14 January 2011

Old Lutheran Quote of the Day

According to His human nature, Christ lacked a human personality not because of the failure of something that pertains to the perfection of human nature but rather because of the addition of the most excellent personality or personal subsistence of the Word. -- Blessed Johann Gerhard, On Christ, p. 91.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Christ did not have a human personality because of his divine personality. Is that what this quote says? If so, where is this found in Scripture? Did he have a perfect human personality and a perfect divine personality instead? Or a perfect divine-human persoanlity? Maybe personality is too modern a concept for classic distinctions but something does not read right here? I wouldn't want to say what were the characteristics of his personality, either in a human or a divine sense, but... Can you explain, Pastor Weedon? Harvey Mozolak

William Weedon said...

Harvey, the ancient teaching of Constantinople II, I believe - that the Person of our Lord IS the Person of the Divine Son - hence an/enhypostasia. If you've still got your Pieper, he has a fine section on the topic. I believe he'd turn for proof text right to John 1:14: it is the WORD that becomes incarnate. And no, I do not think they are using the word "personality" as we use it today; they meant literally that the Person of the incarnate Son IS the Second Person of the Godhead; another way of saying that He is not two persons (closer to Nestorius), but a single person.

Anonymous said...

Oh ok I do believe with C II now Pieper... Yes I have him still. I wrote on the inside cover... Can you not give God some privacy? By the by really great windows. Simple and readable and inviting in and sending forth. Harvey.

William Weedon said...

What's cool with the windows? The mystery of the Trinity is clear and visible from within the Church and gives us the way to look out and see the world. From the world looking in, it's a tad murky and not quite clear WHAT is being pictured. I sense a blog post coming...

Anonymous said...

just don't call the Trinity murky... unless you make it Almurky God... Harvey