Anglican Studies: Christology THEO 601

1. Anglican Studies: Christology THEO 601 WEEK TWO TITLES Thursday 23 August 2012

2. NT Christological Titles • cultural background • historical development • contemporary uses

3. Bibliography: • McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: An Introduction. Fourth ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2007. • Macquarrie, John. Jesus Christ in Modern Thought. London: SCM Press, 2003. • Macquarrie, John. Christology Revisited. London: SCM Press Ltd, 1998. • Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. Second ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004. • O'Collins, Gerald. Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

4. ‘Son of God’ • In the Old Testament the expression ‘son of God’ generally meant belonging to God which in pre-Christian Judaism represented the idea of collective sonship. Traditionally, the term was applied to those considered agents of God such as angels, the chosen people and their king

5. Macquarrie argues that almost every mention of God in the New Testament refers to the traditional God of Israel. It is this God whoformed the basis for Christian assertions about Christ, for example, Christ as the Son of God, as the Word of God, and as God. This interpretation resulted in a reciprocity between the Hebrew inheritance and the revelation in Christ.

6. The earliest titles which say who Jesus is come from the experience of the appearances of Jesus and have their foundation in the resurrection event. By his resurrection Jesus was made Christ, Son of God, Kyrios.

7. Through the first centuries of the Church the incarnate ‘Logos’ competed with ‘Son of God’ as the major high Christological title

8. The main importance of the filial relationship implied by the title is that it comes out of an Old Testament background, and is grounded in Jesus’ earthly ministry and belief in God’s loving and life-giving fatherhood, as was made known by Jesus and subsequently in Paul’s letters

9. What led the early Xns to call Jesus ‘Son of God?’ • Memory and experience pull together the major strands of their motivation

10. The obviously relational nature within the life of God to the titles ‘Son of God’ and ‘Word’ gave these titles their special prominence in the Christological and Trinitarian debates that flourished during the first few centuries of the Church’s existence.

11. Contemporary development • Working with the notion of ‘transcendence’ in his developing christology, Macquarrie makes three significant points relevant to the title ‘son of God’. (Macquarrie362-63).

12. Macquarrie

13. Macquarrie • “Only if there is in all human beings a possibility for transcendence and a capacity for God, can there be such a possibility and capacity in the man Jesus; and only if God is present and known in and through the creation generally can there be a particular point at which God is present and known in a signal way” • (Macquarrie 381 )

14. Macquarrie • The difference in a history of revelation between Jesus and other figures in history is one of degree rather than of kind

15. Macquarrie asks: • What does it mean for Christians to say that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God or the only way to salvation within the context of many religious and saviour figures in the world?

16. Macquarrie • “theologians may not and must not in any way diminish or compromise the humanity of Jesus Christ. They may not, for example, make him so exalted and so different that he is turned into an alien type of being, not truly and fully human”. • (Macquarrie 419)

17. Saviour figures in history as figures of faith and hope

18. In conclusion, Jesus’ post-existent appearances brought the early Christians to an understanding of Jesus as the Saviour and as the Son of God.

19. Other contemporary approaches • Problematic for some feminist theologians. • Some womanist and feminist theologians are interpreting the title in terms of relationality and importance of familial relationships rather than gender specificity (See for e.g. - Stevens, Maryanne, ed. Reconstructing the Christ Symbol. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1993).

20. The Word • Read Macquarrie pgs.43-44

21. Contemporary • The Word is the title most promoted by Macquarrie as accommodating religious difference

22. Three possibilities in which pre-existence might be understood (Macquarrie)

23. Macquarrie • “… the difference between Christ and other agents of the Logos is one of degree, not of kind. In particular, the evolution of the cosmos resolves itself eventually into the history of the human race, and within that history a special significance belongs to Israel and the prophetic tradition, and out of that in the fullness of time is born Jesus Christ. It is in some such way, I believe, that the mystery of pre-existence is to be understood” pg.392

24. In conclusion, Macquarrie’s understanding is that transcendence is central to an understanding of the human condition. He states, ‘To call Jesus Christ God-man (or whatever the preferred expression may be) is to claim that in him human transcendence has reached that point at which the human life has become so closely united with the divine life that, in the traditional language, it has been “deified”.’ • Macquarrie, Jesus Christ in Modern Thought, 370.

25. Other contemporary developments • Problematic for some indigenous theologians • Problematic for some feminist theologians (See for e.g. - Stevens, Maryanne, ed. Reconstructing the Christ Symbol. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1993).

26. Son of Man • In Hebrew and in Aramaic the expression Son of Man was commonly used in an informal sense to mean simply a human being

27. In the New Testament, the term was used almost exclusively by Jesus

28. The recognition of the complete humanity of Christ involves a return not only to Paul’s teaching about the first and last Adams but to the phrase the ‘Son of Man’ which appears in the very early tradition (and then wanes)

29. Read McGrath pgs.278-279

30. ‘Lord’ (cultural background) • (McGrath & Macquarrie) Kyrios (Greek) nar (Aramaic) The term was helpful in translating the OT YHWH OT title for God - implies a high identity with God Appears to be one of the earliest Christian confessions of faith (Josephus recorded that Jews refused to address the emperor as “lord” on account of their belief that the term was appropriate for God alone)

31. Historical Development Macquarrie: • When people addressed Jesus as ‘lord’ in the course of his ministry this was probably just a respectful title used in speaking to a teacher • When the evangelists refer to him as ‘the Lord’ much more is implied. • A high christology developed quite early

32. (Macquarrie) • An alternative view (Bultmann) traces the Kyrios title to Hellenistic sources in which it was used for the deities of the mystery cults.

33. Contemporary • Problematic for some feminist theologians – associated with maleness and authority over – ’ lordship’. • Translated into the equivalent in other cultures and languages. (E.g. Lord has in history been translated in Maori language as ‘Te Ariki’. A cultural study of the term ‘Te Ariki’ therefore is undertaken, alongside its application in terms of Christ to seek relevance or appropriateness in local context.