Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 78 No. 3, 2008.
Pregledni rad
The Christology of Servility: Christology Founded on Christian Servility
Ivan Karlić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7550-0857
; Katolički bogoslovni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
The author starts with two claims: firstly, he considers that one of the fundamental duties of contemporary Christian Christology is to update the person and event of Jesus Christ; secondly, in order to best and precisely and qualify the expression servility in Jesus Christ's all encompassing existence - from his embodiment, through his life and actions amongst people on to his sentencing, suffering and death on the cross, to the point of his resurrection and final glorification. In that regard, the article dissects a form of Christology of servility that has its roots in the Old Testament, particularly in Isaiah's speech about the Lord's servant and in the New Testament it is disclosed in its true light. The New Testament reads the speech about Lord's servant in light of faith in Jesus of Nazareth, Christ: his life, his obedience to his Fathers' will, his pro-existence until his death are taken as the fruition of Isiah's prophecy about Lord's servant, comprehended as serving God, the world and man. In that way, Jesus clearly proclaims himself as the one who serves and at the same time proclaims God the Father of the servant: God in Jesus Christ is the God who is manifested as a servant. Following Bible and Patristic tradition, strong emphasis is placed on the category of servility.
The structure of Christian belief, living and behaviour emerges from all this: this simple yet at the same time very demanding structure that consists of the fact that God in Jesus Christ was made and proclaimed our servant; as such, Christians must be servants/servers (diakonoi) to one another, that means to transform their lives to serve God and man. That duty of diakonia is the mission of all Christians, without exception as far as they wish to be recognised as Jesus' disciples and successors. An extraordinary demand of that calling lies in the fact that the measure of that service was placed by Jesus himself who not only served others when he could but he gave/ offered his live in servility.
As such, contemporary Christianity, the article states, should pay more attention to Christology founded on servility because Christology of servility discloses a specific Christian perspective of the realisation of God, Jesus Christ and of the world and man as a being who in offering himself, through servility to God and his loved ones, reaches true and authentic (self)realisation.
Ključne riječi
Jesus Christ; Lord's servant; servility/service; Christology
Hrčak ID:
30907
URI
Datum izdavanja:
13.11.2008.
Posjeta: 3.818 *