Christology
from above and from below
Recent
decades have seen the emergence of two distinct ways of reflecting on the
mystery of Jesus Christ. What is known as "Christology from above"
begins with the Second Person of the Trinity, with the preexisting divine Word
in relation to the Father and the Holy Spirit. This methodology then proceeds
"downward" to the Incarnation, to the event in which the Word or
Logos became man in Jesus Christ. Finally, this approach to Christology draws
our attention to how the Word made flesh suffered and died for our sins, and
then rose from the dead and returned to God’s "right hand." This more
traditional way of thinking about Jesus Christ is often called "high"
Christology because of its emphasis on the divinity of Jesus Christ. Prominent
examples of this approach can be found in Joseph Ratzinger’s Introduction to
Christianity (1968), The Person of Christ (1981) by Jean Galot, S.J., the
Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994), and in the CDF’s declaration, Dominus
Iesus (September 5, 2000). A high Christology also pervades the writings of
Romano Guardini and Hans Urs von Balthasar.
The
other way of reflecting on the mystery of Jesus Christ is called
"Christology from below." Theologians who espouse this approach start
with the human figure of Jesus. Often the analysis begins either by considering
in general what it means to be human, or by reconstructing the historical
figure of Jesus as a Jew in Galilee during the reigns of Herod the Great (d. 4
b.c.) and his son Herod Antipas (d. a.d. 39). This kind of theological thinking
then proceeds "upward" by reflecting on Jesus’ singular union with
God during his earthly life, as evident in his prayer to God as Abba, in his
teachings, in his extraordinary personal authority, and in his compassion for
others, including his miracles. Finally, Christology from below inquires into
the mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death, and Resurrection, asking why Christ is
more than one martyr among others and also about the character of his
Resurrection appearances. Christology from below is also known as
"low" Christology, and is characterized by the emphasis it places on
the humanity of Jesus Christ. It usually relies to some extent on the results
of historical-critical studies of the Bible. Monika Hellwig’s Jesus: The Compassion of God (1983), Gerard
Sloyan’s Jesus in Focus (1983), as well as Jesus: A Gospel Portrait (1992) by
Donald Senior, C.P., and Christology (1995) by Gerald O’Collins, S.J., are
widely respected examples of this approach. Leonardo Boff, Gustavo Gutierrez,
Hans Küng, Karl Rahner, S.J., Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P., Elisabeth Schüssler
Fiorenza, and Jon Sobrino, S.J., are all identified with Christology from
below.
Both
ways of thinking about Jesus Christ are based in Scripture and doctrine.
Christology from above is inspired by the prologue to John’s Gospel: "And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (1:14).
By contrast, Christology from below takes seriously the testimony that
"Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to
him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard in his godly
fear" (Hebrews 5:7). Further, both methods are anchored in the doctrine,
promulgated by the Council of Chalcedon (a.d. 451), that Jesus Christ is
"truly God" and "truly man" in "one person." In
other words, Christology teaches that Jesus Christ unites all of the qualities
belonging to God (such as omniscience) and all of the traits of a human being
(such as a finite, explicit self-consciousness). Surely, the Chalcedonian doctrine
formulates the paradox at the heart of Christian belief in Jesus Christ-the
presence of two natures in one person-that gives rise to both Christology from
above and Christology from below.
There
are strengths and weaknesses in each approach. A merit of Christology from
above is that it perceives Jesus Christ within the mystery of the triune God,
thereby highlighting his divinity and the uniqueness of the Incarnation-that
the divine Logos has become a full human being in only one individual, Jesus
Christ. However, because of its top-down perspective and categories,
Christology from above risks not saying enough about Christ’s full humanity. A
high Christology can implicitly convey a Docetism, the view that the Son of God
only appeared to be human during his earthly life. Further, it tends to read
the New Testament exclusively through the lens of John’s prologue or the
captivity epistles like Colossians, thereby overlooking the diversity-some
would argue the contradictions-of the early church’s testimony concerning
Christ, and hence to some extent the complexity of Christ’s identity.
One
merit of Christology from below is that it illumines Jesus Christ’s solidarity
with us. "He worked with human hands, he thought with a human mind. He
acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved" (Gaudium et
spes, 22). Christology from below shows that Jesus is "one who in every
respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
Another merit of this approach is that it appeals to many people today. Since
we tend to think in historical terms, we want to know when Jesus lived, how he
fit into the Jewish world of his day, and why he was such a threat to the
Romans. If done properly, Christology from below keeps in focus the human
figure of Jesus of Nazareth while not neglecting Jesus as the Christ, as the
Son of God. Saying too little about the divinity of Christ and his unique
singularity within history is the risk involved. In other words, Christology
from below can move toward Ebionitism, the heresy that views Jesus as merely a
man who was filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism.
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