The New Testament the Good News of Jesus Christ

Living in Christ The New Testament The Good News of Jesus Christ Margaret Nutting Ralph The Subcommittee on the Catechism, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has found this catechetical text, copyright 2012, to be in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Nihil Obstat: Rev. William M. Becker, STD Censor Librorum December 20, 2011 Imprimatur: † Most Rev. John M. Quinn, DD Bishop of Winona December 20, 2011 The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat or imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed, nor do they assume any legal responsibility associated with publication. The publishing team included Gloria Shahin, editorial director; Joanna Dailey, development editor; Maura Thompson Hagarty, PhD, contributing editor and theological reviewer; Woodeene Koenig-Bricker, contributing writer. Prepress and manufacturing coordinated by the production departments of Saint Mary’s Press. Cover Image: © The Crosiers / Gene Plaisted, OSC The publisher also wishes to thank the following individuals who advised the publishing team or reviewed the work in progress: Msgr. David Hubba, MA Timothy Milinovich, PhD Scripture texts used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edi- tion © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, D.C. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Copyright © 2012 by Saint Mary’s Press, Christian Brothers Publications, 702 Terrace Heights, Winona, MN 55987-1320, www.smp.org. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America 1152 (PO3893) ISBN 978-1-59982-075-0, paper ISBN 978-1-59982-448-2, Kno ISBN 978-1-59982-120-7, Saint Mary’s Press Online Learning Environment Contents Introduction . 7 Section 1: The Word of God Part 1: A Matter of Perspective . 9 Article 1: Revelation and Inspiration . 10 Article 2: Covenants Old and New . 14 Article 3: An Overview of the New Testament Books . 18 Part 2: Understanding the New Testament . 24 Article 4: Context: Literary Form . 25 Article 5: Context: Historical and Cultural Situation . 29 Article 6: Context: Scriptural Development . 32 Article 7: Sacred Scripture: A Living Word for Today . 36 Part 3: The New Testament and the Church . 43 Article 8: Jesus Christ, the Word of God . 44 Article 9: The Bible and the Lectionary . 46 Article 10: Scripture and the Eucharist . 51 Section 2: The Synoptic Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles Part 1: What Is a Gospel? . 59 Article 11: The Formation of the Gospels . 60 Article 12: An Overview of the Synoptic Gospels . 65 Part 2: The Gospel of Mark . 72 Article 13: The Miracles in Mark’s Gospel . 74 Article 14: The Parables in Mark’s Gospel . 77 Article 15: Mark’s Passion Narrative . 81 Article 16: The Suffering Messiah . 84 Part 3: The Gospel of Matthew . 90 Article 17: Matthew’s Infancy Narrative . 92 Article 18: The Kingdom in Matthew’s Gospel . 96 Article 19: The Question of Authority . 102 Article 20: The Paschal Mystery According to Matthew . 106 Part 4: The Gospel of Luke . 112 Article 21: Luke’s Infancy Narrative . 114 Article 22: The Universal Nature of Covenant Love. 117 Article 23: Luke’s Passion Narrative . 123 Article 24: Luke’s Post-Resurrection Appearance Narratives . 126 Part 5: The Acts of the Apostles . 131 Article 25: Witness to Christ in Jerusalem (Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 1–7) . 133 Article 26: Witness to Christ in Judea and Samaria (Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 8–12) . 138 Article 27: Witness to Christ to the Ends of the Earth (Acts of the Apostles, Chapters 13–28) . 141 Section 3: The Johannine Writings Part 1: The Gospel of John . 149 Article 28: Comparison and Contrast: John and the Synoptic Gospels . 151 Article 29: Allegory in the Seven Signs . 156 Article 30: The Paschal Mystery in the Gospel of John . 159 Article 31: John’s Post-Resurrection Accounts . 163 Part 2: The Book of Revelation. 167 Article 32: The Conventions of Apocalyptic Literature . 168 Article 33: Symbolic Language in the Book of Revelation . 170 Article 34: An Overview of Revelation . 174 Article 35: Eternal Truths of Revelation . 178 Section 4: The Letters of Paul Part 1: Introduction to the Letters of Paul. 183 Article 36: Overview of the New Testament Letters . 184 Article 37: Paul’s Letters Compared to the Acts of the Apostles . 189 Article 38: The Form and Characteristics of Paul’s Letters . 192 Part 2: The Letters to the Corinthians . 197 Article 39: First Corinthians: Responding to Community Problems . 198 Article 40: The Eucharist and Resurrection in First Corinthians . 204 Article 41: Second Corinthians . 207 Part 3: Romans and Galatians . 213 Article 42: Justification by Faith in Romans and Galatians . 214 Article 43: Christians, Law, and Conscience . 218 Article 44: Love of Others . 222 Part 4: Other Pauline Letters . 227 Article 45: First Thessalonians . 228 Article 46: Philippians . 232 Article 47: Philemon . 235 Section 5: Later Letters Part 1: Letters Attributed to Paul . 241 Article 48: Ephesians . 242 Article 49: Colossians . 246 Article 50: Second Thessalonians . 249 Article 51: The Pastoral Letters . 252 Part 2: The Letter to the Hebrews . 259 Article 52: Christ the High Priest . 260 Article 53: Exhortations to Faithfulness . 263 Part 3: The Catholic Epistles . 269 Article 54: The Letter of James . 270 Article 55: The Letters of First and Second Peter, and Jude . 273 Article 56: The Letters of John . 277 Glossary . 282 Index . 290 Acknowledgments . 301 Introduction On the wall in my office is a picture of Jesus and two disciples on the road to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13–35). As I was writing this book, I frequently glanced at that picture. It epitomizes for me what I hope this book will accomplish—that you, your teachers, and I will meet on life’s journey and, while discussing the New Testament, will encounter, in the Holy Spirit, the Living Word, Jesus Christ. We will discuss what God our Father has chosen to reveal to us about himself and about his only begotten Son. In listening to the Word of God and to one another, we will be strengthened and encouraged to live our lives in cooperation with the coming of his Kingdom. And as we read, discuss, absorb, and pray with the New Testa- ment, the Risen Christ will be present with us. The spirituality of many Catholics is rooted in the awareness that Christ is present with us in a unique way in the Eucharist. Too many of us seem less aware that Christ is also with us, although in a different way, in the proclamation of Scripture in the liturgy. How is this so? The Word of God is a saving Word that brings us salvation: “The word of God constantly proclaimed in the Liturgy is always, then, a living and effective word through the power of the Holy Spirit. It expresses the Father’s love that never fails in its effectiveness toward us” (Lectionary for Mass, page 14). In Luke’s account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he tells us that the disciples did not recognize the presence of the Risen Christ when he “interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures” (Luke 24:27). My prayer for you and your teachers is that as you study Scripture together, you, like the disciples on the road, will find yourselves asking in wonder, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (24:32). In addition, I pray that you are able to recognize the presence of the Risen Christ in your midst, now and always. Margaret Nutting Ralph Section 1 The Word of God Part 1 A Matter of Perspective ave you ever looked for your own house or your own Hapartment in satellite photos on the Internet? By zooming in and out, you can adjust your perspective. You can change your point of view from the very widest possible angle to the very narrowest. You can see your city or town as it appears from space, and then you can zoom down to your own block and even

