New Testament Christology – A Summary

New Testament Christology – A Summary

Objectives

  • distinguish different terminology regarding Jesus
  • distinguish descending and ascending approaches
  • distinguish soteriology and christology
  •  distinguish low and high christologies
  • distinguish synchronic and diachronic approaches to New Testament Christology

Which Jesus?

  • The actual Jesus
  • The proclaimed Jesus
  • The historical Jesus
  • The Living Jesus

The “actual” Jesus

  • Jesus “as he really was”
  • The actual human being who lived in Galilee 2000 years ago, and was killed in Jerusalem
  • Who would have been recorded in the census of Tiberias
  • HISTORY WILL NEVER KNOW ALL THE DETAILS, let alone his inner psychology

The “historical” Jesus

  • The result of historians’ attempts to reconstruct as much as possible about “the actual Jesus”
  • The result of historical research into the life and times of Jesus up to his death
  • The historians’ Jesus (for some = “the Jesus of history”)
  • The latest consensus of historical-critical research in reconstructing Jesus in his original context

The “proclaimed” Jesus

  • The Jesus witnessed to in the New Testament and later doctrinal interpretations of his life, death and resurrection, and his meaning for their communities
  • “The Christ of faith”
  • A post-resurrection retrospective
  • A faith interpretation

The “living” Jesus

  • The Jesus known and experienced down through history, including our own times throughout the globe
  • In the poor, the suffering, the marginalised
  • In public liturgy and private prayer
  • In our everyday life, work and family
  • In relationships, friends and enemies

Three “Worlds” of Our Enquiry

The Difference a Resurrection Makes

  • The Resurrection provide “extra information” about Jesus, and became the lens through which they re-told the Jesus story
  • Historical Jesus Research ends with the laying of Jesus in the tomb
  • Inadequate terms: “Jesus of History” and the “Christ of Faith”
  • “pre-Easter Jesus” – “post-Easter Jesus” are the better terms?

“Low” and “High” Christologies

  • Low Christology: An understanding of Jesus that stresses Jesus’ humanity in a way that appears to compromise his divinity
  • High Christology: An understanding of Jesus that highlights his divinity

Christology From Above or From Below

  • The significance of a direction of enquiry?
  • A question of method or approach that is followed in order to arrive at an understanding of Jesus
  • Both methods can reveal a high christology.
  • The methods are not mutually exclusive

Christology “ from above ” [Descending Christology]

  • Reflection begins with the authoritative teaching about Jesus’ divine status;
  • And from this authoritative statement, reflection “descends” to bring it to bear on and make sense of the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth.

Christology “ from below ” [Ascending Christology]

  • Reflection focuses on the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth in his context;
  • Reconstructs the impact he made and the initial interpretations of him as recorded in the testimony of Scripture;
  • And one “ascends” to an understanding of Jesus’ saving work and divinity as asserted in doctrine.

Soteriology

  • Reflection on the experience and interpretation of salvation (Greek = soteria; soter = saviour)
  • What did\does Christ do for us? – Salvation – Redemption – Liberation
  • The “difference” Jesus effects in our lives
  • Other phrases:
    • – The “work” of Christ 
    • – The “benefits” of Christ

Christology

  • Who is this who does this for us?
  • If only God can bring us such salvation, what is the relationship of this Jesus to
    • – (1) the God whom he called “Abba”, and to
    • – (2) the prophetic Spirit of God which he believed had descended upon him?
  • If soteriology looks at “the work of Christ”, christology looks at “the person of Christ”

Avoiding Pigeon-hole Theology

  • BUT contemporary christologies attempt to avoid separating too sharply:
  • Soteriology and Christology
    • – Abstract speculation about Jesus’ nature is useless unless it is relevant to our concrete needs for salvation
  • Christology and Pneumatology
    • – Jesus’ mission on behalf of his “Abba” also involves the prophetic Spirit of God

The significance of a presupposition

  • Christology is “faith seeking understanding” about Christ
  • We are assuming a faith position
    • – “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14)
  • BUT holding in tension
    • – A faith position
    • – A Christology from below

The importance of beginning with our Present Context

  • The “faith” we presuppose is not abstract, context-less
  • We are Australian Christians
  • How does the Australian context of our “faith” impact upon the understanding of Christ that we seek?

Hermeneutical principle

  • When we understand something, that means that we have interpreted it with a framework that enables us to apply it to our contemporary context
  • The hermeneutical triad:
    • – understanding,
    • – interpretation,
    • – application

Who is Jesus for Australia Today?

  • One important way of understanding what God was on about THEN is to read the present signs of the times and see what God is on about NOW
  • How is Jesus saving people NOW in Australia?
  • What forces are at work impeding the reign of God NOW in Australia?

“ Receptions ” of Jesus

  • The historical figure of Jesus is not to be confined to his original historical appearance (his original impact)
  • Jesus is constantly being received (interpreted)
  • His ongoing impact and diversity of receptions must also be “factored into” our investigations

“ impact ” and “ reception ”

Synchronic Distinctions

  • syn = with; chronos = time
  • a synchronic approach looks at a phenomenon from different perspectives happening at the same time
    • – The Proclaimed Jesus, as we have him presented in the diverse writings of the New Testament

Diachronic Distinctions

  • dia = through; chronos = time • a diachronic approach looks at a phenomenon from different perspectives down through time
    • – A reconstruction of how interpretations/beliefs in Jesus developed from first encounters with him pre-Easter to diverse post-Easter interpretations
    • – Reconstructing the process of selecting and rejecting some interpretations

A Genetic Structure of Understanding

  • Goal: To attempt to reconstruct the genesis of Christian faith in Jesus,
  • Through the lens of our faith context,
  • Focusing initially on the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth in his pre-Easter, original context,
  • And early Christians’ attempts (pre-Easter and post-Easter) to name their experience of salvation in Jesus (soteriology) and who he is in relationship with God (Christology).

Complementary Approaches (1)

  • 1. Diachronic, Developmental, Hermeneutical Approach
    • – Reconstructing the development of NT Christologies
    • – Apparent Jewish frameworks for making sense of Jesus
      • Precursors (Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, etc)
      • Models (prophet, messiah, “Son of Man”, etc)
      • Titles (Son of God, Son of David, Lord, Emmanuel, etc)
      • OT Narrative Matrices

Complementary Approaches (2)

  • 2. Synchronic, Canonical, Comparative Approaches
    • – Paul’s Christology
    • – Mark’s Christology
    • – Matthew’s Christology
    • – Luke’s Christology
    • – John’s Christology

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