Abstract
AbstractDeconstructing dogma: Tracking the pathways of the creed concerning Jesus' two natures from a present-day perspective. The article presumes that religious language develops according to four phases: a movement from foundational religious expeience to metaphoical language usage to confessional formulae to dogma. It is argued that Jesus' call upon God as father should be seen as a foundational religious expeience which was expressed by means of a familial metaphor. Writers Of New Testament books refer also to the followers of Jesus as children of God. Paul and Mark point explicitly to the dual nature of a child of God: being born as human and being born spiritually from God. The confessional formulae in the Nicene Creed about the two natures of Jesus as ontolagical entities intended to emphasize Jesus' humanness. The dogma, which originated during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, continued to convey this tendency. Thearticle concludes that, for Chistians today, the metaphor "child of God" is still functionul to express a foundational religious experience.
Highlights
Chronologies gesien, begin bykans al die konstrukte wat historici van Jesus teken, by Jesus se doop deur Johannes die Doper
Markus se ervaring was gegrond in Jesus se eie ervaring van om kind van God te wees
In 'n sekere sin begin en eindig die Markusevangelie met die beriggewing van hierdie ervaring
Summary
In die Gereformeerde dogmatiek word die leer oor die twee nature vandag bykans slegs in ontologiese sin en in tenne van die "leer oor die Triniteit" verstaan (kyk Heyns 1978:47-52, 229-230, 239-250). Hierdie tradisie kom voor in belydenisse van na-Pase Jesus-volgelinge wat deur middel van mites en metafore 'n godsdienstige ervaring van 'n besondere intieme verhouding tussen God en mens uitgedruk het (kyk Van Aarde 1997a:11381160; 1997b:150-172; 1998a:96-114). Net soos Paulus gaan Johannes van die aanname uit dat Jesus op 'n natuurlike wyse gebore is, maar omdat Hy as "Seun van God" bely word, is daar ook sprake van 'n geestelike geboorte. 'n Verdere ooreenkoms tussen Paulus en Johannes is dat hulle Jesus se kindskap van God nie beskryf het as iets wat eers by Jesus se geboorte begin het nie, maar dat dit 'n saak van pre-eksistensie is. Die klem in die vroeg-Christelike apologetiese geloofsbelydenis teen sowel die gnostiek as die Griekse mitologie en Romeinse keiserkultus was om die belydenis dat Jesus God is, uit te brei na die belydenis dat Jesus, Seun van God, ook mens is - en dan mens op 'n spesifieke wyse, en nie soos die helde- of koningsfigure van die tyd nie (kyk Koester 1992:13-15)
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