Theological Reflection, Divorced from the Incarnational Nature of the Christian Faith, Invalidates the Bible

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 10 Original Research Theological reflection, divorced from the incarnational nature of the Christian faith, invalidates the Bible Author: This article draws its inspiration from the famous excerpt of the 5th century Father and 1 Jennifer Slater Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, Jerome, who firmly claims in his Commentary on Affiliation: Isaiah (Nn 1.2: CCL 73, 1–3) that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. By this exhortation 1Department of Philosophy, he urged Christians to recognise the serious necessity to study the Word of God as it is not Practical and Systematic an optional luxury to be used and interpreted with tawdriness. The secret of this renowned Theology, College of Human biblical scholar was to adhere to a fundamental criterion, namely, to interpret the Holy Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa Scriptures in harmony with the Roman Catholic Church’s magisterium, and thus no person is at liberty to interpret the scriptures alone and slip into self-righteous error. Jerome believed Corresponding author: that the authentic interpretation of Scripture is harmonious with the faith of the (Catholic) Jennifer Slater, Church and when ‘correctly attuned’, only then the reader is authorised to understand [email protected] Sacred Scripture. Scripture is the foundation of theological truth and this article endeavours Dates: to disclose that when the bible is not perceived as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and Received: 29 Apr. 2020 guidance, it is left open for distasteful interpretations and becomes a recipe for scripture Accepted: 02 Oct.

