Is Jesus more than ‘Merely Mortal’?
• “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Mark 15:39) – remarked by Roman
Centurion at Jesus’ death.
• It is unclear whether the centurion meant Jesus was the Son of God or a
son of God.
• In time, Christian leaders accepted Jesus as both fully God and fully
human.
• Council of Chalcedon 451 –“One and same Son, the same perfect in
Godhead and the same perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man ...
one and the same Son, only-begotten, divine Word, the Lord Jesus
Christ” (Chalcedonian Definition of Faith, defining Jesus Christ).
This belief in the perfect conjunction of Jesus’ two natures was term a
hypostatic union – but there are difficulties whether Jesus was human or
divine
Christology:
High Christology/From above (Divine Jesus) –
• Focus is on Jesus’ divinity and God’s act of bringing humanity back into
relationship with him.
• Relies on faith, cannot be proven.
• Healing the bleeding woman
• Turning water into wine
• Virgin birth (challenge - although he had a virgin birth he was still born
into a normal family)
• Resurrection
Low Christology/ From below (Jesus of wisdom: social, moral,
ethical messages) –
• Focus is on Jesus’ message, teaching, and the example he sets.
, • The focus of salvation is on how people respond to Jesus and the way
this helps to develop their relationship to God and the world.
• Conscious of what god wants - close to God - Jesus is limited by own
humanity - was Jesus actually completely different to God - not actual
evidence that he was God’s son
• Catechism - uses Jesus’ miracles to prove he is the son of God - literal or
metaphor? – Rudolf Bultmann argued we should demythologize the
Bible
• Parable of the lost son
• Has physical needs/ responses e.g. eats, drinks, sleeps
• Struggles with decisions e.g. temptation in the desert
• Has human emotions (challenge - hypostatic union would argue Jesus is
still fully human)
Knowledge of god:
• If Jesus thought he was fully human – how can we claim he knew he was
God’s Son?
• In Exodus, when Moses asks God for his identity, God’s reply is “I am
who I am” (Exodus 3:14).
• John’s Gospel shows Jesus using similar statements, reminiscent of the
revelation of God in Exodus.
• “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me” (John 14:6).
• This clearly shows the unique relationship Jesus has with God, but that it
is only through this relationship that one is able to achieve salvation.
Did Jesus think he was the Son of God?
• “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30).
• “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
• Some would say this indicates Jesus was fully conscious of God’s will and
wanted to fulfil it – rather than this being evidence of Jesus knowing he
was God’s Son. This is supported elsewhere –“The Father is greater
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