Dictionary of Christology
(You may like to see the
“heresy chart” first)
Adoptionism
That Jesus was born as an ordinary man, and was later raised to divine sonship-
particularly at baptism [1]
Western school of theology. With Antiochene thought, one of two responses to Arianism. Word-Flesh theology. Accused by Antiochenes of teaching a “blended natures” Christology. Important figures: Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Athanasius. [13]
lit. Not-hypostatic; not personal. Used by Cyril and others in describing the human nature of Jesus as not having a personal centre. [13]
Eastern school of theology. With Alexandrian thought, one of two responses to Arianism. Pioneered by Diodore of Tarsus (~330–94). Stressed impassibility of God; Word-Man theology: Jesus’ human nature suffered at the cross; the Logos did not – although his human nature was received into heaven by virtue of its obedience and union with the divine nature. Accused by Alexandrians of teaching a “two-sons” Christology. Important figures: Nestorius, Theodore, John Chrysostom [13]
Apollinarianism
Heretical doctrine after Apollinaris; that Jesus'
soul was divine rather than human, only his body was truly human. [1] Crudely; God in Jesus' head. [10]
Apollinaris (-390)
Founder of Apollinarianism, (heretical) Follower of Athanasius. [10]
Apophatic
Tradition of preserving the mystery of God by stressing divine
unknowability.[8] “Negative
theology” [10]
Aquinas, Thomas (1225-74)
Italian, Scholar at Paris University.
Described the God-Man unity in Jesus as a fourth category of unity,
different from any other kind.
Showed that doing maths like 1+1=2 doesn’t apply, as mathematically God
is beyond numbers:
(numberlessness)+1=1; our unknowing of God disables the paradox. [10]
Arianism
1) That only God the Father is divine; i.e. that Christ is a creation [0,9]
2) That Jesus was of similar (but not identical) substance as the Father; there
was [a time] when he was not. [1] [10]
Arius (c. 274-337)
Priest who invented Arianism. [0]
Athanasius of Alexandria(?-373AD)
Probably didn't write eponymous creed. Defender of Trinitarian orthodoxy -
Staunchly anti-Arianist. Spent many years in exile due
to his (anti-Arianism)
conduct being unbecoming of a Bishop. Argued for "hypostatic
union" in De Incarnation. Wrote letters to egyptian churches:
Easter 367 letter is first
listing of NT canon. Wrote Life of St. Anthony - text of monasticism.[0]
Principal argument against Arianism - if Jesus is only
a creature, he cannot redeem other creatures. God saves. Jesus Saves. Jesus is
God. [8]
Augustine, (St), of Hippo (396-430)
Understood trinity as love within the Godhead. Engaged
in debates of the time, particularly anti-Pelagian.
[7]
Cappadocian Father and political
leader; friend of Gregory of Nazianzus, brother
of Gregory of Nyssa. Makes first recorded use of phrase “Three Hypostsases in One Ousia” (but he
probably borrowed it) [10][13]
Bultmann, Rudolf (184?-1976)
Theologian from Marburg, Germany. Applied form criticism to the gospels - seen
as containing link passages between more important narrative elements.
Dismissed supernatural elements, but claimed to himself remain a Lutheran believer.
[2] Emphasised that the bible is about people, not God.
Cappadocian
Fathers (C4)
Developed Eastern understanding of the Trinity; the
three persons relating to our experience of them.[8] Defended orthodoxy against Arianism. Three figures:
* Basil of Caesarea - political leader
* Gregory of Nazianzus, his mate
* Gregory of Nyssa, his brother [10]
Council(s) of Constantinople (381,553,680)
Second Ecumenical Church Council (381) agreed on Nicene creed proposed at Council of Nicea. Successive councils attempted to heal rift with monophysites (553), then made anti-monophysite statement (680) [13]
Fourth Ecumenical Church Council. Denounced Eutychianism; produced Chalcedonian definition:
that Jesus Christ was one divine person in two natures, one human and one
divine. Caused schism with the monophysite Egyptian and Syrian churches. [13]
Third Ecumenical Church Council. Debated Nestorianism issue. [13]
Council(s) of Nicea (325, 787)
First Ecumenical Church Council (325) proposed “Nicene” creed, which was later accepted at Council of Constantinople. [13]
Constantine
(274-337)
Called council of Nicea that condemned Arius. Later
accepted Arius and exiled Athanasius!
