From the Friars: Identity of Christ
One of my favorite classes in the seminary was Christology. The identity of Christ has always been a source of discussion and debate, even from the beginning. “Who do people say that I am?” These were Christ’s words to His closest followers. And then the kicker, “But who do you say that I am?” The personal identity of Christ is a topic that is simply, unavoidable. And if we are truly to worship Christ, true God and true Man, then we must come to know Him personally, since, we cannot love what we do not know.
Adoration of the Shepherds, by Gerard van Honthorst – Google Art Project, Public Domain, Link
In theology the Incarnation is more properly called the hypostatic union. It is important to keep in mind that the hypostatic union remains a mystery; it is a mystery of Love for, “God is Love” (1 Jn. 4:8). And so, similar to conjugal love–between husband and wife–there are things that, while never contradicting human reason or explanation, go far beyond it! Faith is a divine gift that we must pray for and which transform our human intuitions. If we wish to know that historical event, the Incarnation–hypostatic union, we can touch it through faith!
The term hypostasis underwent a considerable evolution before obtaining its final theological meaning. Initially, it was used synonymous with ousia–“substance.” In fact, in the Council of Nicea (325.ad), it was utilized to mean “substance” (ousia) to give us what we say every Sunday at Mass, that Jesus Christ is, “con-substantial (homoousia) with the Father.” Yet, thanks to the Cappadocian Fathers years later, (St. Basil, St. Greggory of Nissa, and St. Greggory Nazienzen) we find the beginning of its final theological meaning which is synonymous with “person.”
Hypostasis means “person.” And so when we say that the Incarnation is called the hypostatic union we mean this: Jesus Christ has divine and human attributes which are to predicated of one single subject, a Person. And this was definitevely proclaimed at the Council of Chalceadon (451.ad) when the Church finally made the important distinction between “nature” and “person.”
And so when Christ asks you, “Who do people say that I am?” You can say, you are the Christ: One Divine Person with two distinct natures, human and divine.
God Bless you,
Fr. Francis