Christology

Introduction

Christology is that part of Christian theology that studies and defines who Jesus Christ is. It is generally less concerned with the minor details of his life; rather it deals with who he was, the incarnation and the major events of his life (his birth, death and resurrection).

Important issues in Christology include:

• was Jesus human, divine, or both

• whether he actually performed miracles

• whether he rose from the dead, and if so, whether his resurrection was of the body or strictly of the soul?

Christology may also cover questions concerning the Trinity and what Christ accomplished for the rest of humanity.

Jesus of the Gospels

We derive most of what we know about Jesus from the four Gospels. Each presents a unique portrait of the man from different theological points of view. The following link provides tables that summarise and compare the Jesus presented in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The charts include comparisons of historical background, literary, stylistic and thematic comparisons, Christological representations, structural and geographic comparisons. (Source: Professor Felix Just S.J., Loyola Marymount University)

Comparison charts