christologies

Christologies is the branch of Christian theology that studies the person and work of Jesus Christ. It asks how Jesus is both God and human, what his life and teachings signify, and what his death and resurrection accomplish for salvation and creation. A central doctrinal focus is the hypostatic union—the belief that Jesus is one person with two full, indivisible natures, divine and human, united without confusion.

The history of christology traces the development of these ideas through early Christian debates and ecumenical councils. Early controversies produced a variety of positions, such as Docetism (Jesus only appeared to be human), Ebionitism (Jesus as a human chosen by God), Arianism (a created divine being), and Adoptionism (Jesus as adopted as Son). The Nicene Creed (325) affirmed the Son’s full divinity; Constantinople (381) affirmed the Spirit’s divinity and the unity of the Trinity; Chalcedon (451) defined the two natures in one person and the hypostatic union as the orthodox standard. Other attempts, such as Nestorianism and Monophysitism, were debated and led to further refinements, including Miaphysitism in some Oriental Orthodox traditions.

In modern theology, christology is often discussed in terms of high versus low christology and “from above” versus “from below” approaches. High christology emphasizes the divinity and pre-existence of Christ; low christology emphasizes his humanity and teaching. Variants include kenotic theories of self-emptying and diverse liberal, evangelical, and ecumenical interpretations. Across Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, christology continues to influence doctrine, worship, and ethics, while ecumenical dialogue seeks to clarify and harmonize divergent formulations.