Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Christology
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- The Cambridge Companion to Christology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I The Christological Sources
- Part II The Christological Reception
- 5 Early Receptions
- 6 Medieval Receptions
- 7 Reformation Receptions
- 8 Modern and Postmodern Receptions
- 9 Contextualized Receptions
- 10 Jewish Receptions
- 11 Islamic Receptions
- Part III The Contemporary Christological Discussions
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Companions To Religion … (continued from page ii)
- References
5 - Early Receptions
from Part II - The Christological Reception
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 September 2025
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Christology
- Cambridge Companions to Religion
- The Cambridge Companion to Christology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I The Christological Sources
- Part II The Christological Reception
- 5 Early Receptions
- 6 Medieval Receptions
- 7 Reformation Receptions
- 8 Modern and Postmodern Receptions
- 9 Contextualized Receptions
- 10 Jewish Receptions
- 11 Islamic Receptions
- Part III The Contemporary Christological Discussions
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Companions To Religion … (continued from page ii)
- References
Summary
The church in the early centuries focused not so much on natures and their union as on the Savior as a person. The church was united around two major affirmations: First, only God can save us, so Christ has to be the eternal Son of God. Second, only as a human being does God save us, so the Son himself had to become truly human in order to live, die, and be raised for our salvation. The church’s fifth-century articulation of Christ as one person made known to us in two natures grows out of and should be understood in the light of these prior affirmations.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to Christology , pp. 79 - 93Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Further Suggested Readings
Anatolios, Khaled. “Christology in the Fourth Century.” In The Oxford Handbook of Christology, edited by Murphy, Francesca A., 105–120. Oxford, 2015.Google Scholar
Beeley, Christopher A. The Unity of Christ: Continuity and Conflict in Patristic Tradition. New Haven, CT, 2012.Google Scholar
Daley, Brian E. God Visible: Patristic Christology Reconsidered. Oxford, 2018.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fairbairn, Donald and Reeves, Ryan M.. The Story of Creeds and Confessions: Tracing the Development of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, MI, 2019.Google Scholar
Gavrilyuk, Paul L. The Suffering of the Impassible God: The Dialectics of Patristic Thought. Oxford, 2004.10.1093/0199269823.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Price, Richard and Gaddis, Michael, eds. The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon. Liverpool, 2005.Google Scholar
Price, Richard and Graumann, Thomas, eds. The Acts of the Council of Ephesus of 431: Documents and Proceedings. Liverpool, 2020.Google Scholar
Smith, Mark S. The Idea of Nicaea in the Early Church Councils, ad 431–451. Oxford, 2018.10.1093/oso/9780198835271.001.0001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weinandy, Thomas G. “The Doctrinal Significance of the Councils of Nicaea, Ephesus, and Chalcedon.” In The Oxford Handbook of Christology, edited by Francesca, A. Murphy, 549–566. Oxford, 2015.Google Scholar
Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.1 AA
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
The HTML of this chapter
complies with version 2.1 of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG), covering newer accessibility requirements and improved
user experiences and achieves the intermediate
(AA)
level of WCAG compliance, covering a wider range of accessibility requirements.
Content Navigation
Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.
Reading Order & Textual Equivalents
Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Visual Accessibility
Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Structural and Technical Features
ARIA roles provided
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.
You gain clarity from ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, as they help assistive technologies interpret how each part of the content functions.