The anhypostasia of the human nature of Jesus

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The anhypostasia of the human nature of Jesus

I am greatly disturbed by the concept of the anhypostasia of the human nature of Christ (discussed by Phillip Schaff below, source cited). Literally it appears that the Hypostatic Union denies the very Man Christ Jesus - since "nature" by itself - is not a Man in any sense of the word (we are men - we are nature and person).

The complicating element appears to be what elements/characteristics of "being/entity" are shifted to or from the nature or the person (recall the Monotheletic controversies, etc.). I remain a little uncertain of how this is handled and expect most are simply unaware of this. Nevertheless NO MATTER HOW the elements are handled, I have literally an impossible time seeing the speaker - the "MY" of "Father, if it were possible, remove this cup from Me, nevertheless, not MY WILL be done but THY will" as being a complete human person no different than you or I.

While granting the above may establish the Man Christ Jesus in a satisfactory manner - we are then left with what to do with the divine person of the Hypostatic Union. And, among many other issues, ultimately, who we relate to in heaven - the Man Christ Jesus - or God the Son - or both - as well as with the Father.


“History of the Christian Church”, Philip Schaff, Vol III, p.757

7. The anhypostasia, impersonality, or, to speak more accurately, the enhypostasia, of the human nature of Christ. This is a difficult point, but a necessary link in the orthodox doctrine of the one God-Man; for otherwise we must have two persons in Christ, and, after the incarnation, a fourth person, and that a human, in the divine Trinity. The impersonality of Christ’s human nature, however, is not to be taken as absolute, but relative, as the following considerations will show.
The centre of personal life in the God-Man resides unquestionably in the Logos, who was from eternity the second person in the Godhead, and could not lose his personality. He united himself, as has been already observed, not with a human person, but with human nature. The divine nature is therefore the root and basis of the personality of Christ. Christ himself, moreover, always speaks and acts in the full consciousness of his divine origin and character; as having come from the Father, having been sent by him, and, even during his earthly life, living in heaven and in unbroken communion with the Father.1653 And the human nature of Christ had no independent personality of its own, besides the divine; it had no existence at all before the incarnation, but began with this act, and was so incorporated with the preexistent Logos-personality as to find in this alone its own full self-consciousness, and to be permeated and controlled by it in every stage of its development. But the human nature forms a necessary element in the divine personality, and in this sense we may say with the older Protestant theologians, that Christ is a persona suvnqeto", which was divine and human at once.1654
Thus interpreted, the church doctrine of the enhypostasia presents no very great metaphysical or psychological difficulty. It is true we cannot, according to our modern way of thinking, conceive a complete human nature without personality. We make personality itself consist in intelligence and free will, so that without it the nature sinks to a mere abstraction of powers, qualities, and functions.1655 But the human nature of Jesus never was, in fact, alone; it was from the beginning inseparably united with another nature, which is personal, and which assumed the human into a unity of life with itself. The Logos-personality is in this case the light of self-consciousness, and the impelling power of will, and pervades as well the human nature as the divine.1656
 
Truly, I feel that although we are given both in the text, that when the referring goes back to christ in flesh, and "not of his will", it is only to represent to us as humans for a better understanding that christ was a man, here on earth with us for 33 years.
It gives more of a closeness to us in my opinion, and we can relate more with this form. However, we do have to remember that Christ was still the son of GOD, even as a man on earth.
 
Thanks New -

We will see and interact with both the Man Christ Jesus as well as God the Son in heaven?

Aner
 
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