Christocentrism of Charism – Buggert - CarmelStream

A transcendental or anthropological Christology can give us a new way of understanding the
divinity or sonship of Christ. Many theologians today approach and understand the divinity or
sonship of Christ from the perspective of his life, death and resurrection. cxxi For these theologians
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are "constitutive" of his being Son of God, of his being
divine. This renewed and biblically inspired understanding of Jesus' sonship can in turn give
Carmelites a renewed understanding of the Christocentrism of the Carmelite charism.
The classical Christology of the Church came to be articulated in the well-known two nature-
one person model. According to this model, Jesus possesses two natures or two modes of being,
human and divine. Both natures exist in the one divine person or bearer, who is the eternal Logos or
Son of God. This two nature-one person model was itself embraced by the Councils of Chalcedon in
451 and Constantinople II in 553. Hence it has come to be called "Neo-Chalcedonian" Christology.
In recent years due to the influence of contemporary biblical Christology cxxii and also
contemporary philosophy, many questions have been raised regarding the adequacy of the classical
two nature-one person model. cxxiii It should be pointed out, however, that the majority of theologians
today, while pointing out the limitations and difficulties with the classical model, in no way contest
its basic affirmation, namely, that one and the same Son, Jesus Christ, is truly God and truly man.
The question is, can the mystery of Christ be more clearly and adequately articulated today.
In order to better understand Rahner's own Christology, which itself is an attempt to surpass
the many difficulties and limitations of the classical Christology, I would like briefly to state and
describe six such difficulties and limitations. cxxiv
First, classical Christology, under the influence of various strands of Platonism, rests upon
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