ATTRIBUTES OF CHRIST. -In the Divine Person of Jesus Christ two perfect Natures were united. We shall therefore hnd attributes belong- ing to (1) His Divine Nature, (2) the union of the two Natures, (3) His true Human Nature. As in dealing with certain passages the extent of the Kenosis will weigh greatly, the present arrange- ment must be taken as largely provisional.
i. Attributes belonging to Christ's Divine Nature.— Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the Divine attributes. He is ' the image (eiVu;-) of tlie invisible God ' (Col 1'^) ; ' theefl'ulgence {dTraiiyafffia) of his glory, and the very image (xapaKviip) of his substance' (He V) ; ' the power of God and the wisdom of God ' (1 Co 1-'^)— synonyms for A6705, in the phraseology of Jewish speculators. He applied to Himself words spoken of God, making the significant change of ' Me ' to ' Thee ' (Lk T^, cf. Mai 31 and Lk 1" 3*) ; He asserted that He came forth from God (c/c Jn 8^=, cf. irapd. \T, airb 13"), words which ' can only be interpreted of the true divinity of the Son of which the Father is the source and fountain ' (Westcott) ; He claimed the power of interpreting and revising the Mosaic law (Mt 5="', Mk 10«) ; He acted in the temple as its master ( Jn 2'«, Mt 2V^) ; He accepted from Thomas the supreme title (Jn 20»), and joined His name permanently with that of the Father (Mt 28'»).
St John identified the Divine Person of Isaiah's vision with Christ (Jn 12^'). St Paul charged the Ephesian elders to ' feed the Church of God which he purchased with his own blood' (Ac 20=8) and api.lic-.I u, Clirist the wci.ls ,,f Joel, 'Whosoever shall r.ill upon tliL-iiuiii.;ol th.- LoiiD shall be saved' (Ko 10'-). Tims llf is (»in- to whom prayer is oflered (Ac 7'=" 1-^ probably), cf. one of the earliest names for His disciples (Ac 9"- -1, 1 Cor P). In the Epistles His Divinity is everywhere assumed and IS 'present in solution in whole pages from
which not a single text could be quoted that explicitly declares it.' * His name is joined with that of the Father, and a singular verb follows (1 Th 3>i, 2 Th 2«'-"); the title 'Lord' in the highest sense is given (Ro 10", 1 Cor 12', etc.) ; He is 'God blessed for ever ' t (Ko 9^), and 'in him dwelleth all the fulness (irXripaiia) of the Godliead bodily ' (Col 2», cf. 1"> Jn l'").
1. Eternal Existence — Christ claimed that He came down from heaven without ceasing to be what He was before (Jn S'''). Existence without beginning is implied in 8"*^ ' before Abraham was born {neviaeai.) 1 am ' (fi/xO, cf. Rev 21" ; and He spoke of the glory which He had with the Father before the world was (Jn 17°). The A670! was in the beginning. He was the ' mediate Agent of Creation ' (Jn P- \ Col l'". He 1- ">) ; He is the upholder of all things (Col 1", He P), the ' first- born of all creation' and 'before all things' (Col jis. 17)^ (,f_ t,i,g ,jgg pf i manifested ' (diavipomeai.) in
1 Ti 3'", 1 P \-\ etc.
2. Unique Relation to God.— In a few passages only does Jesus call Himself the Son of God (Lk 22™, Jn 5=5 9'^ \l\ cf. Mt 27'^ Jn lO^") ; yet He was early conscious of His Sonship (Lk 2'"). He frequently accepted the title (cf. Mt 16'"*), and this led to the charge of blasphemy (Jn 19', cf. 5'*). From the earliest time it was adopted as expre.s.sing the uniqueness of His Person (Ac 9=", Ro P, etc.). He is described as the ' Only-begotten ' {iJ.ovoyerli%, Jn !"■ 18 3"i- '8, 1 Jn 4»). He spoke of ' My Father,' 'Your Father,' but not of 'Our Father' (except as a form of address to be used by His disciples in prayer, Mt 6^ Lk 11= AV), ' thus draw- ing a sharp line of distinction between Himself and His disciples, from which,' says Dalman,t 'it may be perceived that it was not the veneration of those that came after that first assigned to Him an exceptional relation to God incapable of being transferred to others. ' In this respect Mt 1 1-', which forms the link between the Synoptics and the Fourth (iospel, is quite explicit (cf. Hastings' DB ii. 623) ; cf. also Mk 13=^^ and the clear distinction made in Jn 20".
3. Union and Equality.— The Jews interpreted His words ' My Father worketh even until now and I work ' as making Himself equal with God, and He did not correct them (Jn 5"- '"). ' I and the Father are one ' (ev ca-fMcp) implies one essence not one Person (10™), cf. 5=^ 10^ W- 17"- ="•. It is difficult to describe the manner in which St. Paul associates Him with the Father as the ground of the Church's being and the source of spiritual grace and peace, in any other terms than as ascribing to Him a coequal Godhead (1 Th 1' 3'"-,
2 Th 1', 2 Co 13'^), cf. Ph 2'' (oOx apiray/j.oi' i]yqaaTo t6 ehai. iua Set}).
4. Subordination and Dependence — such as belong to the filial relation — are also clearly implied in Jn 5''-> ('The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father tloing : for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner'), and in Jn 14=" ('The Father is greater than I'), cf. also Jn 5==-=" 6". So in Epp. 'All things are yours ; and ye are Christ's ; and Christ is God's' (I'Co 3=1-='), cL 1 Co IP 15=8.