34. Jesus Christ's Humanity
Part I
Jesus Christ: The Incarnate Son of God
Having studied the creation of man, his elevation to the supernatural order, and his fall (brought about by original sin), we must now explain how God freely decreed the Incarnation of his only-begotten Son, so that through his life, Passion, death, and Resurrection, he might redeem the human race.
In the first part of these lessons, we will deal with the Person of the Redeemer, true God and true man. In the second part, we will expound on the work of Redemption.1
1. The Historical Existence of Jesus
Jesus really lived (de fide).
Our Lord Jesus Christ lived in a particular moment of history, appearing to people as a true man, born of the Virgin Mary.1
The historical existence of Jesus Christ is a truth of faith contained in the Symbols of Faith (or Creeds) and dogmatic definitions of the Church.
The historical fact of Jesus’ existence is not subject to doubt. There are four accounts of Jesus’ life, which were written by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. Moreover, non-Christian writings of pagan and Jewish origin bear witness to him. Explicit reference is made to the historical existence of Jesus in the Annals of Tacitus, a Roman historian, who mentions Jesus Christ in relation to the burning of Rome and the ensuing persecution of the Christians. Likewise, he is mentioned in the Jewish Antiquities of Flavius Josephus, a Jew who lived during the time of Jerusalem’s destruction.
2. The Integrity of Jesus’ Human Nature
2a) He is True Man
Jesus Christ is true man (de fide).
The faith of the Church, expressed by the words of the Creed, “I believe in Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,” professes that Jesus Christ is a true man, born of a woman, and capable of suffering and dying.
Divine revelation, especially in the Gospels, directly teaches that Jesus Christ was a true man, who had a real body. As a newborn, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes. During his life, he slept, became tired, and felt hunger.
The docetae, heretics of the first century, taught that Jesus Christ did not have a true body, but merely used an apparent body like angels who appeared to men. They thought that death on the cross was impossible for and unworthy of the Son of God. Gnosticism and docetism directly opposed various dogmas of the Church. If Jesus Christ did not have a real body, he could not have really died on the cross, thus the Redemption of mankind would not have been accomplished. Further, the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist—with his body, blood, soul, and divinity—would be meaningless.2
St. John the Apostle bore witness to the corporeal existence of Christ when he writes of “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” (1 Jn 1:1). He contradicted docetism when he wrote: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 Jn 7). Finally, he affirmed that “every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God” (1 Jn 4:2).
2b) Jesus Had a Rational Soul
Jesus Christ possessed an integral human nature, with a rational soul (de fide).
In response to the error of Arius and Apollinaris (who denied that the Word of God assumed a human rational soul), the Church taught that Christ had a complete human nature like ours. The Council of Chalcedon, held in a.d. 451, defined that Christ is “perfect … in his humanity … truly man composed of body and rational soul.… consubstantial with us in his humanity.”3
Sacred Scripture clearly attests to the existence of Jesus Christ’s human soul, which it calls spirit: “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit” (Lk 23:46); “And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (Jn 19:30).
The existence of the soul of Jesus Christ is also shown by its operations. For example, our Lord manifested his human will—a faculty of the soul—when, in the garden of Olives, he showed a natural repugnance toward the Passion and exclaimed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mt 26:39).
Among the many testimonies of Tradition to Jesus’ soul, we find this statement of Origen: “One cannot doubt about the nature of his [Jesus’] soul, which is that of all souls.”4
Speculative Theology proves the existence of Jesus’ rational soul with the following arguments:
· If Jesus Christ did not have a soul, the Word of God would have had to substitute for it (as Arius and Apollinaris claimed) and, therefore, would have had to carry out its functions. Now, as the soul is the substantial form of the body, the Word would have been the substantial form of the body of Jesus Christ. But this is absurd, because God cannot enter into composition with any creature.
· Moreover, if Christ did not have a soul, he would not have been a true man, and, therefore, could not be the Mediator and Redeemer of mankind.
