Introduction: Who Was Jesus Christ?

Welcome to one of the most foundational topics in your OCR A Level Religious Studies course (H573/03: Developments in Christian Thought). In this chapter, we explore a central question that has puzzled historians, theologians, and philosophers for over two thousand years: Who was Jesus of Nazareth?

Was he the literal, divine Son of God who walked on water and rose from the dead? Was he simply an inspiring human Teacher of Wisdom whose moral philosophy transformed civilization? Or was he a radical socio-political Liberator fighting against oppression and Roman imperial power?

Don't worry if this seems like a lot to take in at first! The OCR specification breaks this big question down into three clear lenses, followed by key evaluative debates. Let's unpack each perspective step by step.

Part 1: Jesus Christ’s Authority as the Son of God

Orthodox Christianity teaches that Jesus was not merely a good man; he was God incarnate (God in human flesh). To understand this, we need to look at Christian theology, biblical evidence, and how theologians explain Jesus' inner awareness.

1. The Core Theological Framework

  • The Trinity: Orthodox Christian theology states that God exists as three persons in one divine essence (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Jesus is God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity.
  • Council of Nicaea (325 CE): The Church declared that Jesus is homoousios (a Greek term meaning "of the same substance/being" with the Father). He was "begotten, not made"—meaning he shares the exact divine nature of God rather than being a created being.
  • The Hypostatic Union & The Council of Chalcedon (451 CE): The Chalcedonian Definition affirmed that Jesus possesses two distinct natures: he is fully divine and fully human (vere Deus, vere homo). These two natures exist in one single person (hypostasis) "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation."

Everyday Analogy: Think of light in physics. Is light a wave or a particle? Modern physics shows it is simultaneously both, fully and without contradiction, depending on how it interacts. Similarly, the Hypostatic Union claims Jesus was \(100\%\) human and \(100\%\) divine at the same time.

2. Biblical Evidence for Divinity

  • Authority over Nature — Walking on Water (Mark 6:47–52): Jesus walks on the stormy Sea of Galilee. In the Old Testament, only God has the power to tame the chaotic waters. By walking on the sea, Jesus demonstrates divine authority over creation itself.
  • Authority over Sickness and Spiritual Blindness — Healing the Blind Man (John 9:1–41): Jesus gives physical sight to a man born blind, which points to a deeper theological reality: Jesus is the "Light of the World" who brings spiritual enlightenment and forgiveness of sins.
  • The Resurrection (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15): For Christians, the resurrection is the ultimate vindication of Jesus' divine identity. By rising from the dead, Jesus demonstrated absolute victory over sin and death.

3. Christological Consciousness: What Did Jesus Know?

If Jesus was fully human, he had a human brain that learned things over time. But if he was fully divine, he was omniscient (all-knowing). How does this work?

  • Karl Rahner's Onion-Skin Model: The Catholic theologian Karl Rahner suggested that human consciousness has layers, like an onion. At the surface layer, Jesus had normal human self-awareness and limited knowledge. But at the deep, fundamental core of his consciousness, he had an unbroken awareness of his unique relationship with the Father.
  • Gerald O'Collins: Emphasized that while we cannot psychoanalyze historical figures, the Gospel traditions clearly portray Jesus as possessing a unique, intuitive self-awareness of his special divine mission and sonship.

Quick Review — Son of God:
Key Concepts: Homoousios (Nicaea 325 CE), Hypostatic Union (Chalcedon 451 CE), Miracles (Mark 6, John 9), Resurrection (1 Cor 15), Rahner's consciousness model.

Part 2: Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Teacher of Wisdom

Many thinkers throughout history have argued that Jesus' true significance lies in his moral insight and spiritual teachings, rather than supernatural claims.

1. Jesus as a Moral Teacher

From this viewpoint, Jesus' authority comes from the universal brilliance of his moral philosophy. His teachings focused on radical love (agape), interior moral purity, repentance, and forgiveness.

  • The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7): Jesus delivers the Beatitudes ("Blessed are the peacemakers..."), urging people to move beyond rigid external rules and focus on internal motives (e.g., do not just avoid murder; avoid unrighteous anger and hatred).
  • Repentance and Forgiveness: Parables such as the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) teach unconditional grace, showing that God welcomes back sinners who repent with open arms.

2. Key Scholars and Rationalist Views

  • Leo Tolstoy & Thomas Jefferson: Both thinkers took a rationalist approach, attempting to strip away the supernatural miracles and resurrection accounts to leave behind Jesus' pure, uncorrupted moral philosophy. (Jefferson famously cut out all miracles from his personal Bible with a razor!).
  • John Hick (The Myth of God Incarnate, 1977): Hick argued that the Incarnation should be understood as a mythological and metaphorical concept, not literal biology or metaphysics. For Hick, Jesus was a human who was exceptionally open and "transparent" to God's divine love—a "man of universal destiny" who serves as an inspiring moral exemplar among many world religions.
  • C.S. Lewis’s "Trilemma" (Mere Christianity): Lewis strongly objected to viewing Jesus merely as a great human moral teacher. He argued that because Jesus claimed to forgive sins and possess divine authority, you only have three logical choices:
    1. Liar: He knew he wasn't God and deceitfully lied.
    2. Lunatic: He genuinely thought he was God but was completely delusional.
    3. Lord: He was telling the truth and is God.
    Lewis concluded that calling Jesus "just a great human moral teacher" is not a valid option because a mere human claiming to forgive sins would be either wicked or insane.

Key Takeaway — Teacher of Wisdom:
Focuses on internal moral transformation, love (agape), and forgiveness (Matthew 5–7; Luke 15). Hick views the Incarnation as metaphor, while C.S. Lewis argues the "Trilemma" prevents us from reducing Jesus to just a good moral teacher.

