JoeT
Member
Before we came to the end of our previous discussion we never settled what the Creed meant saying “Begotten not made”. A few philosophies were discussed of how this might be. Those discussed fall into the following categories:
Ebionism: One Divine essence, assuming a human nature. It errs viewing Jesus being merely the nature of a just man while denying his Divinity altogether.
Docetism: One Divine essence, the nature of a phantom. Koine Greek means word that means specter or phantom. A concept widely believed by the first and second century Gnostic. Christ was a specter only having the appearance of a man.
Arianist: One person, one hypostasis, two natures, one of which is servant to the other. This heresy was pretty simple, mimicking Christianity. It proposes that Jesus Christ to be One Divine Person, One Divine hypostasis, however of the tow natures, Divine and human, only the Divine functioned. Thus the human nature of man was completely and wholly over written by the nature of God; which explains its activeness to the late third through fifth century Christian the Arians didn’t need to deal with the humanity of Christ.
Nestorians: One person, two hypostases, one divine and human, two natures divine and human one prominent the other subservient. Nestorius taught that Christ had two essences, somehow God and man weren’t joined, rather separate. “Hypostasis means, literally, that which lies beneath as basis or foundation.” I think of the hypostasis as the essence of an individual. Consequently, Nestorius thought of Jesus Christ not as a single person rather two persons, it’s not quite the same as the famed ‘two tootsie rolls wrapped into one’ but it can be imagined much the same way. In this union however, the human person was subservient to the Divine Person. Consequently, you might say that human part of the union didn’t have a will of its own.
Apollinarianism: One person, one Divine hypostasis, one Divine will in two natures. Thus, according to this philosophy Jesus Christ is One Person, One Divine Essence, and One Divine Will with two natures. The human nature is adopted by the Divine whose will governs the two natures, God and man. This is the schizoid Christ who has only one soul yet two natures.
Monophysites: One person, one divine hypostasis, one divine nature as the symbol of man. Monophysites believe that Christ is One Divine Person with One Divine Nature with man being the symbol of that nature in Jesus Christ. The depth of this philosophy is God takes up the appearance of a man, looks and acts as a man, yet he is really and simply God. In essence, the antithesis of Nestorianism, the human appearance of Jesus Christ is the divine God putting on humanity as if it were a suit of clothes. The contrast between Nestorianism and Monphysitism is stark:
Nestorians: One person, two hypostases, two natures.
Monophysites: One person, one hypostasis, one nature.
Christianity: One divine person, one divine hypostasis, two natures. The incarnation is unique joining of the Divine nature with the nature of man. The will of God and the will of Jesus Christ were separate yet of one spirit forming the essence of One Divine Person.
The Christian Creed declares Jesus Christ was begotten not made for a reason. Except one, Mary, according to God’s plan is Immaculate. We hold here to be a creature just as you and I are and in need of Salvation. To keep this one tenet of faith we will find Mary’s salvation came from a singular gift of salvific grace at conception. By immaculate we mean she was preserved from sin, both original sin and actual sin.
Subsequently we find holding to the Marian doctrines crucial to the real vision of Christ if one calls himself “Christian” keeping his confessed creed of beliefs. I ask again, was Jesus Christ begotten or made?
JoeT
Ebionism: One Divine essence, assuming a human nature. It errs viewing Jesus being merely the nature of a just man while denying his Divinity altogether.
Docetism: One Divine essence, the nature of a phantom. Koine Greek means word that means specter or phantom. A concept widely believed by the first and second century Gnostic. Christ was a specter only having the appearance of a man.
Arianist: One person, one hypostasis, two natures, one of which is servant to the other. This heresy was pretty simple, mimicking Christianity. It proposes that Jesus Christ to be One Divine Person, One Divine hypostasis, however of the tow natures, Divine and human, only the Divine functioned. Thus the human nature of man was completely and wholly over written by the nature of God; which explains its activeness to the late third through fifth century Christian the Arians didn’t need to deal with the humanity of Christ.
Nestorians: One person, two hypostases, one divine and human, two natures divine and human one prominent the other subservient. Nestorius taught that Christ had two essences, somehow God and man weren’t joined, rather separate. “Hypostasis means, literally, that which lies beneath as basis or foundation.” I think of the hypostasis as the essence of an individual. Consequently, Nestorius thought of Jesus Christ not as a single person rather two persons, it’s not quite the same as the famed ‘two tootsie rolls wrapped into one’ but it can be imagined much the same way. In this union however, the human person was subservient to the Divine Person. Consequently, you might say that human part of the union didn’t have a will of its own.
Apollinarianism: One person, one Divine hypostasis, one Divine will in two natures. Thus, according to this philosophy Jesus Christ is One Person, One Divine Essence, and One Divine Will with two natures. The human nature is adopted by the Divine whose will governs the two natures, God and man. This is the schizoid Christ who has only one soul yet two natures.
Monophysites: One person, one divine hypostasis, one divine nature as the symbol of man. Monophysites believe that Christ is One Divine Person with One Divine Nature with man being the symbol of that nature in Jesus Christ. The depth of this philosophy is God takes up the appearance of a man, looks and acts as a man, yet he is really and simply God. In essence, the antithesis of Nestorianism, the human appearance of Jesus Christ is the divine God putting on humanity as if it were a suit of clothes. The contrast between Nestorianism and Monphysitism is stark:
Nestorians: One person, two hypostases, two natures.
Monophysites: One person, one hypostasis, one nature.
Christianity: One divine person, one divine hypostasis, two natures. The incarnation is unique joining of the Divine nature with the nature of man. The will of God and the will of Jesus Christ were separate yet of one spirit forming the essence of One Divine Person.
The Christian Creed declares Jesus Christ was begotten not made for a reason. Except one, Mary, according to God’s plan is Immaculate. We hold here to be a creature just as you and I are and in need of Salvation. To keep this one tenet of faith we will find Mary’s salvation came from a singular gift of salvific grace at conception. By immaculate we mean she was preserved from sin, both original sin and actual sin.
Subsequently we find holding to the Marian doctrines crucial to the real vision of Christ if one calls himself “Christian” keeping his confessed creed of beliefs. I ask again, was Jesus Christ begotten or made?
JoeT
