CHRISTOLOGY

Author: Ray Shelton

The problem of the person of Christ arose in the second and third century A.D. as Christianity spread through the Roman Empire. It encountered the monotheism of the Greek philosophers. This created the problem of the person of Chirst: how could God become man? Let us examine this problem in the early church and the proposed solutions as well as the Chalcedon solution adopted by Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451.
To read the Chalcedonian conclusion of the Christological problem, click here.
To read the Biblical solution of Christological problem, click here.

CHRISTOLOGY

Outline

1. Introduction.
2. One-sided Solutions.
   1. Ebionism.
   2. Adoptionism.
      Theodotus.
      Paul of Samosata.
   3. Docetism.
3. Gnosticism.
4. The Christology of Ignatius.
5. Spirit-Christology.
6. The Christian Apologists.
7. Irenaeus.
8. Western Christologies.
   1. The Christology of Hippolytus.
   2. The Christology of Tertullian.
   3. The Christology of Novatian.
9. Eastern Christologies.
   1. The Alexandrian Christology.
   2. The Christology of Origen.
   3. Pamphilus and Eusebius.
   4. Methodius of Olympus.
10. Proposed Solutions.
    1. Two Types of Christology.
       1. Word-flesh Type of Christology.
       2. Word-man Type of Christology.
    2. The Clash of Two Types of Christology.
       1. Arians.
       2. Eustathius.
    3. The Christology of Athanasius.
    4. Apollinarianism.
    5. The Orthodox Reaction.
    6. The Christologies of the Cappadocians.
       Gregory of Nazianzus.
       Gregory of Nyssa.
11. The Chalcedonian Solution.
    1. The Chalcedonian Christ.
    2. The Alexandrian Christology.
    3. The Antiochene Christology.
       1. Diodore of Tarsus.
       2. Theodore of Mopsuestia.
    4. Nestorianism.
    5. Cyril of Alexandria.
       The Twelve Anathemas.
       The Council of Ephesus.
       Formulary of Reunion.
    6. From Ephesus to Chalcedon.
       Theodoret.
       Dioscorus.
       Eutyches.
       The Robber Synod.
       Pope Leo's Tome.
    7. The Council of Chalcedon.
    8. The Monophysites.
12. Summary
13. The Biblical Solution.
14. Conclusion.
15. The Biblical Doctrine of Salvation.

In writing this paper, I have relied very heavily upon J. N. D. Kelly's book,
Early Christian Doctrine, 2nd edition
[New York, Evanston, and London: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1958, 1960]
so that maybe I should put quotation marks around the whole paper.
Thank you, Dr. Kelly.