THE258 Christology

Talitha OConnor

Is There a Coherent Christology in the Bible?

For hundreds of years various churches have searched for a coherent, prevalent Christology. Today, there are still few who would say that a certain Christology has ascended over all others. The four major Christologies, Adam, Wisdom, Logos and Adoption, are still hotly debated the world around. It would seem, at least for the western Catholic and Protestant Churches, that they have informally settled on Logos Christology as their preferred methodology for the explanation of Christ. However there has not been a formal adoption by any Church of any Christology. This is due to the fact that whilst Logos Christology may fit together well, and correspond best with the theology of the church, it is still lacking in biblical coherence. This essay will discuss the ambiguities and biblical discrepancies to establish that the Bible does not contain a coherent Christology. Logos Christology stems largely from the writings of Justin Martyr1 and Origen2, with its biblical foundations namely in the gospel of John. The concept of the Logos was already present at the coming of Christ. In Greek philosophical circles it was understood by such men as Heraclitus to be the fundamental meaning and source of knowledge in the universe.3 The then contemporary view of Christ as the Logos was championed by the words of Johns Gospel, stating; All things were made through Him (the Logos), and without him nothing that was made was made. In Him was life, and that Life was the life of men.4 This aided the view of Christ as the Logos, as it backed up the belief that the Logos was the source of life in the universe5 Furthermore, The idea that the Logos is eternally present, as stipulated by Origen,6 is also founded in scripture, in John 1:1, which states; In the beginning was the [Logos] NB, and the
NB

For the sake of disambiguation all references to the word have been referred to in their classical Greek .

1 2

A McGrath Christian Theology: An Introduction (Melbourne, NSW: Blackwell Publishing 2006), 283 McGrath, 283 3 D Allen and E Springstead Philosophy for Understanding Theology (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press 2007), 48 4 John 1:3-4 NKJ 5 Allen and Springstead, 50 6 Origen, De Principis 1.2.4

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Talitha OConnor

[Logos] was with God, and the [Logos] was God. He was in the beginning with God.7 The old testament also alludes to the eternal state of Christ as the Logos, with psalms stating:Your [Logos] O Lord, is eternal. It stands firm in the heavens.8 Whilst it could be argued that this is evidence that Christ was not the Logos, as Christ roamed the Earth akin to mortal men, we must remember that at the time at which David wrote the Psalm, Christ as the Logos would still have been standing firmly in heaven. The issue is not whether the Logos is considered eternal by biblical standards, the scriptures clearly indicate that it is. The question is whether or not Jesus Christ was indeed the Logos. The gospel of John states;: And the [Logos] became flesh and dwelt among us9 This states Christs place as the logos, as John was essentially saying that the Word of God, already considered the Logos, had taken on human form and walked the earth, in the person of Jesus, thus making him the physical incarnation of the Logos.10 In Order for Christ to be the Logos, Christ must also be eternal in nature, as if they are one and the same; they must have the same characteristics of existence. In Order for Christ to be eternal in nature, he must always have been the Son of God. If he is, at any point, considered mortal, this negates the notion of his preexistence, as he would have been born a human at a finite point in time. Unfortunately the Bible as a whole is ambiguous when it comes to the determination of Christ as the Son of God, with numerous contradictory scriptures. Romans tells us that Christ was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection of the Dead.11 The resurrection of Christs physical body is thus the point at which Jesus Christ became the Son of God, as demonstrated by his ability to conquer death. Some may argue that Elijah also conquered death, but as he ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire12, he was not attacked by death, and ergo nor could he conquer it. Acts puts Christ as the Son of God at both the Crucifixion and the resurrection. Acts 2 tells us that God has made this Jesus, whom you
7 8

John 1:1 NKJ Psalm 119:89 NKJ 9 John 1:14 NKJ 10 D Irvin and S Sunquist History of the World Christian Movement (New York, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002), 120 11 Romans 1:4 NKJ 12 2 Kings 2:11 NKJ

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Talitha OConnor

crucified, both Lord and Christ.13 This alludes to the crucifixion as the catalyst for Jesus becoming divine. However further on in Acts 13, it says; And we declare to you glad tidings that promise which was made to the fathers. He (God) has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 14 This verse clearly demonstrates that it is at the point of resurrection that Jesus Christ became the Son of God.

