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Nov 8, '09, 10:29 am
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Regular Member
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Join Date: September 26, 2008
Posts: 1,609
Religion: Catholic
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What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
An orthodox Christian asked a question:
What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
* He is two distinct persons in one body - Perfect man and Perfect God
*He was made Flesh, so He is not Perfect God
*He is The Only Begotten Son of God, therefore He has no human Nature.
*His Divine and Human nature has coalesced perfectly into ONE nature ...
What's the Catholic teaching on this subject?
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Nov 8, '09, 10:57 am
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Regular Member
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Join Date: September 26, 2008
Posts: 1,609
Religion: Catholic
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Re: What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
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Nov 8, '09, 12:02 pm
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Regular Member
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Join Date: November 14, 2008
Posts: 7,877
Religion: Catholic
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Re: What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
Thanks Wesley!
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Nov 8, '09, 4:02 pm
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Regular Member
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Join Date: October 29, 2004
Posts: 879
Religion: Catholic Christian of the Latin rite
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Re: What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by WesleyF
An orthodox Christian asked a question:
What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
* He is two distinct persons in one body - Perfect man and Perfect God
*He was made Flesh, so He is not Perfect God
*He is The Only Begotten Son of God, therefore He has no human Nature.
*His Divine and Human nature has coalesced perfectly into ONE nature ...
What's the Catholic teaching on this subject?
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He is only one person, the second person in the Trinity. Therefore he is a divine person incarnate, not a human person. He has two distinct natures and two distinct wills: human and divine. But, his human nature is perfect and of the same type as was of Adam prior to the fall which could not be deceived, was without concupiscence, and could not be tempted. His human will freely consents to everything and anything that's in his divine will.
__________________
"But should you meet with a person not yet believing the gospel, how would you reply to him were he to say, 'I do not believe?' For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church." - St. Augustine of Hippo [354-430 AD]
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Nov 8, '09, 4:09 pm
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Book Club Member
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Join Date: June 22, 2004
Posts: 8,768
Religion: Maronite Catholic
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Re: What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by WesleyF
An orthodox Christian asked a question:
What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
* He is two distinct persons in one body - Perfect man and Perfect God
*He was made Flesh, so He is not Perfect God
*He is The Only Begotten Son of God, therefore He has no human Nature.
*His Divine and Human nature has coalesced perfectly into ONE nature ...
What's the Catholic teaching on this subject?
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I am guessing the person you were speaking to was a Malankara Orthodox Christian. The way you have it expressed there is kind of strange. I don't think any church says that Christ is two persons and has only one nature. The Malankara Orthodox say there is one person and one nature in Christ. They will say that Christ is fully human but don't speak of Him having a human nature. By speaking of one nature they are trying to emphasize the unity of Christ.
What we believe is that the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, became man and united the human nature within His divine person. We speak of two natures, one human and one divine, united within one person. They are perfectly united so that they act as one. We speak of both divine and human natures to emphasize that Christ is both complete God and complete man but it is the divine person that assumes our nature so it is in this way that they are united.
Essentially when it comes down to it I think they are pretty much the same.
__________________
"Who has the more difficult task: the teacher who lectures on earnest things a meteor's distance from everyday life-or the learner who should put it to use?"
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Nov 8, '09, 4:15 pm
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Forum Elder
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Join Date: September 7, 2004
Posts: 37,470
Religion: Catholic no adjectives
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Re: What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by WesleyF
An orthodox Christian asked a question:
What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
* He is two distinct persons in one body - Perfect man and Perfect God
*He was made Flesh, so He is not Perfect God
*He is The Only Begotten Son of God, therefore He has no human Nature.
*His Divine and Human nature has coalesced perfectly into ONE nature ...
What's the Catholic teaching on this subject?
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none of the above
He is one Person, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the only begotten (not created) Son of God. the Word, the Logos. He is one Person with both a divine nature and a human nature, completely and totally one, the technical term is the hypostatic union, the union that is of two natures in one person. He became man and entered into human history in the event known as the incarnation--literally taking on flesh--in which he did remain fully divine and became fully human, true God and true man, begotten not made, one in being with the Father, light from light, true God from True God. The Nicene Creed spells it out completely and accurately.
__________________
Whatever the Lord pleases He does, on heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. Ps. 135
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Nov 8, '09, 4:47 pm
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Book Club Member
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Join Date: June 22, 2004
Posts: 8,768
Religion: Maronite Catholic
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Re: What is the Roman Catholic Dogma on the Nature of Christ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by puzzleannie
none of the above
He is one Person, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the only begotten (not created) Son of God. the Word, the Logos. He is one Person with both a divine nature and a human nature, completely and totally one, the technical term is the hypostatic union, the union that is of two natures in one person. He became man and entered into human history in the event known as the incarnation--literally taking on flesh--in which he did remain fully divine and became fully human, true God and true man, begotten not made, one in being with the Father, light from light, true God from True God. The Nicene Creed spells it out completely and accurately.
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This is a good summary but I would like to clarify the term hypostatic union. The term does not simply refer to the union of the two natures. The term hypostasis is the Greek term commonly translated as person. So the second person of the Trinity, the Hypostasis of the Son, assumed the human nature within His divine person/hypostasis and united it with His divinity. So hypostasis isn't the result of the union of two natures but is rather that in which the two natures are united.
Similarly, we as human persons are human hypostases. By becoming man Christ made it possible for us to participate in the divine nature (by Grace) as St. Peter said [2Peter1:4]. Consequently, similarly to Christ having two natures we will have two natures. Christ assumed what is ours and He gave us what is His.
__________________
"Who has the more difficult task: the teacher who lectures on earnest things a meteor's distance from everyday life-or the learner who should put it to use?"
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