The Role of Tradition Most of our separated brethren believe that all that is needed for faith is conveyed in the Bible. This is the principle of sola scriptura (only scripture) while the Catholic teaching is "Scripture and Tradition." What does Tradition encompass? Paul teaches us that we are to hold to what is given us by Scripture and what is conveyed orally (1 Cor 11:23). This oral teaching is Tradition. The Catholic faith makes a distinction between Traditions (capital T) which are based on the teaching of apostolic times and thus can not be changed and those traditions (small t) which can be changed by the church. Examples of Traditions are: prayers for the dead, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the celebration of Sunday as the Lords' day, and the Blessed Trinity. Many of these Traditions are summed up in the early creeds such as the Apostles Creed. The (capital T) Traditions are also referred to by the Church as "Sacred Tradition." The other (small t) traditions are such practices as: priestly celibacy, specified days of fasting and/or abstinence, and kneeling and standing in Church. As time goes on, these traditions may be changed or revised as necessary for the Church to respond to God through the language, culture, problems and opportunities of our day. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was sometimes dragged into arguments between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The main difference between these two groups was that the Sadducees restricted their beliefs and rules to what was explicitly written in the Torah while the Pharisees included the wisdom of the ages (Tradition).

University of Dayton eCommons Marian Library Art Exhibit Guides Spirituality through Art 2015 Russian Christian Orthodox Icons of the Mother of God George Contis M.D. Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ml_exhibitguides Recommended Citation Contis, George M.D., "Russian Christian Orthodox Icons of the Mother of God" (2015). Marian Library Art Exhibit Guides. 5. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ml_exhibitguides/5 This Exhibit Guide is brought to you for free and open access by the Spirituality through Art at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marian Library Art Exhibit Guides by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Russian Christian Orthodox Icons of the Mother of God by George Contis, M.D., M.P.H . Russian Christian Orthodox Icons of the Mother of God by George Contis, M.D., M.P.H. Booklet created for the exhibit: Icons from the George Contis Collection Revelation Cast in Bronze SEPTEMBER 15 – NOVEMBER 13, 2015 Marian Library Gallery University of Dayton 300 College Park Dayton, Ohio 45469-1390 937-229-4214 All artifacts displayed in this booklet are included in the exhibit. The Nativity of Christ Triptych. 1650 AD. The Mother of God is depicted lying on her side on the middle left of this icon. Behind her is the swaddled Christ infant over whom are the heads of two cows. Above the Mother of God are two angels and a radiant star. The side panels have six pairs of busts of saints and angels. Christianity came to Russia in 988 when the ruler of Kiev, Prince Vladimir, converted.