Then there is Matthews account of the baptism of Christ, which says that upon Jesus emergence from the water; a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.15 This can be interpreted to understand that Jesus became the Son of God at his baptism. However this verse is inherently ambiguous, as it can also be understood to indicate that Christ was eternally the some of God. The direct interpretation says that this is a declaration by God, saying that is this man, upon baptism has become his son. However it can also be viewed in much the same way that a mortal father says he loves a son. This is as a statement of fact, not necessarily specific to that point in time, but rather an overreaching statement of an eternal truth. Furthermore, the declaration does not necessarily have to be of Christ status as Gods son. It could just as easily be a declaration that God is pleased with his Son. The ambiguity presented in the biblical texts means that we have no way to ascertain for certain at which point Jesus Christ came to be considered as the Son of God. Another ambiguity present in Logos Christology is the clarification of the Logos itself. On one hand Origen dictates the eternal nature of the Logos,16 and on the other Philo tells us otherwise. Like Origen, Philos works were earnestly received by the early church. However Philo had an entirely different view on the Logos all together. According to Philo, the Logos had always existed, but not in the same way it was believed to be by Origen, or insinuated in the Gospel of
13 14

Acts 2: 36 NKJ Acts 13:32-33 NKJ (also, Psalm 2:7) 15 Matthew 3:17 NKJ 16 Origen, De Principiis 1.2.4

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Talitha OConnor

John. Philo essentially held that the Logos had two incarnations. Firstly, he believed it had eternal generation as Gods thought. He believed that the Logos has eternally begat God, as a result of Gods own thought and action.17 However, Philo also categorized the Logos as being inferior to God, as he believed had gone out of God in the form of Christ, and unlike God, was not without a beginning.18 This is contradictory to Origen, as he believed that the eternal Logos was one and the same as Christ the Logos, not that they were both separate manifestations. Furthermore, the Gospel of John tells us that; (the Logos) was in the beginning with God. 19 As the Gospel of John dealt entirely with Christ as the Logos, we can ascertain that he means that Christs incarnation of the Logos was there in the beginning. It is difficult to clarify the exact characteristics and perception of the Logos itself, as these differ between works and scripture. One can assume that Logos Christology is the most theologically sound Christology, as it would otherwise never have become the most prevalent in modern Christian society. However, as demonstrated, Logos Christology has many biblical ambiguities. Whist is evident that the Logos exists, and the Logos is eternal, it is difficult to demonstrate how the Logos is scripturally and academically categorized. Whether or not Christ is the Logos is biblically indistinct, and is only compounded by the discrepancies in Christs consideration as the Son of God. If the most prevalent Christology in place is not scripturally consistent, then it can be assumed that there is no coherent Christology in the Bible.

Word Count: 1,467 words

17 18

Philo, De Vita Mosis 1.283 W Pannenberg Jesus God and Man (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press 1983), 123 19 John, 1:2,N.KJ

THE258 Christology BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS

Talitha OConnor

Allen, D and Springstead, E Philosophy for Understanding Theology Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press 2007 Irvin, D & Sunquist, S History of the World Christian Movement New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002 Inge, WR Sources and Growth of the Logos Christology Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2005 Pannenberg, W Jesus God and Man Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press 1983 McGrath, A Christian Theology: An Introduction Melbourne, NSW: Blackwell Publishing 2006 BIBLICAL TEXTS The Gospel of John Letter to the Romans Book of Psalms The Second Book of Kings The Gospel of Matthew The Book of Acts SCHOLARLY TEXTS Origen, De Principiis Philo, De Vita Mosis Philo, De Cherubim

THE258 Christology

Talitha OConnor