Part 3: Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Liberator

Was Jesus a political and social revolutionary? This perspective argues that Jesus’ primary mission was to challenge oppressive power structures and liberate the marginalized.

1. Political Liberation: The Revolutionary Thesis

  • Crucifixion as a Political Execution: In the Roman Empire, crucifixion was reserved specifically for rebels, insurgents, and political enemies of the state (sedition). The sign above Jesus' cross read "King of the Jews," indicating a perceived political threat.
  • S.G.F. Brandon: Argued that Jesus was closely associated with Jewish revolutionary movements (such as the Zealots) who sought to overthrow Roman imperial occupation.
  • Reza Aslan (Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth): Argues that Jesus was a first-century Jewish nationalist and revolutionary. When Jesus proclaimed the arrival of the "Kingdom of God," he was making an explicitly political statement that challenged Roman authority and the corrupt Temple elite, ultimately leading to his arrest and execution for treason.

2. Social and Religious Liberation

Jesus consistently broke social taboos to liberate marginalized groups from religious exclusion and social stigma:

  • Radical Table-Fellowship: Jesus ate meals with social outcasts, tax collectors, prostitutes, and "unclean" lepers, granting them dignity and full inclusion in God's community.
  • Challenging Religious Formalism: Jesus cleansed the Temple by overturning the tables of the money changers, protesting the exploitation of the poor within religious institutions.

3. Liberation Theology (Latin America)

In the twentieth century, Latin American theologians argued that Jesus must be understood as the liberator of the poor and oppressed:

  • Gustavo Gutiérrez: Argued that Jesus' mission cannot be "spiritualised" or reduced to an abstract religious icon. True Christian faith requires concrete action to liberate human beings from economic, political, and social injustice in the present world.
  • Leonardo Boff & Jon Sobrino: Emphasized that Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God within real human history by actively siding with the poor and destitute.

4. Counter-Evidence: Was Jesus Truly a Political Rebel?

Many scholars and orthodox Christians challenge the political revolutionary interpretation by pointing to biblical counter-examples:

  • When questioned about Roman taxes, Jesus said: "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s" (Mark 12:17).
  • In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus stopped his disciples from using weapons and healed the ear of the high priest's servant.
  • During his trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus explicitly stated: "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).

Key Takeaway — Liberator:
Highlights Jesus' socio-political challenge (Aslan, Brandon) and solidarity with the poor (Gutiérrez, Boff), balanced against his rejection of violent revolution and spiritual definition of God's Kingdom (John 18:36).

Part 4: Central Evaluative Debates (AO2)

In your exam essays (worth \(60\%\) AO2 evaluation!), you will need to compare these perspectives and evaluate key historical questions.

1. The "Jesus of History" vs. the "Christ of Faith"

In 1892, the German theologian Martin Kähler introduced a crucial distinction that shaped modern New Testament studies:

  • The Historical Jesus (historischer Jesus): The mortal human being who lived in first-century Galilee, reconstructible using secular historical and archaeological methods.
  • The Christ of Faith (kerygmatischer Christus): The divine Saviour and Lord proclaimed in the preachings (kerygma) and worship of the Christian Church.

Thinkers like Albert Schweitzer and Rudolf Bultmann showed that uncovering the purely objective "historical Jesus" is extraordinarily difficult because the Gospel writers wrote from positions of deep faith rather than neutral biographical reporting.

2. Summary Comparison Matrix

Use this table to keep the three key perspectives distinct in your essays:

Perspective Source of Authority Key Scholars / Thinkers Key Biblical / Historical Examples
Son of God Ontological divinity; one with the Father; power over creation and death. Councils of Nicaea & Chalcedon, Karl Rahner, Gerald O'Collins. Walking on water (Mark 6); healing the blind man (John 9); Resurrection.
Teacher of Wisdom Universal moral truth, love (agape), forgiveness, and ethical integrity. John Hick, Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Jefferson, C.S. Lewis (critique). Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7); Prodigal Son (Luke 15).
Liberator Challenging oppression, political radicalism, freeing the poor and outcasts. Reza Aslan, S.G.F. Brandon, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Leonardo Boff. Overturning Temple tables; table-fellowship with outcasts; Roman crucifixion.

Common Exam Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

  • Pitfall 1: Storytelling instead of theological analysis. Don't just retell the story of Jesus walking on water. Explain why it matters for Christology (e.g., it signals Yahweh's authority over chaotic waters, supporting the Chalcedonian claim of divinity).
  • Pitfall 2: Blending the three lenses together. Keep your essay structured. If the question asks about Jesus as a Liberator, focus squarely on socio-political liberation (Aslan, Gutiérrez) rather than drifting into a generic description of miracles.
  • Pitfall 3: Forgetting counter-arguments for Liberation. If discussing Aslan or Brandon's revolutionary thesis, always balance it by mentioning Jesus' rejection of violence and his declaration that his kingdom is "not of this world" (John 18:36).
  • Pitfall 4: Misrepresenting C.S. Lewis. Remember that Lewis used his "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" Trilemma to argue against the idea that Jesus was merely a moral teacher.

Final Checklist: Test Your Understanding

  1. Can you define homoousios and state which Council affirmed it?
  2. How does the Council of Chalcedon (451 CE) define the relationship between Jesus' divine and human natures?
  3. What was John Hick's view of the Incarnation in The Myth of God Incarnate?
  4. What are the three options in C.S. Lewis's Trilemma?
  5. Why does Reza Aslan argue that Jesus was executed for political insurrection?
  6. What is the difference between Martin Kähler's "Jesus of History" and "Christ of Faith"?