2c) Jesus’ Origin as Man
Jesus Christ was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary (de fide).
Jesus shares a common origin with us through Adam and Eve, our first parents, and the substance of his human nature is the same as ours.
The Church teaches that Jesus’ human nature is the same as that of other men, and she condemns errors that claim that his body descended from heaven or was immediately created by God from the earth.5
The Second Vatican Council teaches that Jesus Christ “is himself the perfect man who has restored in the children of Adam, that likeness to God which had been disfigured ever since the first sin. Human nature, by the very fact that it was assumed, not absorbed, in him, has been raised in us also to a dignity beyond compare. For by his incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man. He worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin.”6
Divine revelation—in the Old as well as the New Testament—teaches the natural filiation of the Messiah, who proceeds from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is a descendant of Adam and the son of David “who was descended from David according to the flesh” (Rom 1:3). Christ’s real filiation to the Virgin Mary is revealed with the following words: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18); “Do not be afraid, Mary … behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Lk 1:30–31).
Sacred Tradition has never doubted the human origin of Jesus. Among other testimonies, St. Ignatius of Antioch writes: “Jesus is truly a member of the family of David according to the flesh … truly born of the Virgin.”7
Jesus had our very nature and, precisely because of this, he could redeem human nature from original sin. Man, having been defeated by the devil in the tree of paradise, would, in turn, defeat the devil on the tree of the cross.
Pope John Paul II wrote that the Church “knows with all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took place through the cross has definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to his life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent because of sin.”8
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 422–682.
1. Cf. Ibid., 456–483.
2. Cf. Ibid., 465.
3. DS 301; cf. CCC, 471–475.
4. Origen, De Principiis, 2,6,5.
5. Cf. DS 301; CCC, 484–486.
6. GS, 22.
7. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Smyr., 11; Eph., 18,2.
8. John Paul II, Enc. Redemptor Hominis, 10.
Jesus Christ: The Incarnate Son of God
Having studied the creation of man, his elevation to the supernatural order, and his fall (brought about by original sin), we must now explain how God freely decreed the Incarnation of his only-begotten Son, so that through his life, Passion, death, and Resurrection, he might redeem the human race.
In the first part of these lessons, we will deal with the Person of the Redeemer, true God and true man. In the second part, we will expound on the work of Redemption.1
1. The Historical Existence of Jesus
Jesus really lived (de fide).
Our Lord Jesus Christ lived in a particular moment of history, appearing to people as a true man, born of the Virgin Mary.1
The historical existence of Jesus Christ is a truth of faith contained in the Symbols of Faith (or Creeds) and dogmatic definitions of the Church.
The historical fact of Jesus’ existence is not subject to doubt. There are four accounts of Jesus’ life, which were written by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. Moreover, non-Christian writings of pagan and Jewish origin bear witness to him. Explicit reference is made to the historical existence of Jesus in the Annals of Tacitus, a Roman historian, who mentions Jesus Christ in relation to the burning of Rome and the ensuing persecution of the Christians. Likewise, he is mentioned in the Jewish Antiquities of Flavius Josephus, a Jew who lived during the time of Jerusalem’s destruction.
2. The Integrity of Jesus’ Human Nature
2a) He is True Man
Jesus Christ is true man (de fide).
The faith of the Church, expressed by the words of the Creed, “I believe in Jesus Christ, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,” professes that Jesus Christ is a true man, born of a woman, and capable of suffering and dying.
Divine revelation, especially in the Gospels, directly teaches that Jesus Christ was a true man, who had a real body. As a newborn, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes. During his life, he slept, became tired, and felt hunger.