Developed Christian-based legal system. Introduced the cross as a symbol of Christianity (crucifixions
were banned). Accused of murdering some family members. Received deathbed
baptism (as was the custom!) [7]
Made bishop in 412. Reckoned by Harnack to be a monophysitist. Famous for polemic with Nestorius. Cyril’s cause was championed by Eutyches. Pointed out that if Nestorius was right in that Christ’s two natures were entirely separate, hence only the human nature suffered, then we would be redeemed merely by the suffering of a human. [10][13]
Demiurge
In Platonism, a ”craftsman” god, responsible for creation. In gnosticism, the “ignorant and presumptuous” deity in dualism with the transcendent God. Identified with Yahweh by Maricon et al. [13]
Docetism
That Jesus only seemed to be human - divine being "in disguise" – a
hologram [1]
Ebionitism (Ebionism)
That Jesus was the entirely human son of Jesus and Mary. A quickly rejected
heresy. [8]
Descriptive of the human nature of Jesus: that his personhood derived from the Logos hypostasis. Associated with Leontius; and later, Maximum the confessor. [13]
Eucharist
The sacrament in which we are fed by Christ through the Holy Spirit when we receive
the bread and wine in faith as the symbols of his life given for us on the
cross. Four theories of what goes on are:
1) Transubstantiation, 2) Consubstantiation,
3) Memorialism, 4) Receptionism.
A monk who
had championed and misrepresented the Alexandrian
tradition (in Eutychianism), taking on the mantle
of Cyril of Alexandria. [13]
Eutychianism (C5)
That Jesus' two natures were assimilated, such that his human nature was
deified by its union with his divine nature, forming a new hybrid (theanthropic) nature. See also Eutyches.
[1]
Gnosticism
1) Secret knowledge.
Matter is bad, spirit is good therefore the physical world was not
created by God. Belief that world
was created by a Demiurge (according to Marcion, the Hebrew God), not God, the One. The One generates attributes like
goodness, Logos, etc. [10]
2) That Jesus was not God, but an emanation from the Godhead [1]
Many different beliefs within Gnosticism: e.g.
Docetic - Denial of actual humanity of Christ (see Docetism)
Cerinthian - Separating "Christ" from Jesus the man.
The Gospel of John was used by Gnostics, probably leading to
John’s refutation in 1 John 4:2
Gregory of Nazianzus (~329–90)
Cappadocian Father, friend of Basil. [10]
Gregory of Nyssa (335–95)
Cappadocian Father, brother of Basil [10]
Harnack, Adolf von (C19,20)
Scholar who argued that dogma is due only to the specific location of
Christianity within a Hebrew-Greek mindset. "The gospel, as Jesus
proclaimed it, has to do with the father only and not the Son."
Christological debate arose out of the Greek propensity for the abstract. [8]
Anti-gnostic, borrowing from Irenaeus. His Apostolic Tradition provides a picture of Roman church order and worship about ~200: Baptism, Eucharist,
Ordination etc. Also wrote a commentary on Daniel; the oldest extant biblical commentary. [11]
The members of the Trinity.
(Plural of hypostasis). [9]
One of the members
of the Trinity. (Singular of hypostases).
[9]
Hypostatic
Union
The mode of union of the three persons (hypostases)
of the Trinity. [13] See also anhypostatic, enhypostatic.
Homoousios
Of the same
being, substance (as used in Nicene creed) [10]
Homoiousios
Of like being, substance. [10]
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (-110-5)
Eager martyr. Asked the church not to intervene for him. Wrote letters
stressing unity through eucharist. [7]
Impassible
Incapable of suffering [1]
Bishop of Lyon. Claimed to have known Polycarp – and hence had connexion with the Apostles. Wrote Against Heresies ~185. Wrote 5 books of anti-gnosticism:
* Historical (and a statement of true faith)
* Philosophical critique
* Scriptural critique
* Answers from the words of Christ
* Vindication of the resurrection
In writing this, he is constructive with regards to the episcopate, theological tradition, etc. Also important: his theory of recapitulation. [11]
Antiochene.
Name is nickname - "Golden-mouthed." Known as greatest
preacher ever. Lived under monastic rule at home in order to look after his
widowed mother. Literalist. Bishop of Constantinople. Set date of Christmas for
Eastern church same as Western. Exiled due to political manoeuvrings. His flock
protested and got temorary reprieve from Empress. Died after being forced on long march. [0]. Famous for
"Jesus drank his own blood" (last supper) [5].
