MARCELINO A. RAPAYLA JR., 2ND Year: CHRISTOLOGY Rev. Fr.

Martin Fonte, FI

Theological Reflection

In this course, the task of Christology is to make intelligible the Christian faith that Jesus of Nazareth, a
historical person, is Christ as the center of all human history and the final and full revelation of God to
humanity (Dei Verbum, 5). Then Rahner feels that within "the contemporary mentality which sees the world
from an evolutionary point of view" (Rahner 1978, 208) the person of Christ should not be emphasized in his
unique individuality same as while ignoring any possibility of combining the event of Christ with the process of
human history as a whole. In fact, it appears there are some limitations of classic Christological formula
suggested by the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) which affirms "one identical Son, our Lord Jesus Christ ...
perfect both in his divinity and in his humanity ... [with] two natures without any separation ... united in one
person." (Thomas, 30-40) Moreover, the Chalcedon formula adopts philosophical concepts such as nature, and
hypostatic union which are no longer used to explain and interpret religious experiences.(Rausch, 161-162).

On other hand, Rahner introduces transcendental Christology, which interprets the event and person of
Christ in relation to the essential structure of the human person, reflecting on the essential conditions of all
human experiences, conditions which transcend any one particular kind of experience. (Rahner, 206-220)
Rahner states that spirit represents the unique mode of existence of a single person when that person becomes
self-conscious and is always oriented towards the incomprehensible Mystery called God. Even if there is an
essential difference between spirit and matter, that is not understood as an essential opposition: the relationship
between the two can be said as "the intrinsic nature of matter to develop towards spirit". (Rahner, 184) This
kind of becoming from matter to spirit can be called self-transcendence which "can be only understood as
taking place by the power of the absolute fullness of being": (Rahner, 185)

Rahner believes that the savior described by his transcendental Christology is not diverse from the one
presented by the classic Christological formulations of Chalcedon, which used a concept of hypostatic union to
claim Jesus as the Christ. Accordingly, he then proceeds to articulate the meaning of the hypostatic union.
(O’Collins, 217-243) The issue is how to understand the meaning of "human being": Rahner understands the
phrase “became man” as assuming an individual human nature as God's own, and emphasizes "the self-
emptying of God, his becoming, the kenosis and genesis of God himself". (Rahner, 222) God "assumes by
creating" and also "creates by assuming", that is, he creates by emptying himself, and therefore, of course, he
himself is in the emptying. He creates the human reality by the very fact that he assumes it as his own. (Rahner,
222) God's creating-by-emptying act belongs to God's power and freedom as the absolute One and to God's
self-giving love expressed in scripture. (Rahner, 222) Therefore, it is legitimate for Rahner to assert that God
"who is not subject to change in himself can himself be subject to change in something else". This is what the
doctrine of the Incarnation teaches us: "in and in spite of his immutability he can truly become something: he
himself, he in time". (Rahner, 220-223)

According to Rahner, human beings are created to be oriented towards the incomprehensible Mystery
called God. However, this human orientation towards the Mystery can be fully grasped only if we as humans
freely choose to be grasped by the incomprehensible One: if God assumes human nature as God's own reality
with God's irrevocable offer of God's self-communication, and a person freely accepts it, the person is united
 with God, reaching the very point towards which humanity is always moving by virtue of its essence, a God-
Man which is fully fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth claimed by Christian faith. In this sense, Rahner
sees the incarnation of God as "the unique and highest instance of the actualization of the essence of human
reality". (Rahner, 218)

According to Rahner's transcendental Christology which opens another horizon which comprises non-
Christian religions, as God's universal saving will in Christ extends to non-Christians: since Christ is the savior
of all people, salvation for non-Christians comes only through Christ (anonymous Christians). Just as
importantly, it is possible to say that Christians can learn from other religions or atheistic humanism because
God's grace is and can be operative in them. (Schineller, 102) The presence of Christ in other religions operates
in and through his Spirit (Rahner, 316) and non-Christians respond to the grace of God through "the unreflexive
and 'searching Christology'" (searching "memory" of the absolute savior) present in the hearts of all persons.
(Rahner, 295-318) Three specific attitudes become involved: 1) an absolute love towards one's neighbors; 2) an
attitude of readiness for death; and 3) an attitude of hope for the future. (Rahner, 295-298) In practicing these,
the person is acting from and responding to the grace of God that was fully manifest in the life of Jesus.
(Michaud, 2017)

Therefore, it is by the gratuitous, an inner grace of the person, an initiative given by God as a free gift to
human being for him to transcend his understanding and become an intelligible being. In fact, God said to him,
'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace is not
only amazing, it is 'sufficient'. By this gratuitous, it is God's self-communication, and a person freely accepts it,
the person is united with God, reaching the very point towards which humanity is always moving by virtue of
its essence, a God-Man which is fully fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth claimed by Christian faith
which is even present to non-Christian believers that which depends on how the person responded this God’s
self-communication.

Michaud, Derek (n.d.). "Karl Rahner (1904–1984)". In Wildman, Wesley. Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of
Western Theology. Boston: Boston University. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
O'Collins, Gerald. Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus. Oxford: Oxford University
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Pope Paul VI. Dei Verbum. Manila: Daughters of St. Paul, 1991.
Rahner, Karl. Foundations of Christian Faith: An Introduction to the Idea of Christianity. Translated by Dych,
William V. New York: Seabury Press, 1978.
Rausch, Thomas P. Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology. Philippines: Claretian Publications, 2005.
Schineller, J. Peter. "Discovering Jesus Christ: A History We Share". In O'Donovan, Leo J. A World of Grace: An
Introduction to the Themes and Foundations of Karl Rahner's Theology. New York: Crossroad, 1991.
The New American Bible. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1968.

Thomas, P.C. General Councils of the Church. Mumbai: The Bombay Saint Paul Society, 2008.