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The Concept Of Jesus Being Fully Man

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Introduction

The concept of Jesus being fully man but also fully God at the same time has been debated amongst scholars, both Christians and non-Christians alike for centuries. The doctrine and study surrounding the person of Jesus is known as Christology, and after extensive and often hostile debates the Church gave a concluding definition of its Christology in 451 CE at the Council of Chalcedon. It was stated that they affirmed the belief in Jesus Christ as ‘one Person in two natures, which are united without confusion.’ The early church was adamant that the Incarnation was one of the most important truths of the Christian faith.

Maurice Wiles, an Oxford patristic scholar summarised the Chalcedons’s aims as follows:

‘On the other hand was the conviction that a saviour must be fully divine; on the other hand was the conviction that what is not assumed is not healed. Or, to put the matter in other words, the source of salvation must be God; the locus of salvation must be humanity. It is quite clear that these two principles often pulled in opposite directions. The Council of Chalcedon was the church’s attempt to resolve, or perhaps rather to agree to live with, that tension.’ This essay will examine and critically analyse this stance alongside answering the question of would it matter if Jesus were not fully God and fully human? Five specific points will be looked at; Jesus is God, Jesus is man, Jesus is a sinless man, Jesus will be fully God and man forever, and

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