was divine
- John - “The father and I are one” - Jesus understood himself as part of Trinity / fully divine
- JC Miracles - implies knowledge of divine power
Jesus did not
- John “The Father is greater than I”
–> Not compatible with Trinity co-equal view
Scholars on Jesus Self-divinity
JC did not know
John Hick
- Historical Jesus did not believe he was God or Son of God (in unique way)
–> Title son of God common when referring to someone chosen by God e.g. Adam and Solomon
- Development Argument
–> John is the last Gospel written
–> Clear statements of Jesus divinity did not exist in earlier Gospels, Jesus only depicted as prophet
–> Hick argues JC was not Son of God, this is a man made concept
BUT
- examples of miracles in earlier Gospels - evidence of divinity?
JC did know
- Bart Ehrman
–> Development argument only applies to how JC speaks about himself
–> Gospel of Mark implies JC as divine, just JC doesnt know it
But - If is divine and therefore omniscient - how would he not know he is divine
4 Types of Miracles + Miracles significance
- Miracles defend Jesus as Son of God
4 types
- Nature (breaks laws of Nature)
–> Mark - calms stormy waters as predicted in Psalms
- Healing (curing people)
–> John - makes blind man able to see - Raising the dead (3 times)
–> Matthew - Jesus Resurrected
–> Luke - resurrects son of widow - Exorcisms
Criticism of Miracles
- Reimarus - 18th Century German Philosopher
–> Christ was human deluded about being Messiah
–> After crucifision his disples reptended he was resurrected
—> JC only did miracles for those who already had faith
–> Miracles written down years after death. - OT Prophets also did miracles without being SoG
–> Moses parting the red sea in Exodus
BUT - Jesus had unique control over miracles
–> God told Moses to part sea, JC autonomous
Resurrection- for and Against + relevance
- Resurrection of JC shows him as SoG and suggests self knowledge of divinity
- Jesus role in salvation means must be divine + resurrection real
–> atonement only be done by divine, a human could not same us from sin
–> For Christianity to remain true and JC save us from sin, resurrection must be true
BUT - Circular reasoning fallacy - Biblical story of resurrection must be true otherwise bible wouldn’t be true…
Support
N.T. Wright
- Resurrection can be historically proved
- Resurrection doctrine drastically different from any other Jewish doctrine, must be true
- Empty tomb discovered by women - proves true, if made up would have been man
Against
Rudolf Bultmann
- Demythologising the bible - supernatural acts of NT should not be taken at face value
- Reurrection as a symbol of transformative power
Biblical basis for JC as teacher of Wisdom
Parable of the Lost Son
- Son goes off and squanders money, comes back and is celebrated for returning home despite losing money
- Other son is jealous and asks why other son is being celebrated
- JC says its because whats important is him being “found”
Sermon on the Mount
- JC replacing OT morality with NT morality
- “Eye for an eye” become “turn the other cheek”
–> by contradicting teachings of Moses implies JC’s knowledge of self divinity - as only person with greater authority than Prophet would be God
Sabbath
- JC says “Sabbath is made for man, not man the sabbath”
–> Contradicting OT moral guidance
Whats a good arg to follow for this
- JC role as teacher of moral wisdom interlinked with his role as son of God
–> his divinity gives him authority as moral teacher - not political liberator
What did C.S. Lewis say about Jesus
Moral teacher
- Anyone who says Jesus is Merely a moral teacher is foolish
- JC is either insane, evil or God
- Can only be a moral teacher if his claims were backed by authority of being God.
BUT - Could have been mistaken in believing his own divinity
Scholars on JC as teacher of wisdom
C.S. Lewis -
- Anyone who says Jesus is Merely a moral teacher is foolish
- JC is either insane, evil or God
- Can only be a moral teacher if his claims were backed by authority of being God.
BUT
- Could have been mistaken in believing his own divinity
Rudolf Bultmann
- Demythologisation - JC not SoG
- Bible need demythologising after enlightenment and science disproves a lot of bible
–> Rejected denial of science, rejected liberal approach of ignoring myths
- Should see myths as spiritual / symbolic
- View Jesus teachings as symbolic but doesnt mean SoG
John Hick
- JC not SoG, JC is a human role model
- Influenced by Bultmann
- Myth are true in the way they spiritually inspire people e.g. resurrection a symbol of life transcending death
Biblical support for JC as Liberator
Support
- Parable of the Good Samaritan
–> JC said to love your neighbour as yourself, neighbour extending to everyone including the downtrodden or socially excluded e.g. Samaritans
Preferential option for the poor
- Father Pedro Arrupe - JC + bible shows preferential treatments of the poor
–> Sermon on the Mount saying “Blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven
–> Matthew - “Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God”
Exodus
- “Let my people go, so that they may worship”
–> Biblical liberation of Israelites from oppression of Pharaoh
–> Implies need liberation to fully worship God
Criticism
- Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey no a warhorse like expected - pacifist
- JC showed no interest in overturning economic oppression
–> Supported paying taxes to Caesar - “Gove to Caesar what is Caesars, and God what is God”
