Monday, October 5, 2015
Youcat commented through CCC - Question n. 77 – Part III.
(Youcat
answer - repeated) In Jesus, God really became one of us and thus our brother;
nevertheless, he did not cease to be God at the same time and thus our Lord.
The Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 taught that the divinity and the
humanity in the one person Jesus Christ are united together “without division
or confusion”.
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 467)
The Monophysites affirmed that the human nature had ceased to exist as such in
Christ when the divine person of God's Son assumed it. Faced with this heresy,
the fourth ecumenical council, at Chalcedon in 451, confessed: Following the
holy Fathers, we unanimously teach and confess one and the same Son, our Lord
Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same
truly God and truly man, composed of rational soul and body; consubstantial
with the Father as to his divinity and consubstantial with us as to his
humanity; "like us in all things but sin". He was begotten from the
Father before all ages as to his divinity and in these last days, for us and
for our salvation, was born as to his humanity of the virgin Mary, the Mother
of God (Council of Chalcedon (451): DS 301; cf. Heb 4:15). We confess that one
and the same Christ, Lord, and only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged in two
natures without confusion, change, division or separation. The distinction
between the natures was never abolished by their union, but rather the
character proper to each of the two natures was preserved as they came together
in one person (prosopon) and one
hypostasis (Council of Chalcedon: DS 302).
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment) The Church
grappled for a long time with the problem of how to express the relation
between the divinity and humanity in Jesus Christ. Divinity and humanity are
not in competition with each other, which would make Jesus only partially God
and only partially man. Nor is it true that the divine and human in Jesus are
confused. God took on a human body in Jesus; this was no mere appearance
(Docetism), but he really became man. Nor are there two different persons in
Christ, one human and one divine (Nestorianism). Nor is it true, finally, that
in Jesus Christ the human nature was completely absorbed into the divine nature
(Monophysitism). Contrary to all these heresies, the Church has adhered to the
belief that Jesus Christ is at the same time true God and true man in one
Person. The famous formula, “without division or confusion” (Council of
Chalcedon) does not attempt to explain something that is too sublime for human
understanding, but rather draws the boundaries, so to speak, of the faith. It
indicates the “line” along which the mystery of the person of Jesus Christ can
be investigated.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 481)
Jesus Christ possesses two natures, one divine and the other human, not
confused, but united in the one person of God's Son.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment