God-man (mystic)
Encyclopedia
God-man refers to a divine Incarnation
as described within various religious faiths including Christian theology
and mysticism
.
Origen
in the 3rd century A.D.:
The Council of Chalcedon
, meeting in 451, affirmed that Christ
had two natures - human and divine - in hypostatic union
.
Much is also written of the God-man by the medieval
philosopher and theologian Anselm of Canterbury
(11th century) in his treatise on the atonement, Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man):
The term is used in Protestant documents such as the Westminster Larger Catechism
, where it says that "Christ is exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man he is advanced to the highest favour with God the Father," (Q&A 54).
The word is also found in religious poetry and essays of the Romantic
era. An example can be found in the poetry of Goethe
:
, the term "God-man" is the closest western equivalent to the eastern concept of Rasool as defined by certain syncretistic and heterodox branches of Sufism (Sufi
), or Avatar
(Vedanta
). However, Rasool is an Islamic term meaning messenger from God in the Arabic language, and the teachings of Meher Baba, a non-Muslim, contradict the Islamic meaning of the term.
interpretations, the term "messiah
" could be viewed as analogous to the concept of the God-man. However, this is not the accepted view of this Hebrew
term within contemporary Judaism
.
Incarnation (Christianity)
The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos .The Incarnation is a fundamental theological...
as described within various religious faiths including Christian theology
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
and mysticism
Christian mysticism
Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity. It has often been connected to mystical theology, especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions...
.
Origins
The first usage of the term God-man as a theological concept appears in the writing of the Christian Apostolic FatherApostolic Fathers
The Apostolic Fathers are a small number of Early Christian authors who lived and wrote in the second half of the first century and the first half of the second century. They are acknowledged as leaders in the early church, although their writings were not included in the New Testament...
Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
in the 3rd century A.D.:
- "This substance of a soul, then, being intermediate between God and the flesh -- it being impossible for the nature of God to intermingle with a body without an intermediate instrument -- the God-man is born."
The Council of Chalcedon
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon was a church council held from 8 October to 1 November, 451 AD, at Chalcedon , on the Asian side of the Bosporus. The council marked a significant turning point in the Christological debates that led to the separation of the church of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 5th...
, meeting in 451, affirmed that Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
had two natures - human and divine - in hypostatic union
Hypostatic union
Hypostatic union is a technical term in Christian theology employed in mainstream Christology to describe the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis.The First Council of Ephesus recognised this doctrine and affirmed its importance, stating that the...
.
Much is also written of the God-man by the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
philosopher and theologian Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury
Anselm of Canterbury , also called of Aosta for his birthplace, and of Bec for his home monastery, was a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109...
(11th century) in his treatise on the atonement, Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man):
- "If it be necessary, therefore, as it appears, that the heavenly kingdom be made up of men, and this cannot be effected unless the aforesaid satisfaction be made, which none but God can make and none but man ought to make, it is necessary for the God-man to make it."
- "Therefore the God-man, whom we require to be of a nature both human and Divine, cannot be produced by a change from one into the other, nor by an imperfect commingling of both in a third; since these things cannot be, or, if they could be, would avail nothing to our purpose. Moreover, if these two complete natures are said to be joined somehow, in such a way that one may be Divine while the other is human, and yet that which is God not be the same with that which is man, it is impossible for both to do the work necessary to be accomplished. For God will not do it, because he has no debt to pay; and man will not do it, because he cannot. Therefore, in order that the God-man may perform this, it is necessary that the same being should perfect God and perfect man, in order to make this atonement. For he cannot and ought not to do it, unless he be very God and very man. Since, then, it is necessary that the God-man preserve the completeness of each nature, it is no less necessary that these two natures be united entire in one person, just as a body and a reasonable soul exist together in every human being; for otherwise it is impossible that the same being should be very God and very man."
The term is used in Protestant documents such as the Westminster Larger Catechism
Westminster Larger Catechism
The Westminster Larger Catechism, along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is a central catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout the world.- History :...
, where it says that "Christ is exalted in his sitting at the right hand of God, in that as God-man he is advanced to the highest favour with God the Father," (Q&A 54).
The word is also found in religious poetry and essays of the Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
era. An example can be found in the poetry of Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
:
- "The God-man closeth Hell's sad doors, In all His majesty He soars."
Meher Baba
According to Indian religious author Meher BabaMeher Baba
Meher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
, the term "God-man" is the closest western equivalent to the eastern concept of Rasool as defined by certain syncretistic and heterodox branches of Sufism (Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
), or Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
(Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
). However, Rasool is an Islamic term meaning messenger from God in the Arabic language, and the teachings of Meher Baba, a non-Muslim, contradict the Islamic meaning of the term.
- "...the avatar is that highest status of God where God directly becomes man and lives on Earth as God-man."
Hebrew
Under certain ChristianChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
interpretations, the term "messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
" could be viewed as analogous to the concept of the God-man. However, this is not the accepted view of this Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
term within contemporary Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.