Grace and Christology in the Early Church
Author: Donald Fairbairn Series: Oxford Early Christian Studies
Was there a genuine theological consensus about Christ in the early Church? Donald Fairbairn's study uses the concept of grace to clarify this question and finds that the two divergent opinions at the time were by no means equally represented.
Hardcover
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Summary
Was there a genuine theological consensus about Christ in the early Church? Donald Fairbairn's study uses the concept of grace to clarify this question and finds that the two divergent opinions at the time were by no means equally represented.
Description
Was there a genuine theological consensus about Christ in the early Church? Donald Fairbairn's persuasive study uses the concept of grace to clarify this question. There were two sharply divergent understandings of grace and christology. One understanding, characteristic of Theodore and Nestorius, saw grace as God's gift of co-operation to Christians and Christ as the uniquely graced man. The other understanding, characteristic of Cyril of Alexandria and JohnCassian, saw grace as God the Word's personal descent to the human sphere so as to give himself to humanity. Dealing with, among others, John Chrysostom, John of Antioch, and Leo the Great, Fairbairnsuggests that these two understandings were by no means equally represented in the fifth century: Cyril's view was in fact the consensus of the early Church.
Critic Reviews
“"An interesting and provocative work of scholarship...Fairbairn has done an excellent job expanding on the considerable body of scholarship arguing for a new narrative describing the ancient christological controversy. "--Journal of Religion”
this is certainly an important work that warrants careful attention. Anthony N S lane, The Journal of Theological Studies
About the Author
Donald Fairbairn is Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Missions at Erskine Theological Seminary, South Carolina
Was there a genuine theological consensus about Christ in the early Church? Donald Fairbairn's persuasive study uses the concept of grace to clarify this question. There were two sharply divergent understandings of grace and christology. One understanding, characteristic of Theodore and Nestorius, saw grace as God's gift of co-operation to Christians and Christ as the uniquely graced man. The other understanding, characteristic of Cyril of Alexandria and John Cassian, saw grace as God the Word's personal descent to the human sphere so as to give himself to humanity. Dealing with, among others, John Chrysostom, John of Antioch, and Leo the Great, Fairbairn suggests that these two understandings were by no means equally represented in the fifth century: Cyril's view was in fact the consensus of the early Church.
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