Born a gentile in Samaria. A converted philosopher. Writings: apologies to Emperor Antonius Pius & Marcus Aurelius defended Christianity against charges of atheism, immorality. Explained in Dialogue with Trypho (a Jew) how Jesus was the Messiah. Believed everyone had a little bit of Logos (=reason) in them, particularly the great prophets and philosophers. He also comments on baptismal and Eucharistic belief and praxis. [11]
Kenosis
”Emptying” – of Christ in the incarnation. C17 debate – did Christ use his divine attributes secretly
(krypsis) or abstain from using them (kenosis)? [0] Mid C19, Thomasius argued
for "emptying" (Phil 2:6) as part of the incarnation. Late 19th C debate-
Thommasius, Gore etc. argued for kenosis; this time, more strongly in that
Christ abandoned (some of) his divine attributes in the incarnation.
Marcion
Gnostic heretic identified demiurge with Hebrew God.
Devised first canon. [10]
Memorialism
Eucharistic theory associated with Zwingli (Swiss reformer); the bread and wine
remain unchanged, but cause us to remember Christ, prompt us to feed on
Him through faith. [0]
Anti-Trinitarian heresy. That God reveals himself in different ways - typically 3 ways. [11]
Monarchianism
The pre-eminence of the Father over the other persons of the Trinity. A 3rd C development of 2nd
C heresies of ebionitism
and docetism.
Arising from a strong monotheism, two forms existed: Modalist (see patripassianism) and Dynamic – a form of adoptionism whereby Jesus was different from other men
only by the degree of indwelling of the ousia. [14]
lit. One-Nature; that Jesus had only one nature. Present in some form in Cyril of Alexandria’s polemic against Nestorius. Repudiated at Council of Chalcedon. This caused split with Egyptian and Syrian churches. [13]
Montanism
Early "charismatic", prophetic movement with apocalyptic (millennial)
angle. Pious and ascetic (which attracted Tertullian),
Anti second-marriage. Branded heretical by pope. [0][13][14]
Nestorianism
(Alexandrian suspicion of) heresy of separating the two natures of Christ. Rebuttal by Nestorius:
Christ is indivisible but twofold (God & human); Christ is "the common
name of the two natures."[8]
Antiochene, Patriarch of Constantinople, accused by Cyril of Alexandria of heresy (see Nestorianism). Reasoned that if the two natures were wholly separate, the divine nature need not suffer. Did not accept theotokos as valid – preferred christotokos.
Born in Alexandria, learned ascetic, studied in neoplatonic environment. Produced the Hexapla; - OT parallels between 6 different versions. Influential apologetic works include Contra Celsum. Believed in eternal generation of the Son from the Father, thought of Jesus as this sinless Logos unified with a human body. [13]
The oneness of the Trinity –
distinguished from the hypostasis, the threeness
by the early Church Fathers. The
phrase “Three Hypostases in One Ousia”, first found
in Basil,
makes plain this distinction.
Both ousia and hypostasis were
previously used in the sense simply of “being.” Much confusion was caused between East and West as hypostasis, not ousia, is the etymological
equivalent of substantia, so a phrase like “of one substance” did not at
first transliterate properly. [9][14]
Patripassianism
lit. Father-suffering; That
God the Father was incarnate in Jesus [1] Also known as Modalist Monarchianism
and Sabelianism. Arose out of strong emphasis on monotheism. Refuted by Origen,
Tertullian [13]
Pelagianism (after
Pelagius)
That we are justified by works.[6] Opposed by Augustine.
Perichoresis
The mutual interpenetration of the three persons of the Trinity;
their existence as a community of being [8]
Polycarp of Smyrna (~70-155/6)
Early martyr, claimed to have known John the Apostle. [13] [10]
Active in Rome (~198-220), associated with heresy of Sabelianism.
Heresy of Sabelius, see patripassianism.
Tertullian, Quintus Septimus
Florens (~160 - ~220)
Born in Carthage - wrote in Latin, invented word "trinity"
(trinitas) as an anti-monarchian device.
Wrote Apologetics, anti-heretical (anti-Gnostic)
stuff, practical ethics. e.g. Apoligeticus (~197) to his Roman governor: showed
Christians’ loyalty to the empire.
Anti- infant baptism. Flirted with Montanism
(~200). Often regarded as the
founder of RC theology. Early
mention of Creation ex nihilo in Contra Hermogenes(-?).
