The Humility of the Eternal Son: Reformed Kenoticism and the Repair of Chalcedon

The Chalcedonian Definition of 451 failed to resolve the issue of the unity of the person of Christ, which Bruce Lindley McCormack examines in his book. He offers a Reformed version of Kenoticism that argues that the Son's act of taking into his being the lived existence of Jesus guarantees the unity of the person.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The Chalcedonian Definition of 451, penned in the early centuries of Christianity, aimed to establish a clear understanding of the unity of the person of Christ, a central doctrine within the faith. However, despite its best efforts, this definition left one crucial aspect unresolved. In this groundbreaking and meticulously researched volume, distinguished theologian Bruce Lindley McCormack delves into the reasons behind this philosophical and theological failure. His work serves as a critical history, tracing modern attempts to resolve this problem, ranging from the nineteenth-century Lutheran emphasis on Kenoticism to post-Barthian efforts that evade the issue by collapsing the second person of the Trinity into the human Jesus. McCormack demonstrates how New Testament Christologies both limit and authorize ontological reflection, offering a distinctively Reformed version of Kenoticism. Through his proposal of a new and bold divine ontology, grounded in Christology, he persuasively argues that the unity of the person is in fact guaranteed by the Son's act of taking into his being the lived existence of Jesus. This profound exploration of the nature of Christ and the unity of his person offers a valuable contribution to Christian theology and philosophy, shedding light on the intricacies of this essential doctrine and its historical development.

Weight: 506g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108999847