Summary - H573/03 Developments in Christian Thought - Person of Jesus
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Course
H573/03 Developments in Christian Thought
Institution
OCR
Notes covering the H573/03 Developments in Christian Thought topic of the Person of Jesus, with explanation and notes covering all the necessary content for the exams.
The depictions of Jesus’ life come from the 4 Gospels (written by the 4 Evangelists:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
Context:
o Israel was part of the Roman Empire.
o Herod Antipas was the Jewish “puppet king”, but Rome was in charge.
o Some Jewish religious teachers, known as the Pharisees, wanted a strict
interpretation of Jewish law. They believed that God was punishing Israel for their
sin by letting Romans rule.
o The Zealots are a band of rebels who fight Roman rule.
The Hypostatic Union:
In the 5th century, St Augustine wrote frequently on the Son of God and its relationship with
the Son of Man, positioning the two issues in terms of the dual nature of Jesus as both divine
and human in terms of the hypostatic union.
o The union of the human and divine natures in the one divine person of Christ.
Hypostatic means personal, leading to a personal union of Jesus’ two natures.
Jesus has two complete natures – one fully human, and one fully divine. What the doctrine
of the hypostatic union teaches is that these two natures are united in one person in the
God-man. Jesus is not two persons. He is one person. The hypostatic union is the joining
(mysterious though it be) of the divine and the human in the one person of Jesus.
Augustine wrote:
o “Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is God and Man: God before all worlds, man in our
world… But since he is the only Son of God, by nature and not by grace, he became
also the Son of Man that he might be full of grace as well.”
o “The hypostatic union is the mysterious joining of the divine and the human in the
one person of Jesus.”
Biblical references to Jesus as the Son of God / Man:
Revelation 1:12-13 which radiantly stands in glory and speaks to the author: “He is one like a
son of Man.”
In the Gospel of John, Jesus is not just a messianic figure, nor a prophet like Moses, but the
key emphasis is on his dual role as the Son of God and Son of Man.
o 1. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.”
o 2. “When you see the son of Man lifted up, then you shall know who I am.”
o 3. “’Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so
that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one
speaking with you.”
Karl Rahner suggests that to be human is to have an unknown future, if Jesus was aware of
his Father and faintly aware of his fate, then how could he be called human?
o Rahner posits that Jesus could be likened to an onion, the outer layers were totally
human, and the inner layers contained his divine consciousness.
Gerald O’Collins however challenges the very idea that we can answer these questions,
since Christ himself left no writings, all we can know is “that he stood in a unique
relationship to the Father and that as Son he had a mission of salvation for others.”
, Dillon Precious The Person of Jesus
Jesus and his Miracles:
Key names: Hume, McQuarrie, Bultmann, Hick, Swinburne, and Schillebeeckx.
A miracle is something that breaks a law of nature, has a purpose or significance, and should
be open to religious or spiritual interpretation.
o It isn’t the most watertight definition, as it can be self-fulfilling if you want one.
o Can downplay human achievement to some extent.
The two main views on miracles are anti-realist and realist:
o An anti-realist believes that miracles are not literally caused by God, they are
symbolic, and reveal something about God to a believer within their own religious
life.
o A realist believes that miracles need to be actual events to be meaningful, God must
literally cause a miracle.
The entire Christian faith is based on miracles: the incarnation of God, the virgin birth, the
miracles of Christ, the resurrection, and the covenant.
Healing the Bleeding Woman (Mark Jesus’ Resurrection (Mark 16:1-8): Healing the Blind Man (John 9):
5:25-34):
A woman had “an issue of blood Mary Magdalene, Mary mother Jesus was asked “who did sin,
twelve years”. of James, and Salome came to this man, or his parents, that he
She had spent all her money on anoint Christ’s corpse. was born blind.”
doctors who all failed to cure The stone in front of the cave He answered that neither had
her ailment. was rolled aside, within sat a sinned, he was blind so “that
She heard about Jesus and his young man dressed in white. the works of God should be
miracles; she came behind him He asked them “Be not made manifest.”
and touched his clothing – “If I affrighted... he is risen; he is not He declared himself “the light
may but touch his clothes, I shall here: behold the place where of the world.”
be whole.” they laid him.” He spat on the clay ground, and
She was immediately healed, “They trembled and were anointed the blind man with the
Christ felt inside that an energy amazed... for they were afraid.” clay, he was cured of his
(“virtue”) had left him. From this we learn that miracles blindness.
She was terrified when he are inexplicable and terrifying The Pharisees refused this, but
turned around, but he said to the human mind. It also fulfils the blind man answered, “if this
“Daughter, they faith hath made prophecy, which is in itself a man were not of God, he could
thee whole; go peace.” miracle. do nothing.”
The meaning is that Christ’s From this story we learn that
power is so great that even afflictions are given by God for
those materials attached to him his unknowable works, and that
become objects of miracle, but miracles can only come from
it is important that whilst the the root cause of God.
cloak is the catalyst, her faith is
the mechanism. Therefore, we
know that miracles come from
divine power mixed with faith.
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