[0][11][14]
lit. God-Bearer; used of Mary. [10]
Transubstantiation
Eucharistic theory of some early Church Fathers; there is a change in the
(internal) properties of the bread and wine so that they actually become
Christ's body and blood. [2]
Trinity
One God in three persons (hypostases), joined in hypostatic union. Word first used by Tertullian. Eastern approach, after Cappadocian Fathers: consider our
experience of the Three. Western Augustinian approach:
love within the Godhead. Some have
distinguished an economic trinity (Trinity as revealed by purpose in the
world) and essential trinity – Trinity as it actually is. The Cappadocian
Fathers held that these are the same (since God is Truth), but also that
God is ultimately mystery. [8][14]
Chart of Historical Christological Heresies
|
Heresy |
Date |
Natures |
Proponents |
Heresy |
Refuted by |
Reply |
|
End C1 |
H- D+ |
Basilides; Valentinus; Patripassians; Sabellians |
Jesus=God, therefore can’t be human. The visible Jesus was only a hologram |
Irenaeus; Hippolytus;
1John 4:1-3 |
If Christ were not fully human He could not redeem
humanity (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 4:1-3) |
|
|
C2 |
H+ D- |
Judaizers |
Jesus=human, therefore can’t be God. Christ got the Spirit at his baptism; he was not
preexistent. |
Irenaeus; Hippolytus;
Origen; Eusebius |
Jesus is fully divine; he is worthy of worship (John 1:1;
20:28; Heb. 13:8) |
|
|
C2 |
H- D- |
Not God, Not human: in between Heirarchy: God, Logos, Angels, Humans |
Iranaeus; Tertullian;
Hippolytus; Justin Martyr;
Apostles’ Creed |
1 John 4:2 |
||
|
C3 |
H+ D- |
Theodotus |
Jesus is by nature human - A man adopted by God as a son |
Antioch 268 |
Jesus always God |
|
|
Modalistic Monarchicism |
C3 |
H- D+ |
Sabelius, Noetus of Smyrna |
God the Father incarnate in Jesus |
Jesus separate from God but still God |
|
|
Dynamic Monarchicism |
C3 |
H+ D- |
Theodotus |
The human Jesus was indwelled by varying degrees of
divinity. |
Antioch 268 |
See Adoptionism |
|
C4 |
H+ D- |
Homoiousios: Jesus has
appearance of God, is of similar substance. He is the first and highest created being. |
Athanasius; Ossius; Marcellus; Nicaea 325 |
Athanasius: Jesus homoousios
–one substance with God; Only a divine Christ can save (Phil. 2:6; Rev. 1:8) |
||
|
C4 |
H- D+ |
Apollinarius, bishop of
Laodicea; Justin Martyr |
Human body, Divine mind/soul; the divine Logos took the place
of the human mind. Opposed use
of theotokos. Only human nature died. |
Vitalis; Damascus; Basil; Theodosius;
Gregory of Nazianzus; Gregory
of Nyssa; Constantinople 381 |
Human mind & divine mind in human body |
|
|
(as accused by opponents) |
C5 |
H+ D+ |
Nestorius, bishop of
Constantinople |
1 moral being 2 people schizophrenic |
2 natures in 1 person Indivisible |
|
|
C5 |
H- D- |
Eutychians; Theodosius II |
1 mixed nature after incarnation New Hybrid: neither human or divine |
Flavian of Constantinople; Pope Leo; Theodoret; Eusebius
of Dorylaeum; Chalcedon 451 |
2 natures: communication between them |
|
|
Until C7 |
H- D+ |
|
The human nature was swallowed by the divine nature to
create a new third nature - a tertium quid. |
Constantinople 680 |
2 Natures are seperate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(H=Human
nature, D=Divine nature)
Compiled by
Michael Follin over the period 1997-2001
Please tell me if something’s wrong!
Thanks to Toby May for typing in the chart at Martin
Hewitt’s seminar.
Sources
0. CEN Theology page - Oak Hill
1. Bishop Hugh Montefiore, Credible Christianity
2. Ian Wilson, Jesus: The Evidence
3. Evangelism Explosion (Level II)
4. Rev. Paul Rattigan - "The education of Mr. Harvey"
5. Internet: Yahoo search
6. A. McGrath, J. I. Packer
7. CEN Theology page (1999)
8. Alister McGrath, Christian Theology - an Introduction
9. Paul S. Fiddes (2000) Participating in God: A Pastoral Doctrine of the Trinity DLT: London
10. Ralph Norman, CTW 103
11. Howard
Frederic Vos (1994), Exploring church history, (Logos system)
12. Martin Hewitt, PT 103
13. Ferguson & Wright (1988), New Dictionary of Theolgy, IVP: Leicester (Logos system)
14. Frances Young (1991), The Making of the Creeds, SCM: London