The Holy Spirit as the Unction of Christ in Irenaeus
During the second half of the last century Irenaeus’ account of the baptism of Jesus by the Spirit received a great deal of consideration. Yet none of these studies has paid sufficient attention to Irenaeus’ statement that the Spirit became accustomed to the human race by means of the humanity of th...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2010
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
Year: 2010, Volume: 61, Issue: 1, Pages: 171-193 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | During the second half of the last century Irenaeus’ account of the baptism of Jesus by the Spirit received a great deal of consideration. Yet none of these studies has paid sufficient attention to Irenaeus’ statement that the Spirit became accustomed to the human race by means of the humanity of the incarnate Word. Nor has any study explained the anointing of Jesus’ humanity by the Spirit while taking into consideration the subsequent glorification of that very humanity by the same Spirit. I will argue that these neglected aspects of Irenaeus’ thought help us to recognize that Jesus’ humanity alone was anointed with the Holy Spirit, an anointing that resulted in a non-qualitative empowerment of his humanity for the fulfilment of the christological mission. Furthermore, in addition to this non-qualitative empowerment of Jesus’ humanity, it becomes clear that his humanity underwent two qualitative changes. The first change occurred at the incarnation when it received incorruptibility as a result of its union with the Word. The second change occurred at Jesus’ glorification when the incorruptibility proper to the union with the Word became communicable. It was at this moment that Jesus’ flesh became the salvific principle for the rest of humanity. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4607 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of theological studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jts/flq037 |