Monday, February 8, 2016

Another desperate attempt to defend Chalcedonian Christology

I have addressed the issue of the true humanity of Jesus in the Christology of the New Testament, and how (1) Trinitarian theologies undermine such and (2) LDS formulations are consistent with such (cf. D&C 93:1-20). For some previous discussions on this blog, see:





Latter-day Saints have Chosen the True, Biblical Jesus (under "The Hypostatic Union Examined")


Today, I read an interesting volume by Theodore Zechariades, The Omnipresence of Jesus: A Neglected Aspect of Evangelical Theology (Paternoster, 2015). While the volume contains a good discussion of the Christological discussions during the Reformation, particularly John Calvin on the communicatio idiomatum vis-à-vis the Eucharistic debates and other issues during the magisterial Reformation (pp. 106-30), the book is not persuasive at defending, exegetically, Chalcedonian Christology.

On the topic of Christ’s knowledge during mortality (cf. Mark 13:32), the author is forced to engage in the typical mental gymnastics to defend Chalcedonian Christology. On pp. 176-77, the author quotes William Most, The Consciousness of Christ, p. 60:

Our commentators seem to have forgotten that there are two ways of writing about Jesus in the New Testament (1) to note things associated with His divinity, (2) to note things associated with His humanity. Since He had both a true humanity and a true divinity, both forms of speech were proper . . . Accordingly Mk 13:32 would mean: As far as human means of knowledge are concerned, I do not have that information.

On the corresponding footnote to p. 177, reads (emphasis in original):

Most continues his discussion and quotes Pope Gregory the Great, who said of Mark 13:32: “[Jesus] knew the day and hour of judgment in the nature of humanity, but not from the nature of humanity” (66).

To say that such is utter nonsense is the most polite way of commenting on this double-speak, but such as the theological and exegetical leaps one must engage in to prop up belief in the man-made dogma that is the Trinity and its unbiblical formulations of Christology; ultimately, this double speak "splits" Jesus into two persons, as it necessitates that Jesus, as a person, knew and did not know the same fact (the date of the parousia). Thank God for the Restoration and the revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the hermeneutic forged by his revelations. I do hope and pray that the eyes of Trinitarians will be opened on this side of eternity (cf. Gal 1:6-9; 2 Cor 11:4).