Literature. -Young's Analyt. Concord. s.v.\ Hastings' DB, art. Confession ' ; Ullmann, Sirdessness of Jems, p. B'J It. ; and for special points the works quoted in the article.
J. C. Lambert.
CONSCIOUSNESS.— We have to consider, so far as the facts rocnrded in the Gospels permit, our Lord's consciousness of Himself and of His mission. The subject is diHicult. It is beset by perplexing psychological and theological problems. It also demands very careful treatment, for it opens up discussions which may soon pass beyond the limits prescribed by reverence. We shall be guided by the following division : — I. The data, as found in the Gospels.
i. Certain narratives that reveal the consciousness of Jesus.
ji. The implications involved in His teaching generally, and in the impression He produced upon His disciples. II. Ps.vchological problems.
i. Growth.
ii. The Divine consciousness and the human.
iii. Knowledge and ignorance. III. Theological results.
i. Uniqueness of our Lord's personality.
ii. His Divinity.
1. The Gospel Data.— i. Narratives revealing the consciousness of Jesus. — 1. Among the narra- tives which, in a specially clear way, reveal our Lord's consciousness, one of the most remarkable refers to a very early period of His life. St. Luke tells us (2'""'^) of His visit to Jerusalem at the age of twelve years. When, after long searching. He is found in the Temple, and His mother questions Him, 'Why hast thou thus dealt with us?' His reply shows plainly that extraordinary realization of God which is the most outstanding characteristic of His consciousness : ' How is it that ye sought me ? Wist ye not that I must be in my Father's house ? ' (or, ' about my Father's business,' eV tois to5 Trarpos /non). Here is evident the work of the child's imagination, in which the dominant idea controls absolutely everything el.se, and the most unlikely events appear perfectly natural : ' How is it that ye sought me V ' What is extraordinary is the nature of this dominant idea. Already, at the age of twelve, our Lord knows God as His Father, and that in a manner so intimate and so peculiar that ordinary human relationships are as nothing in comparison with the relation to God. The doing of God's will is already the supreme motive. It is to be noted also how tho ' mi/ l':itlifr ' of His reply contrasts with the ' f/i// l;il lui ' .if M.iry's question. It is perhaps more nalur.il to ii';;,iia this as the inevitable reaction of Hi- cnii-. i.Misness than as a deliberate correction of lli.'^ inuihrr. If so, it is all the more impressive. It -li(i\\s hi.w fundamental was the position in His mind cil the filial relation in which He stood to Goil. How unlike this was to the Jewish mind of the time is shown by St. Luke's statement about Joseph and Mary : ' They understood not the saying which he spake unto them.'
2. The Baptism occupies an important place in the data of our subject. It is clear that all the Evangelists intend to point out that our Lord's baptism was unlike all others performed by John the Baptist. It was not a baptism of repentance. This is most clearly shown in St. Matthew's ac- count. John felt the difficulty and ' would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? But Jesus answer- ing said unto him, Sutler it now; for thus it be- cometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he sufi'ered him.' John discerned the incongruity, and our Lord acknowledged It, but gave a reason which showed how distinctly He realized His unique position and calling. The baptism was part of God's will for Him. It had a necessary place in His life and work. It is also noteworthy that the descent of the Spirit and the voice from heaven are stated by St. Mark to have been mani- fested to our Lord Himself. With this St. Matthew and St. Luke agree. Only from St. John do we learn that the Baptist shared the experience. In view of what has gone before, we cannot look upon
CONSCIOUSNESS
CONSCIOUSNESS
this event as the beginning of our Lord's know- ledge of His unique Sonship. It was, rather, an objective Divine confirmation of the truths whicli He already knew from the testimony of His inner consciousness. It was manifested to Himself and to the Baptist when the time had come for tlie
fublic proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom, t was a witness to His Sonship, 'Thou art my beloved Son ' ; to His sinlessness, ' in thee I am well pleased ' ; and to His Messiahship, ' He saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit as a dove descending upon him ' (see Is 42').
Careful study of the Gospels shows that these three elements in our Lord's consciousness are those which are disclosed most frequently in His life and teaching.
Some able students (e.u. Wendt, Teachinr) ofJe$us, i. p. 06 ff., Kng. tr.) think that at the Baptism Jesus first attained to the consciousness of His Messialiship, thou^^h already aware of His Sonship. But, as has just been pointed out, the answer which He grave to John the Baptist reveals a fully developed sense, not merely of His sinlessness and relation to God, but of His mission. The testimony of even one Evangelist (St. Matthew) on a point lilie this is superior, as evidence, to any amount of psychological speculation.