February 27, 2020

Dogmatic Theology Vol 2 - Shedd - XV - Chapter I Christ's theanthropic person commenced

Required reading
Dogmatic Theology Vol 2 by William G.T. Shedd (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence Chapter 1 'Christ's theanthropic person' by reading up to the paragraph beginning '5. The theanthropic personality of the Redeemer began in time' (page 278 of my edition)..

My summary
Today we start on a new section on Christology, beginning with a discussion of Christ's theanthropic person.

After establishing that Christ is a redeemer from the Old and New Testaments, Shedd begins to outline the following particulars to demonstrate Christ's complex person:

1. The divine nature in Christ's person is the second person of the Godhead, the Eternal Son, or Logos.

2. Incarnation must be distinguished from transmutation, or transubstantiation.

3. The distinctive characteristic of the incarnation is the union of two diverse natures, a divine and a human, so as to constitute one single person.

4. It is the divine nature, and not the human, which is the base of Christ's person.
What grabbed me


I appreciated Shedd's explanation of how the Lord added humanity to himself:
'In saying that " the Word was made flesh " (John 1 : 14), it is meant that the Word came to possess human characteristics in addition to his divine, which still remained as before. The properties of the divine nature cannot be either destroyed or altered. A human nature was united with the divine, in order that the resulting person might have a human form of consciousness as well as a divine. Previous to the assumption of a human nature, the Logos could not experience a human feeling because he had no human heart, but after this assumption he could ; previous to the incarnation, he could not have a finite perception because he had no finite intellect, but after this event he could ; previous to the incarnation, the self -consciousness of the Logos was eternal only, that is, without succession, but subsequent to the incarnation it was both eternal and temporal, with and without succession. This twofold consciousness may be illustrated by the union between the human soul and body. Prior to, or apart from its union with a material body, a man's immaterial soul cannot feel a physical sensation or a sensuous appetite ; but when united with it in a personal union, it can so feel. In like manner, prior to the incarnation, the second person of the Trinity could not have human sensations and experiences; but after it he could. The unincamate Logos could think and feel only like God ; he had only one form of consciousness. The incarnate Logos can think and feel either like God, or like man; he has two modes or forms of consciousness.'

I'm not sure I agree with everything there, but I love trying to plumb the depths of the mystery of the condescension of God in adding to himself.

Next week's reading

Continue Chapter 1 'Christ's theanthropic person' by reading up to the paragraph beginning '9. In the incarnation, the Logos did not unite himself with the whole human nature, but with only a part of it.' (page 295 of my edition).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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