It is undeniable that we live in trying times. The newspapers are loaded with articles about the economic downturn. The local newscast is headlined by violence erupting in streets just around the corner. Websites broadcast the events of war and genocide on almost every continent. With all these sobering events occurring on a daily basis, the question begs to be asked: Just who is Jesus Christ to us today? In his time Christ was a teacher, a leader, and a model to the growing Christian population. During the time of Constantine, Christ was the subject of debate and division. Much time has passed since the Crucifixion but one thing remains clear to me. After almost 2,000 years Jesus Christ remains, to this day, a symbol of hope from darkness, charity over greed, the importance of suffering and sacrifice, and the icon of our ultimate salvation. I believe still that Christ’s tradition and inspiration continues unwavering around us.
"Following the holy fathers, we unanimously teach one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, complete as to His Godhead, and complete as to His manhood; truly God, and truly man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting; consubstantial with the Father as to His Godhead, and consubstantial with us as to His manhood; like unto us in all things, yet without sin,” (Borg 23)
This was part of the findings of the Council of Chalcedon when the nature of Christ and his humanity was called into question in the early centuries after his crucifixion. Some sects denied the deity of Jesus Christ. Some sects denied the physical body of Jesus Christ. The Council of Chalcedon convened during the fifth century to discuss these disparities and to come to a complete and accurate vision of Christ’s person. They cre...
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...mortal man. You can consider him a Holy deity. You can consider him many things but it is important to realize what he means to society today. He is still a model for Christian living and tradition. He is still the sole standard of our salvation and the symbol of our atonement with the Lord. Yes, Christ is many things to many people today, all of them especially important.
Bibliography
The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version.
Philadelphia: Westminster, 1952.
Borg, Marcus. Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary. 1st. New York: HarperOne, 2008.
McCombs, Don, and Fred Worth. World War 2: 4,139 Strange and Fascinitating Facts. 1st ed. New York: Gramercy, 1996.
Paterson, Eugene. The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways that Jesus Is The Way. 1st. New York: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007.
One of the main principles of Christianity is the belief in both the divinity and humanity of Jesus, that these two natures are combined harmoniously in one being. In general, all modern Christians believe that Jesus was human, he was considered to be “The Word was made flesh” (John, I: 14). However, Jesus was more than just a human, despite being subjected to pain, suffering and death like all other human beings, he was sinless and also possessed the power to heal and to defy death in order to ascend, both body and spirit, into heaven. He was all man and all God, a combination of these two elements, remaining distinct but united in one being. The deity of Jesus is a non-negotiable belief in Christianity, which is referred to in many parts of scripture, “God was revealed in the flesh” (I Timothy, 3:16). The Christian faith does not perceive Jesus as God but rather a reincarnation of God, a mysterious deity who is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Throughout history, controversy has surrounded the issue of the humanity and divinity of Jesus, leading to the formation of Docetism, the belief that Jesus was fully divine but not fully human, Arianism, that Jesus was superior to all of creation, but less divine than God, and Nestorius, that there were two separate persons within Jesus. This the proportion of the divine and human within Je...
b) Biblical Foundation Many question if Jesus ever claimed to be God. First, Jesus claimed to be the unique Son of God, resulting in the Jewish leaders stoning Him ‘because you,’ the leaders said, ‘a mere man, claim to be God’ (John 10:33). On another occasion, a High Priest asked him: ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ to which Jesus replied ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven’ (Mark 14:61-62). Jesus also claimed to possess the same attributes of God. In the Bible, Jesus has never been recorded saying the exact words, “I am God.” However, Jesus’ original spectators seemed to think He said “I am the Father.” They were even ready to kill Him right there. The controversy is: Jesus didn’t have to say the specific words “I am God,” to claim this. Jesus did, however,...
Horsley, Richard and Hanson, John. Bandits, Prophets and Messiahs: Popular Movements in the Time of Jesus. Minneapolis: Winston Press, 1985.
Thesis: the historical Jesus was a Galilean man who who lived during the first Century A.D. and gained fame through chicanery and tricks, which ensured him as the basis of modern day Christianity.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1: 14. The verse that has inspired and bewildered Christians for centuries. Since its occurrence, church members and theologians have marveled at the principle of the Incarnation. How could God, perfect, sinless, unable to suffer, become sinful, corruptible flesh, and suffer ultimate punishment for the sins of man? This is the same question that puzzled many early church fathers, and the one that most potently effected Cyril, bishop of Alexandria. It led to intense church controversy, leaving Cyril a legacy and a reputation still impressed upon him today, and leaving another church leader disgraced in the depths of heresy. But before studying Cyril’s main theological conflict, one must first understand the circumstances and experiences that lead him to that point.
The book, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright is a conversation of sorts between, “The Leading Liberal and Conservative Jesus Scholars” as they “Present the Heart of the Historical Jesus Debate.” In the introduction, the scholars note that the inspiration and writing of the book grew out of friendship. The book is evidence of the public and private conversations between these scholars and friends, sharing in Christian faith and practice as they work through these complex issues in hopes of understanding each other better. Both, “…acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as Lord, and [we] regard the no-holds-barred study of his actual history as a vital part of what we mean by that” (viii).
Goheen, Michael, and Craig Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Print.
true in many divisions of the Christian religion. There is almost no dispute in the fact that Jesus
Moreland, J.P., and Wilkins, Michael, ed. Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
O’Neill, William L. World War II A Student Companion. 1 ed. William H. Chafe. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
The influence of Jesus of Nazareth, the man, was enormous in his lifetime two millenniums ago, but even more incredible is how his influence has increased today as a member of Christianity's Holy Trinity. Nearly two billion of the world's people worship Jesus as the Son of God today, and even more participate in the mission he began of giving oneself through service to others.
Before this semester I had never taken a moment to ask myself - Who is Jesus? It is something that I have never been given the option to question. Being brought up in a strong Christian background, where I went to mass every Sunday, and then following mass, went to bible school for two hours, ingrained a specific image of Jesus into my head. This image portrayed Jesus as a white man who preformed miracles for the poor and oppressed, and also sacrificed himself on the cross for all of humanity’s’ sins. However, after taking this course, I have been able to rethink Jesus in ways that I could have never imagined. It has become evident to me that there are many different ways to see Jesus. And with each of these contrasting views, there comes both biblical and rational evidence supporting each image along with criticism disputing each image.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This verse - John 3:16 - is perhaps the most important in the Bible. Jesus Christ was the son of God, but he was also the son of man.
was a faithful Jew and followed all the Jewish customs. Jesus was a human being.
comfortable with following through with this whole idea. The angels and prophets had also predicted his birth to Mary and had it planned and explained it to Mary. People in the city of Jerusalem were waiting for this event to come, the event of his birth. The day had finally come when Jesus was making his arrival. He was born in the hills, unwillingly, of Judea in a very small village called Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus Christ was according to God's eternal purpose. Before he was born, Jesus was in the form of God but he was the spirit of God in a human form. God in no way wanted to make Jesus of any reputation of him. Jesus had a fraternal father named Joseph. Joseph raised Jesus for most of his life. Jesus was considered a miracle but what people didn't know was how much of an impact he would have on the nation and worldwide. His birth, death and teachings chan...