TWO CHRISTOLOGICAL SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
ALEXANDRIAN |
ANTIOCHENE |
| characteristics: Platonic, mystical | characteristics: Aristotelian, historical |
| influence on theologians such as: Clement, Origen, Athanasius, Apollinaris, Cyril, Dioscorus, Cappadocians | influence on theologians such as: Lucian of Antioch, [Arius], Eustathius, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Nestorius, John Chrysostom |
monophysites (one nature) monothelites (unity of wills |
two persons anti-monophysites |
| exegesis = allegorical, spiritual | exegesis = literal, historical |
tendency toward upholding Trinity through separation of trinitarian persons (heretical extreme = tritheism) |
tendency toward distinguishing trinitarian persons only by mode of operation (heretical extreme = Sabellianism) |
| emphasized divinity of Christ (immanuel - Christ = God with us) | emphasized humanity of Christ (Christ as new or second Adam) |
| high christology - Logos was made flesh but did not take on a human soul (logos-flesh christology) | low christology - Logos became entirely human, including human soul (God-human christology) |
| Theory of redemption: Christ saves through unchangeable nature (Logos) which cannot die and so has power to overcome weakness and sin of humanity and unite humans with God | Theory of redemption: Christ saves through perfect obedience in his assumed human nature and humans are saved through their participation in this obedient nature |