Medieval Music for St. John the Baptist from the Royal Convents of Sigena (Hospitallers) and Las Huelgas (Cistercians) CANTRIX —— Medieval Music for —— Mittelalterliche Musik für —— Musique médiévale pour St. John the Baptist from Johannes den Täufer aus den St-Jean-Baptiste dans the Royal Convents of königlichen Frauen klöstern von les couvents royaux de Sigena Sigena (Hospitallers) and Sigena (Hospitaliterinnen) und (Hospitalières) et Las Huelgas Las Huelgas (Cistercians) Las Huelgas (Zisterzienserinnen) (Cisterciennes) Agnieszka Budzińska-Bennett (AB) — voice, harp, direction / Gesang, Harfe, Leitung / voix, harpe, direction Kelly Landerkin (KL) — voice / Gesang / voix Lorenza Donadini (LD) — voice / Gesang / voix Hanna Järveläinen (HJ) — voice / Gesang / voix Eve Kopli (EK) — voice / Gesang / voix Agnieszka M. Tutton (AT) — voice / Gesang / voix Baptiste Romain (BR) — vielle, bells / Vielle, Glocken / vielle, cloches Mathias Spoerry (MS) — voice / Gesang / voix Instrumente / Instruments Vielle (13th c.) — Roland Suits, Tartu (EE), 2006 Vielle (14th c.) — Judith Kra , Paris (F), 2007 Romanesque harp — Claus Henry Hüttel, Düren (D), 2001 Medieval bells — Michael Metzler, Berlin (D), 2012 Medieval Music for St. John the Baptist from the Royal Convents CANTRIX of Sigena (Hospitallers) and Las Huelgas (Cistercians) 1. Mulierium hodie/INTER NATOS 9. Benedicamus/Hic est enim precursor motet, Germany, 14th c. Benedicamus trope, Huelgas, 13th–14th c. AT, LD, EK (motetus), AB, HJ, KL (tenor), AB & HJ (trope), LD, EK, AT 01:44 BR (bells) 02:00 10. Peire Vidal – S’ieu fos en cort 2. Inter natos V. Hic venit/Preparator veritatis troubadour song, Aquitaine, 12th c. responsorium with prosula, Sigena, 14th–15th c. MS, BR (vielle) 07:04 HJ (verse), AB & LD (prosula), KL, EK, AT 04:04 11.

Course Outline VTBS002 Exploring the New Testament Course Administrator: Mel Perkins Lay Leadership Development Coordinator eLM – Equipping Leadership for Mission Jesus Christ Pantocrator By Dianelos Georgoudis - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33098123 Online Format Exploring the New Testament 2 Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania Greetings, and thank you for registering to be part of the Exploring the New Testament Course. In this Course Outline you will find details about the course, the outcomes and course content, a suggested 15 week study program, the assessment and other helpful information. This course has been developed to be a time of discipleship-forming and faith-expanding learning. This course is an indispensable resource for individuals and church study groups who want to learn more about their faith within a Uniting Church context. The course is also foundational for Lay Preachers, Worship Leaders, Mission Workers, and people engaged in other forms of Christian Leadership. The course integrates the study of theology with the study of scripture. We encourage you to approach your studies with a positive attitude and a willingness to be open to learning. Remember don’t be daunted by what lies ahead, as there will be help along the way. Thanks again for committing this time to your journey of understanding. We pray it will be a time of learning, with some challenge, and a time of deepening faith in God. MODES OF LEARNING Your Presbytery may offer different modes of learning: • Individual • Face-to-face groups • Online groups • A mixture of all or some of the above Talk with the person who looks after education in your Presbytery and find out how what learning modes are available.

The Catholic Faith Divine Revelation Knowing God Faith is a gift from God that allows us to believe in him and all that he has revealed. We can know God from creation. Saint Thomas Aquinas’ five proofs of knowing the existence of God by reason. First Mover: Anything moved is moved by another. There cannot be an infinite series of movers. So there must be a first mover. First Cause: Anything caused is caused by another. There cannot be an infinite series of causes. So there must be a first cause. Necessary Being: Not everything is contingent. So there is a necessary being upon which other beings depend for their existence. Greatest Being: Whatever is great to any degree gets its greatness from that which is the greatest. So there is a greatest being, which is the source of all greatness. Intelligent Designer: Whatever acts for an end must be directed by an intelligent being. So the world must have an intelligent designer. It is not contrary to the faith to accept the theory of evolution, so long as we understand that God is our Creator, man is the highest level of creation, and man’s soul is created only by God. Man – Made in God’s Image Man is composed of a body and a soul. Man’s soul is rational. The intellect is a power of the rational soul. Man is created in God’s image. All men are created equal in dignity. Man is called to relationship and stewardship. Revelation God has revealed himself out of love for man.

