The Chalcedon Dichotomy

Jesus: What is Jesus' true identity? What did Jesus do? Why is Jesus' identity and work significant for the Christian worldview?

The council affirmed the original Nicene Creed of faith as true and an accurate explanation of Scripture. This council also developed a statement of faith which included the language of Nicaea, but expanded the discussion on the Holy Spirit to combat the heresy of the Pneumatomachi. It is called the Nicene Creed of 381 and was a commentary on the original Nicene formula. It expanded the third article of the creed dealing with the Holy Spirit, as well as some other changes. About the Holy Spirit the article of faith said he is "the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified". The statement of proceeding from the Father is seen as significant because it established that the Holy Spirit must be of the same being as God the Father.

Over the course of history, the historical information regarding Jesus Christ has been interpreted by many different individuals and has led to different beliefs and views regarding the existence of Jesus Christ as a real man. Today I will be interpreting this evidence and i will be attempting to answer the question “Was Jesus Christ a real man?”. The evidence I will be looking at to answer this question will be information regarding the context of Jesus Christ, the historical accounts of non-Christian authors as well as the evidence for the Bible which is the main source regarding the life of Jesus Christ.

Through his ordeal with humankind, Jesus adopts both identities to reveal himself. These identities allow Jesus Christ to appear as the Messiah, Savior, Healer, Friend, Son

Tillich suggests in the article “A Reinterpretation of the Doctrine of the Incarnation” that Christians do not have a purely historiographical interest in the man known as Jesus, but a thriving interest in the Christ. He elaborates by saying the reports about Jesus of Nazareth found in the gospels are the reports of Jesus as the Christ, not just a man. Tillich finds that mere historical research cannot tear down the foundation of Christianity because there is immense power in the symbol of “Christ” (a topic later discussed in the essay).

Christ, being a Jew, is refocused as a teacher and Rabbi of pure truth and an example of pure living. As the lessons of Jesus and His acts of incredible healing progressed through His ministry and time on earth, how is He to be defined between the two posts of humanity and that of divinity? What of His human suffering and ultimate human death on the Cross? As such, Death on the Cross is the crucial miracle in the credibility of His divine incarnation. “The resurrection of that existence is the most decisive thing, the sole miracle, which makes all other [miracles]

In Monotheism and Christology in the Gospel of John, Richard Bauckham brought back the subject of Christology and Jewish monotheism. He rigorously discussed the presentation of reconciling the perception of Christology and Jewish monotheism in John. He states, “In my view, a Christology of divine identity of the one and only God, the God of Israel, is pervasive in the New Testament writings, clearly expressed in some ways that are common to all or most of these writings, though also developed in distinct ways in the most theologically reflective and creative of them (239).” In this paper discuss the presentation of Bauckham’s assertion of Christology in Johannine with the monotheism in the beginning, the divine prerogatives, the “I am” sayings and Jesus and the Father as the one God.

In fact, three heresies were condemned at the council of Constantinople (381); then, the council of Ephesus (431) which meet to resolve the controversy between Cyril and Nestorius; then, the council of Chalcedon (451), which condemned four ancient heresies: “In Jesus Christ, true deity (against Arius) and full humanity (against Apollinaris) are indivisibly united in the one person (against Nesorius), without being confused (against Eutyches).” This led to the creation of the basic creed for Christianity. True Christianity is knowing who Jesus Christ is in relationship to God, the Holy Spirit and

Marcian the emperor called The Council of Chalcedon in 451 ( Lane 60) in reaction against four heresies. The Council’s ‘Definition’ fought against Arius by proclaiming Jesus’s full deity, it fought against Apollinaris by proclaiming Jesus’s “full humanity” ( Lane 61), it fought against Nestorius by arguing that deity and humanity are equal in Jesus, and finally they argued against Eutyches by arguing that deity and humanity should not be confused. According to Lane, “Its teaching can be summarized in the phrase ‘one person in two natures’”(Lane 61).

In the Church, us as Christians believe that Jesus was sent by God the father, born of the virgin Mary, and suffered on the cross for our sins so that we can remain pure in him. We also believe that through his example, we will be opened up into the kingdom of Heaven. Through the gospels we can learn more about Jesus’ kindness, generosity, and

When Christ became man, all things in heaven and on earth were changed forevermore. Jesus did not simply step into humanity for a visit. He became flesh. He was man and became a part of humanity in real time and space here on earth. While it is crucial to focus on and learn about the sacrificial nature of Christ dying for our sins, we must not stop there. The story goes past the grave. There is a great victory in Jesus. There is no story greater or even comparable to the one of Christ. The church must realize this to be true and embrace this truth in its teachings. There is no greater story than the creator becoming its creation just to save it from eternal damnation. God’s narrative must be told in its utter fullness, especially in light of this culture’s individualism and the impending threat of Radical Muslims of world domination.

Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He was the messiah that was prophesized to come from God and save the people. Jesus only flat out said his true identity once, and that was near the end of the gospel when he was being tried by the Pharisees before his passion occurred.

There are two distinctive approaches to examining Jesus’ these include Christology “from below” and Christology “from above”. Christology “from above” emphasizes the divinity of Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death on the cross, and begins with the divinity of the word that descends into the human world. Whilst on the opposing hand Christology “from below” begins with the humanity of Jesus in his cultural heritage and history and speaks of Christ as an earthly human being. Wesley Wildman (2007) gives a number of terminologies for these two distinct approaches explaining the two phases as Christology of sight (below) versus Christology of belief (above) (Wildman, 2007). I strongly believe the field of Christology needs perspectives from both approaches; each approach can be criticized and commended and will each be looked at in further detail.

The name Jesus Christ spawns multiple feelings throughout cultures. Jesus Christ is also a name that has impacted everyone in a monumental way and is impacting all aspects of society. No matter how you feel about Jesus Christ, it is insurmountable to deny the fact that he is not an impactful figure in the world we live in today. The question that is frequently asked about this ponderous figure is “who is Jesus”. This question does not hold only one individual answer, but withholds multiple answers. Depending on the culture, country, time, place, and especially who you ask, you will receive answers that all hold uniqueness. In less of an opinionated stance, the Holy Bible holds the answer to who exactly he is and why is such a conspicuous figure. To understand Jesus Christ and formulate an opinion on him, we must interpret the Holy Bible and construe his impact in not only today’s society, but history. There is no denying that the upbringing of a religious figure has caused mountainous affects in history; both positively and negatively. The destruction and saving of man has inevitably been a result of multiple religions throughout the world. Whether you fathom a mindset of acceptance or denial, Jesus Christ is one of the world’s most notable figures.

The question of whether or not Christ is God has been hotly debated for thousands of years across the globe as individuals and nations have grappled with the claims of the various Christian religious traditions. Within Christianity itself the answer to this question is generally affirmative, although Christ’s divinity is not uniformly emphasized in the language used to translate the Bible as can be seen in the various ways Romans 9:4-5 has been treated over the centuries. The different degrees of emphasis placed on Christ’s divinity can be seen when comparing the word order and punctuation used in the New Revised Standard Version, the Geneva Bible, and the New Living Translation.