The Pre-existence of Jesus Christ

Macquarrie, John

doi:10.1177/001452466607700703

Cited by 4 publications

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“…He defines transcendence as 'the idea that human nature is not a fixed essence but has an openness that seems to allow for indefinite development.' 42 Macquarrie characterizes the development of these philosophical anthropologies which stress human transcendence as 'a fact of the highest significance for Christology.' They involve no appeal to those special supernatural forces which are so inimical to post-Enlightenment thought.…”

Section: Contemporary Philosophical Anthropologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this 'Austere Ending,' the account of the career of Jesus ends with the cross so that post-Enlightenment sensibilities would not be offended by talk of 'the joyful mysteries that traditionally come after the cross.' 50 Macquarrie finds a basis for this speculation in the Fourth Gospel, where the exaltation of Jesus is identified with his death on the cross (John 12:32-33): 'Of all the Johannine paradoxes, this one is surely the most striking. Jesus' exaltation is the cross!…”

Section: Post-existencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, and entirely in keeping with his post-Enlightenment outlook, he declines to pursue such systematic reflection, asserting that the classical arguments about the two natures, the hypostatic union and whether Jesus had a human nature but not a human personality, 'seem unreal to the modern reader.' 54 Hefling has perceptively commented that 'Macquarrie assumes the standpoint of Christianity's cultured despisers [and] makes comprehension from that standpoint the condition for assent.' 55 It has to be insisted, however, that Macquarrie himself does accept the need for an ontological Christology which enquires into the person of Christ, 56 even if he has not given it the sustained attention it deserves, because of his determination to present a Christology 'within the constraining framework of modern thought.'…”

Section: Post-existencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…All in all, he appeals too readily to the Oxford Movement's 'principle of reserve,' with its recognition of the limits of theological understanding and aversion to minute description in theology. 57 Thus it seems fair to say that no matter how 292 IRISH THEOLOGICAL QUARTERLY…”

Section: Post-existencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is not literal or personal pre-existence, but it may be the only pre-existence we can begin to understand and the only kind that is compatible with Jesus' true humanity. 47 The claim for 'a very high degree of reality' in this conception of a merely intentional pre-existence of Christ seems rather unpersuasive. Surely the Early Church in speaking of pre-existence meant more than the statement that Jesus Christ, in common with all men and women, existed from all eternity 'in God's thoughts,' or in 'God's plan' (intentional preexistence).…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

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John Macquarrie's Post-Enlightenment Christology

Coll

2008

Irish Theological Quarterly

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John Macquarrie's Christology is written in particular for those whose religious consciousness has been marked by the scepticism that has been such a characteristic of postEnlightenment thought. He believes that the task of Christology is to make sense of Christ within the constraining framework of modern thought. Following Schleiermacher, he insists that Jesus differs in degree not kind from other human beings. Christ's personal pre-existence is to be set aside since it serves to undermine the full humanity of Christ, and his postexistence must be reduced in its scope and meaning. In line with the controversial thesis of J. D. G. Dunn, those passages in Paul normally associated with pre-existence are reinterpreted by Macquarrie as examples of 'Adam Christology.' This article touches on the chorus of criticism that Dunn's theory has generated and wonders why Macquarrie has not paid more attention to it. It argues that the post-Enlightenment framework favoured by Macquarrie is too narrow for a complete Christology to emerge.

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Section: Contemporary Philosophical Anthropologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Post-existencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Post-existencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Post-existencementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 92%

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John Macquarrie's Post-Enlightenment Christology

Coll

2008

Irish Theological Quarterly

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Pre-existence, and the Freedom of the Son in Creation and Redemption: An Exposition in Dialogue with Robert Jenson

Gathercole

2005

Int J Systematic Theology

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In the New Testament, the Son is personally pre-existent in a real (as opposed to ideal) sense, and the incarnation is a free, gracious act on the part of the Son. The present article engages critically with the arguments of Robert Jenson that the Son is pre-existent principally (a) in and as the nation of Israel, and (b) in that the Son's eternal birth from the Father precedes his birth from Mary; this 'precedes' is not linear, or temporal, however. It is concluded that Jenson's account fails on two counts: first, it does not do justice to the canonical witness; secondly, it is incoherent in introducing an atemporal element into Jenson's avowedly temporal construal of the divine identity. The Son's gracious freedom should be seen both in creation and incarnation in a much stronger sense than Jenson allows. This article aims to explore a central aspect of Christology which, as will be pointed out later, has rather suffered at the hands of some theologians in recent times. As a Neutestamentler venturing into this debate, I can only plead the precedents of a generation ago, when New Testament scholars became embroiled in -indeed, to a large extent, initiated -the 'Myth of God Incarnate' controversy. 1 The present debate is, thankfully, on a more modest scale. Nevertheless, recent critiques of the concepts of the Son's pre-existence and of the logos asarkos have been at least as forceful and intellectually compelling as any of the salvos against the doctrine of the incarnation in the 1970s. The recent treatment of pre-existence by Robert Jenson Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005,

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Relating Kenosis to Soteriology: Implications for Christian Ministry amongst Homeless People

Purves¹

2013

Horiz Biblical Theol

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Christian ministry amongst homeless people is often characterised by division between the ministry itself as social action by independent voluntary organisations, and congregational life. This is arguably the result of sociological forces, but is also compounded by the prevalence in mainline churches of ethically lacking popular versions of penal substitution that privatise spirituality. We argue that in addition to strengthening the ethical content of such teaching, it is important to offer alternative theological tools that challenge Christian self-understanding. Kenosis is just such a tool. In a brief historical sketch of biblical and theological approaches, we suggest that it is the ethical, narrative understanding of kenosis, rather than preoccupation with philosophically-orientated Christological debates about the locus of the apparent ‘emptying’ of divine attributes, that is central to understanding kenosis. What we label the necessary ethically kenotic dimension to salvation is then explored, an area in which we are influenced by current biblical scholarship on ‘justification’ in Paul by participationist-inclined scholars, particularly the work of Michael Gorman based on the Philippian hymn and his emphasis on justification by co-crucifixion. Kenosis as a ‘selfishness emptying’ that leads to co-resurrection is an integral and ongoing part of the soteriological process of theosis. Relating kenosis to soteriology in this way has implications for church work amongst homeless people, and we suggest that when also taking into account current social work research, churches receive an imperative to offer ministry that is community orientated, relational, self-giving and absorptive.

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The Pre-existence of Jesus Christ

Cited by 4 publications

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John Macquarrie's Post-Enlightenment Christology

John Macquarrie's Post-Enlightenment Christology

Pre-existence, and the Freedom of the Son in Creation and Redemption: An Exposition in Dialogue with Robert Jenson

Relating Kenosis to Soteriology: Implications for Christian Ministry amongst Homeless People

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