THE ART OF THE ICON A Theology of Beauty by Paul Evdokimov translated by Fr. Steven Bigham Oakwood Publications Pasadena, California Table of Contents SECTION I: BEAUTY I. The Biblical Vision of Beauty II. The Theology of Beauty in the Fathers III. From Æsthetic to Religious Experience IV. The Word and the Image V. The Ambiguity of Beauty VI. Culture, Art, and Their Charisms VII. Modern Art in the Light of the Icon SECTION II: THE SACRED I. The Biblical and Patristic Cosmology II. The Sacred III. Sacred Time IV. Sacred Space V. The Church Building SECTION III: THE THEOLOGY OF THE ICON I. Historical Preliminaries II. The Passage from Signs to Symbols III. The Icon and the Liturgy IV. The Theology of Presence V. The Theology of the Glory-Light VI. The Biblical Foundation of the Icon VII. Iconoclasm VIII. The Dogmatic Foundation of the Icon IX. The Canons and Creative Liberty X. The Divine Art XI. Apophaticism SECTION IV: A THEOLOGY OF VISION I. Andrei Rublev’s Icon of the Holy Trinity II. The Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir III. The Icon of the Nativity of Christ IV. The Icon of the Lord’s Baptism V. The Icon of the Lord’s Transfiguration VI. The Crucifixion Icon VII. The Icons of Christ’s Resurrection VIII. The Ascension Icon IX. The Pentecost Icon X. The Icon of Divine Wisdom Section I Beauty CHAPTER ONE The Biblical Vision of Beauty “Beauty is the splendor of truth.” So said Plato in an affirmation that the genius of the Greek language completed by coining a single term, kalokagathia.

Grade 4-5 The Great Feasts: The Life of Our Lord A program from The Department of Christian Education, Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, funded in part by The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator from Hagia Sofia, Constantinople Beloved Teacher, Orthodox Christians, ideally, have one foot walking in the temporal year and the other in the Church’s liturgical year—one foot on earth and the other in heaven. The foot that walks the liturgi- cal year keeps us in touch with the eternal, important events of the life of Jesus and his mother, the Theotokos. Although the term, “liturgical year” includes all the services and readings for the year, it is often used to speak of Pascha and The Twelve Great Feasts. We consider Pascha as “the feast of feasts,” hence it is called out when we speak of the Great Feasts of the liturgical year. The Church Year begins on September 1. The feasts are listed in temporal chronological order below. The Great Feasts Pascha! 1. Nativity of the Theotokos September 8 7. Annunciation, March 25 2. Elevation of the Holy Cross, September 14 8. Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Pascha 3. Presentation of the Theotokos, 9. Ascension, Forty Days after Pascha November 21 10. Pentecost, Fifty Days after Pascha 4. Nativity of Christ, December 25 11. Transfiguration,August 6 5. Theophany, January 6 12. Dormition of the Theotokos, August 15 6. Presentation of the Lord, February 2 Through the Great Feasts we are kept in touch with the reality of Jesus Christ, When we remember any of the events of His life story, we also remember the His promise at the end: one day He will come again and we will live eternally in His Kingdom.

INSTITUT DES CULTURES MÉDITERRANÉENNES ET ORIENTALES DE L’ACADÉMIE POLONAISE DES SCIENCES ÉTUDES et TRAVAUX XXV 2012 MAŁGORZATA MARTENS-CZARNECKA Iconography of Jesus Christ in Nubian Painting 242 MAŁGORZATA MARTENS-CZARNECKA In religious art the image of Christ was one of the key elements which inspired the faithful to prayer and contemplation. Pictured as the Incarnation of Logos, the Son of God, the Child born unto Mary, the fi gure of Christ embodied the most important dogma of Christianity.1 Depicted in art, Christ represents the hypostasis of the Word made man – the Logos in human form.2 Christ the Logos was made man (κατά τόν ανθρώπινον χαρακτήρα). God incarnate, man born of Mary, as dictated by canon 82 of the Synod In Trullo in Constan- tinople (AD 692), was to be depicted only in human form, replacing symbols (the lamb).3 From the moment of incarnation, the image of Christ became easily perceptible to the human eye, and hence readily defi ned in shape and colour.4 Artists painting representations of Christ drew inspiration from the many descriptions recorded in the apocrypha: . and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels (1 Enoch 46:1). For humankind Christ was the most essential link between the seen and the unseen, between heaven and Earth;5 the link between God and the men sent by God (John 1:6; 3:17; 5:22-24), through whom God endows the world with all that is good. He is the mediator to whom the faithful, often through the intercession of the Virgin, make supplication and prayer – if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it to you (John 16:23; 14:11-14; 15:16).

