Greetings !
since we are discussing History ... then I will post my not traditional comments about
Council of Chalcedon and share with you my insights as to the reasons for my view concerning it ...
Theological thoughts on the biblical text and the Trinity.
The biblical text functions as a “witness” to the ‘reality’ of Our Creator who made everything. In other words it does not desire to draw concentrated attention to itself but rather points towards the One who is indeed the ‘real’ source of ‘Truth.’ Apart from the ‘inspiration’ (God breathed ) that is inherent in the biblical text when the Spirit illuminates it within the mind, heart and soul of mankind it is basically dormant as any other book on a library shelf. Our Creator freely acts according to His freedom which has no constraints to hinder those acts. Thus the biblical text has been ‘inspired’ in a manner that is different from other texts that are read by us. For example, where else can I find the words and parables spoken by Jesus? Where else can I find the interactions between the ‘chosen’ people and their Creator recorded? I would even go so far as to suggest that reading other theological resources will also function as a ‘witness’ to the One who is indeed the ‘real’ source of "Truth.’ Although the conductivity might be less than the biblical text. (to use the analogy of electric current)
Next – The Spirit “witnesses” to the activity, life, death, resurrection and ‘reality’ of the Son (who belongs within the Trinity – a distinctiveness beyond the “Unity” which --must-- be adamantly emphasized or else we begin to lean heavily towards Three individual Deities which then would form a committee (so to speak) or worst (a family). Anything that the Spirit does will “witness” – point towards what the Son has accomplished. The Spirit will persistently bring to memory, cause one to reflect upon the acts of the Son in His Incarnation, Life, Death and Resurrection. In fact, the Spirit displays this in the grandest manner via the ‘power’ of the resurrection itself! The Incarnation was only possible via the activity of the Spirit. The Spirit does not desire to draw concentrated attention to itself but rather points towards the One who is indeed the ‘real’ source of 'Truth – the explicit self-disclosure of God Himself
to emphasize the intense Unity
.’ Thus, in this way the Spirit is also our Paraclete. The Spirit works for us, in us and with us to conform us to the image of the Son.
Once again, the Spirit always “witnesses” to the Son.
Next, The Son (God the Son, Son of God, Son of Man (it has been noted by some famous theologians that this is one of his favorite terms of self acknowledgment - the second member of the perichoretic koinonia intrinsically embedded in the Trinity)
“witnesses” to the Father’s will
, character , and the ‘reality’ of His existence as the One “True” God that deserves all worship, praise and glory! I utilize the English word ‘character’ instead of the common term used in those traditional systematic tomes of propositional compartmentalized doctrines – that being – the so-called attributes of God. In my framework God happens to be a living being ‘with’ a personality instead of some abstract yokel whose existence is inescapably tied to and depends upon the “Holy Bible” laying on a conference table waiting for a group of inerrantists to decide which attribute is more significant than the others & how to interpret the anthropomorphisms in Holy Writ. According to the biblical text Jesus always acted out of conformity to the Father’s will. At the same time it is intriguing that he noted – If you have seen “Me” you have seen the “Father.” Again, at the same time Jesus was a carpenter by trade and not a puppeteer who had mastered ventriloquism. (a cryptic ref. to Modalism – ) Jesus consistently “witnessed” to the Father by declaring that the motivation behind his -acts- were to display his keen discernment for the direction the Father wanted to take. This also suggests to me that there might be a provocative hint at the meaning of “Jesus did not sin” in that there was no selfish ambition (a concentrated investment of energy focused into accomplishing something that in all likelihood is autonomous from start to end).
Even the “signs” that repeatedly show up in the Gospels are there as a ‘witness’ to the ‘reality’ of the presence of the Creator (of all knowable and unknowable worlds) walking in the midst of his ‘chosen’ people. (cf. the prologue to John & his usage of this term) These miracles are not a means of displaying the abilities of Jesus the wonder-maker so as to ‘awe’ his audience. Nor should they be primarily considered ‘proof’ of his Deity either. This will only allow those who have a Modernist Cartesian Certainty complex some inner satisfaction and glee. The Creator walks in the cool of the day once again with his beloved! But, Alas! there are vision-challenged… sound challenged religiously correct folks who really need outside help (the Spirit) to have a ‘change of mind’ metanoia – {Greek which does not simply translate into the English word - repentance} to finally be able to recognize “Who” Jesus really was – The Creator Incarnate!
Even the night in the garden of Gethesame I do not find Jesus engaged in a sort of committee meeting with Dad (who happens to be the Absconditus Deus in some traditional models) in order to sort out the details of this sordid affair of being crucified for a bunch of utterly selfish-autonomous & ungrateful folks. He is not displaying his filial piety in going the second mile so as to appease the fiery angst that God the Judge has towards mankind and also is require to keep the balance between the attributes of “Love” and “Justice” .
What do I find?
The Creator (of all) is actually intricately involved in this situation, can agonize over the profound depths to which He must traverse in order to “in the fullness of time” reconcile his beloved to Himself!
To contemplate the traditional and abstract image of God the Almighty Judge and His filial Son willing to make the sacrifice for “all” Mankind (whether understood in a Arminian or Calvinist way) has surely elicited tons of fodder in order to motivate us on our part to focus our minds towards the same aim – that of ‘sacrificial obedience.’ Surely this is putting the cart before the horse [cf. Gal. 3] However, I continually met up with Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from a body doomed to a death such as this? Cassirer translation of Rom 7:24
I prefer to contemplate that Our Creator Himself persistently pursued me until I was reconciled to Him!
Once again The Son is a “witness” to the Father’s “actuality”
, and the ‘reality’ of His existence as the One “True” God that deserves all worship, praise and glory!
The Father ( God the Father, Almighty God, One who belongs within the perichoretic koinonia which is inextractably bound and enmeshed in the Trinity) sent the Son.
These simple words have challenged theologians for millenia upon millenia. A myriad of devotional literature could not even begin to be collated into a series of volumes. These words are at the very heart of the “gospel.” I have begun to contemplate these words from a different pericope than most probably have – The Genesis narrative. I decided to begin at the beginning of the relationship between the Creator and his work of art (which was declared by Him as “good”)
I will most likely need to edit this post … since I do not have time at this moment to do so …
all the best !
. Just to say that fundamentalist uses of scripture and alternatives to this is a very interesting topic indeed - and that’s the real issue here (at least i think it probably is). It’s a topic which I know others here have been interested in discussing.
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