The docetae, heretics of the first century, taught that Jesus Christ did not have a true body, but merely used an apparent body like angels who appeared to men. They thought that death on the cross was impossible for and unworthy of the Son of God. Gnosticism and docetism directly opposed various dogmas of the Church. If Jesus Christ did not have a real body, he could not have really died on the cross, thus the Redemption of mankind would not have been accomplished. Further, the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist—with his body, blood, soul, and divinity—would be meaningless.2
St. John the Apostle bore witness to the corporeal existence of Christ when he writes of “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life” (1 Jn 1:1). He contradicted docetism when he wrote: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 Jn 7). Finally, he affirmed that “every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God” (1 Jn 4:2).
2b) Jesus Had a Rational Soul
Jesus Christ possessed an integral human nature, with a rational soul (de fide).
In response to the error of Arius and Apollinaris (who denied that the Word of God assumed a human rational soul), the Church taught that Christ had a complete human nature like ours. The Council of Chalcedon, held in a.d. 451, defined that Christ is “perfect … in his humanity … truly man composed of body and rational soul.… consubstantial with us in his humanity.”3
Sacred Scripture clearly attests to the existence of Jesus Christ’s human soul, which it calls spirit: “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit” (Lk 23:46); “And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (Jn 19:30).
The existence of the soul of Jesus Christ is also shown by its operations. For example, our Lord manifested his human will—a faculty of the soul—when, in the garden of Olives, he showed a natural repugnance toward the Passion and exclaimed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mt 26:39).
Among the many testimonies of Tradition to Jesus’ soul, we find this statement of Origen: “One cannot doubt about the nature of his [Jesus’] soul, which is that of all souls.”4
Speculative Theology proves the existence of Jesus’ rational soul with the following arguments:
· If Jesus Christ did not have a soul, the Word of God would have had to substitute for it (as Arius and Apollinaris claimed) and, therefore, would have had to carry out its functions. Now, as the soul is the substantial form of the body, the Word would have been the substantial form of the body of Jesus Christ. But this is absurd, because God cannot enter into composition with any creature.
· Moreover, if Christ did not have a soul, he would not have been a true man, and, therefore, could not be the Mediator and Redeemer of mankind.
2c) Jesus’ Origin as Man
Jesus Christ was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary (de fide).
Jesus shares a common origin with us through Adam and Eve, our first parents, and the substance of his human nature is the same as ours.
The Church teaches that Jesus’ human nature is the same as that of other men, and she condemns errors that claim that his body descended from heaven or was immediately created by God from the earth.5
The Second Vatican Council teaches that Jesus Christ “is himself the perfect man who has restored in the children of Adam, that likeness to God which had been disfigured ever since the first sin. Human nature, by the very fact that it was assumed, not absorbed, in him, has been raised in us also to a dignity beyond compare. For by his incarnation, he, the Son of God, has in a certain way united himself with each man. He worked with human hands; he thought with a human mind. He acted with a human will, and with a human heart he loved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like to us in all things except sin.”6
Divine revelation—in the Old as well as the New Testament—teaches the natural filiation of the Messiah, who proceeds from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is a descendant of Adam and the son of David “who was descended from David according to the flesh” (Rom 1:3). Christ’s real filiation to the Virgin Mary is revealed with the following words: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18); “Do not be afraid, Mary … behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Lk 1:30–31).
Sacred Tradition has never doubted the human origin of Jesus. Among other testimonies, St. Ignatius of Antioch writes: “Jesus is truly a member of the family of David according to the flesh … truly born of the Virgin.”7
Jesus had our very nature and, precisely because of this, he could redeem human nature from original sin. Man, having been defeated by the devil in the tree of paradise, would, in turn, defeat the devil on the tree of the cross.
Pope John Paul II wrote that the Church “knows with all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took place through the cross has definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to his life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent because of sin.”8
Footnotes:
1. Cf. CCC, 422–682.
1. Cf. Ibid., 456–483.
2. Cf. Ibid., 465.
3. DS 301; cf. CCC, 471–475.
4. Origen, De Principiis, 2,6,5.
5. Cf. DS 301; CCC, 484–486.
6. GS, 22.
7. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Smyr., 11; Eph., 18,2.
8. John Paul II, Enc. Redemptor Hominis, 10.