The following is a discussion of the knowledge of Christ during the incarnation from a Catholic/Trinitarian perspective. I am sure many readers will appreciate this as it shows how informed Trinitarian theologians approach this important Christological issue:
The Knowledge of Christ. The knowledge of Christ is the knowledge which Christ has as God and man. Thomas Aquinas distinguished four kinds of knowledge in Christ: 1) the eternal, infinite, and perfect knowledge which is proper to God; 2) the knowledge of vision proper to the blessed in heaven; 3) the infused knowledge proper to the angels; and 4) the acquired knowledge proper to men. Christ possessed the knowledge proper to God because He was God. The other three kinds of knowledge are rooted in His human soul. Christ had the beatifying knowledge of the blessed in heaven because his humanity was united to the Word in a personal union, a union much more intimate than the union of the blessed in heaven with God. Christ possessed this knowledge from the inception of the incarnation. Christ had the infused knowledge proper to the angels in His capacity as head of the angels and for the perfection of His “possible” intellect. Christ also acquired knowledge by means of abstraction from sense knowledge; for example, He learned obedience from what He suffered (Heb. 5:8). Christ acquired this knowledge only gradually with the passing of the years.
The theological problem of Christ’s knowledge is not concerned with the infinite knowledge of Jesus as God, but with that of Hus human finite soul. The problem arises because Jesus seems to have been ignorant of certain important matters, and ignorance which is difficult to explain if the soul of Jesus enjoyed the vision of God. For example, some exegetes say that Jesus is His earthly life did not know Himself to be the natural Son of God. Had He known Himself to be the Son of God He could not have contained His knowledge. Yet, the Gospels reflect no historically certain claim by Jesus to be God; and His disciples did not recognize His divinity until after the resurrection. Moreover, the Gospels speak of Jesus’ ignorance in certain respects; for example, He did not know the exact day or hour of the final consummation (Mt 24:36).
Even though the idea presents problems, many theologians are unwilling to deny the vision of God to the human soul of Christ. The idea is too firmly rooted in Christian tradition. To deal with the theological problem of Christ’s knowledge, some theologians holds that Christ’s knowledge of His divine self was intuitive and inexpressible, the result of the union between His human mind and the divine person. Christ was able to articulate this knowledge to Himself and others only gradually as He acquired the necessary concepts and images through human experience. One must acknowledge, however, the great difficulty of trying to understand the psychology of one who was both God and man.
Did Jesus actually express a claim to divinity? Yes. This is the most natural explanation of the Church’s faith in the divinity of Christ. Generally, Christ presented His claim in a veiled manner for pedagogical reasons; and His disciples did not understand His claim until after the illuminating experience of the resurrection; but there is evidence of the claim. One expression of Jesus’ claim to divinity may be seen in His custom of contrasting His own sonship with that of His disciples. He did so by referring a number of times to “my Father” (Lk 22:29; 24:49) and “your Father” (Mt 7:11; Mk 11:25). He avoided the phrase “our Father,” so that He might never place Himself on the same level of adoptive sonship which the disciples enjoyed. Jesus described His unique sonship in some detail. He is the beloved son sent by His Father (Mk 12:1-12). He pre-existed so that His ancestor, David, knew Him and called Him Lord (Mk 12:35-37). He is greater than Solomon, the prophets of the Old Testament (Mt 12:41-42), and the temple (Mt 12:6). The angels of heaven serve Him (Mt 13:41; Mk 13:27). His knowledge of the Father is comparable to the Father’s knowledge of Him (Mt 11:27; Lk 10:22). Jesus presents Himself as eschatological king and judge (M 25:34-40). As the Son, Jesus claims the prerogatives of Yahweh. (Principles of Catholic Theology: A Synthesis of Dogma and Morals, eds. Edward J. Gratsch, John R. Civille, Ralph J. Lawrence, and Donald G. McCarthy [New York: Alba House, 1981], 101-2)
