Christocentrism of Charism – Buggert - CarmelStream

several philosophical and theological presuppositions. Above all it presupposes a view of God as
absolutely immutable and also as infinitely opposed or antithetical to the creature. This antithesis
between the divine and the creaturely becomes a major problem in attempting to understand what
"The Word became flesh" (Jn. 1:14) could possibly mean and how such an incarnation could be
possible in the first place. cxxv Given the antithesis between the human and the divine, the human and
divine of Jesus would have to be understood as two distinct and infinitely opposed natures or
substances within the one Christ. Hence the classical Christological problem: how can one and the
same Christ be both human and divine? In affirming that one and the same Son is human and divine,
Chalcedon definitely maintained the Christian faith and proclaimed what Hellenistic metaphysics
could never attain, namely, that in the one person are found the infinitely opposed divine and human.
In this regard Chalcedon is truly a "de-Hellenization." But since it also worked within the
presuppositions of classical metaphysics, it could in no way explain how the one person can unite the
divine and the human. cxxvi
Second, the classical Christology, though the result of Christianity's basic soteriological faith
that Jesus is savior, is not expressly soteriological. That is, it does not show that Jesus is Son
precisely because he is Savior, or, Jesus' salvific actions, above all his obedience, obedience unto
death, are themselves significant for his being Son. The classical approach first dealt with Jesus'
being-structure as Son (one person, human and divine) and then went on to consider his redemptive
work. What is needed is a much closer integration of the redemptive work of Jesus (his obedience)
and his being Son.
Third, the Christ of classical Christology is not seen as coming from within the context of
creation and history. Rather, because of the "fall," the eternal Son, "for us and for our salvation"
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