On Docetic Christology in Early Christianity. Pt. 2.3

Abstract

According to the doctrine of the so-called docetic Christology, the earthly Jesus and the heavenly Christ were two different persons; it was Jesus who suffered on the cross, Christ just entered Jesus body for a while and abandoned it before his death on the cross; consequently, the suffering of Christ was mere appearance. On the basis of some passages from Gnostic texts containing examples of docetic Chrstology, the author attempts here to trace the origin of that concept, starting with the New Testament (Pt. 1: Synoptic Gospels); in the previous parts of the article (Pt. 2.1; 2.2) he analyzed such Pauls passages as Rom. 1.34, Gal. 4.47 and 1Cor 8.46; in this part he deals with Phlp. 2.511. To be continued.