2 SACRED SCRIPTURE, SACRED TRADITION AND THE CHURCH (C 101-141, USC Ch. 3) Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition form one Seven extra books in the Catholic Bible sacred deposit of the Word of God which is The Catholic Old Testament Canon contains seven committed to the Church… The task of authentically books not found in Protestant Bibles. These books are interpreting the Word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach and 1 & 2 living teaching office of the Church, whose Maccabees. In addition, the Catholic Bible has longer authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. versions of the books of Esther and Daniel. Catholics This teaching office is not above the Word of God sometimes call these books deuterocanonical (meaning but serves it, teaching only what has been handed “second” canon). Protestants call them apocryphal on…. with the help of the Holy Spirit: it draws from (meaning “counterfeit” or “hidden”). Why the extra this one deposit of faith everything which it presents books? Space only allows for a brief explanation. The for belief as divinely revealed. (Divine Revelation 10) Old Testament books were written in both Hebrew and Greek, the latter having the seven abovenamed books. In article one on Divine Revelation, we saw that As the gospel spread to Greek-speaking Jews and divinely revealed truth, also called the “deposit of faith” Gentiles, the Church generally used the Greek edition, is transmitted from one generation to another through also called the Septuagint. When Martin Luther, the Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Date Comments and edits Faith and Reason 1 Completed ∆ = Test question on Diocesan Religion Test Faith and Reason as found in the Nicene Creed I. “I believe…” A. Students will articulate the relationship between faith and reason. 1. Faith (CCC 878) a. Heb 11:1 “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” ∆ b. Belief is only possible through continuous grace and the Holy Spirit, CCC153 ∆ c. We will be saved by God’s grace if we cooperate with it d. Truly a human act, CCC 154 ∆ e. In faith the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace, CCC 155 (relationship between faith and freedom is any act of Faith must be made freely) f. There are external proofs of God’s revelation that join the internal helps of the Holy Spirit, CCC 156 g. We profess this revelation in the creed, celebrate it in the sacraments, live by right conduct, and respond to it in prayer. h. Distinction between Fides Quae and Fides Qua : The faith that we believe with (theological virtue) and the faith that we believe in (objective content) 2. Reason and its relationship with faith (see teachings of John Paul II and St. Thomas Aquinas) ∆ 3. Faith is reasonable B. The learner will be able to dialogue regarding challenges about the Catholic Faith through use of the Magisterium, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and reason. 1. Introduction ∆ a. 1 Pet 3:15-16 “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your ∆ hope but do it with gentleness and reverence.” ∆ b.

Theological Research ■ volume 1 (2013) ■ p. 31–63 Aaron Riches Instituto de Filosofía Edith Stein Instituto de Teología Lumen Gentium, Granada, Spain Christology and the ‘Scotist Rupture’ Abstract This essay engages the debate concerning the so-called ‘Scotist rupture’ from the point of view of Christology. The essay investigates John Duns Scotus’s de- velopment of Christological doctrine against the strong Cyrilline tendencies of Thomas Aquinas. In particular the essay explores how Scotus’s innovative doctrine of the ‘haecceity’ of Christ’s human nature entailed a self-sufficing conception of the ‘person’, having to do less with the mystery of rationality and ‘communion’, and more to do with a quasi-voluntaristic ‘power’ over oneself. In this light, Scotus’s Christological development is read as suggestively con- tributing to make possible a proto-liberal condition in which ‘agency’ (agere) and ‘right’ (ius) are construed as determinative of what it means to be and act as a person. Keywords John Duns Scotus, ‘Scotist rupture’, Thomas Aquinas, homo assumptus Christology 32 Aaron Riches Introduction In A Secular Age, Charles Taylor links the movement towards the self- sufficing ‘exclusive humanism’ characteristic of modern secularism with a reallocation of popular piety in the thirteenth century.1 Dur- ing that period a shift occurred in which devotional practices became less focused on the cosmological glory of Christ Pantocrator and more focused on the particular humanity of the lowly Jesus. Taylor suggests that this new devotional attention to the particular human Christ was facilitated by the recently founded mendicant orders, especially the Franciscans and Dominicans, both of whom saw the meekness of God Incarnate reflected in the individual poor among whom the friars lived and ministered.