Religion Essay Research Paper CHRISTOLOGY THE HISTORICAL

Religion Essay, Research Paper

CHRISTOLOGY: THE HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Jesus Christ, the central figure of Christianity, was born in Bethlehem in Judea. The chronology of the Christian era is reckoned from a 6th-century dating of the year of his birth, which is now recognized as being from four to eight years in error. Christians traditionally regard Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, and as having been divinely conceived by Mary, the wife of Joseph, and a carpenter of Nazareth. The name Jesus is derived from a Greek rendering of the Hebrew name Joshua, or in full Yehoshuah. The title Christ is derived from the Greek christos, a translation of the Hebrew Messiah. Christ was used by Jesus’ early followers, who regarded him as the promised deliverer of Israel and later was made part of Jesus’ proper name by the church, which regards him as the redeemer of all humanity (http://www.encarta.com).

The principal sources of information concerning Jesus’ life are the Gospels, written in the latter half of the 1st century by the generation that had known Jesus firsthand. The Epistles of Saint Paul and the Acts of the Apostles also contain information about Jesus. The scantiness of additional source material and the theological nature of biblical records caused some 19th-century biblical scholars to doubt his historical existence. Others, interpreting the available sources in a variety of ways produced biographies of Jesus in which his life was purged of all supernatural elements. Today, scholars generally agree that Jesus was a historical figure whose existence is authenticated both by Christian writers and by several Roman and Jewish historians (http://www.encarta.com).

In its simplest form, the definition of Christology is the study of Christ. We derive this definition by defining the syllables: “ology” means ‘the study of and Christ is self-defined. Theologians and scholars; however, tend to make all definitions more difficult and more complex than this. The definition; however, is fully dependent upon which theologian one reads. Some focus on the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ; others explore his life and work on earth. Some deny the fact that Jesus is God, and others express strongly that yes, Jesus is part of the trinity and is God. Christianity is founded on the belief that Jesus walked the earth and was given to humanity to die for our sins. In a manner of speaking, Christianity is Christology because all Christian faiths study the life of Jesus Christ (http://www.encarta.com).

William M. Thompson defines Christology thusly: “Christology entails a struggle or contest over the true meaning of the Bible; that Christology and biblical studies are two aspects of a single inquiry into divine revelation; and that this kind of inquiry demands a meditative form” (12). Another aspect of some points of view in Christology has to do with the formation of Christian Churches, especially the Catholic Church. Hans Kung says that the student must begin with the historical life and teachings of Jesus instead of depending on the interpretation of the early church, which is still prevalent today. He believes that by negating what he believes is the Hellenistic paradigm, dialogue with both Judaism and Islam would be facilitated which would be a good thing for the world (35).

Robert Imbelli’s interview with Jesuit Father Joseph Fitzmyer interprets Jesus’ place in the historical and spiritual worlds are more in line with the Bible. He suggests the question being asked by Christology is age-old: “Who do you say I am.” The responses found in the New Testament are many: “You are the Messiah . . . the Son of God . . . the Image of the invisible God . . .the Word made flesh . . .Lord and God.” The canon rules out any other answer to the question (25). Imbelli also notes that there has not been such a “farrago,” meaning a mixed up hodgepodge, of differing images of the identity of Jesus as there is today since the second century. He quotes some of the images as Jesus the cyruc philosopher; Jesus the social reformer; Jesus the therapist; Jesus the protofeminist. He also argues that although some of these presentations capture some of the traits of Jesus, they are, for the most part, reductive. He asserts that this latest chapter in the “age-old postic saga” divorces the Jesus of history from the Christ of faith (25).

These interpretations attempt to categorize Jesus. Jesus cannot be placed in a category. He is too large, too vast, and too mysterious for labeling. In much of the current academic study that is what is missing — the mystery of Jesus. Instead, there is an effort to examine the “Jesus of history.” There is certainly nothing wrong with a historical study but if it ignores or denies the “Spiritual Jesus,” the “Christ of faith,” the study is a hoax. It isn’t real, accurate, or valid. This type of study neither illuminates nor inspires the student and those who study Jesus to walk in his path is left without any sort of nourishment for the mind or the soul (27). For Imbelli, the central interpretive key to Christology is the “Resurrection of the crucified Jesus and his presence.” This is the view that is reflected in the New Testament, which views Jesus’ life and ministry in the light of the Resurrection and the Lord’s continuing presence in His community (25).

The development of the church’s Christological f