Christology

Father Hardon’s writings on Christology explore the mystery of Jesus Christ as true God and true man. These articles examine the Incarnation, redemption, the mission of Christ, and the central role of Jesus in Catholic faith and salvation history.

The Precious Blood of Christ

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present conference is on the Precious Blood of Christ. As you know, we are reflecting on the principal attributes of Christ which Father Gerald identifies as the foundation stones for the imitation of Christ. He saw the most fundamental premise for the imitation of Christ. Says Father Gerald: […]

The Temptation of Christ by the Devil

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Most of our meditation so far had been on the good angels. Certainly from Christ’s conception on to the beginning of His public ministry; it was the good angels who announced to Mary that she would be the Mother of God, it was the good angels who told the […]

The Name of Jesus: Its Power in Our Lives

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our reflections are on the name of Jesus, its power in our lives. Whoever enters on the path of sanctity must keep his focus clear. What are we doing? Whom are we following? How are we to act? Why are we acting as we are? All of these questions […]

Why God Became Man

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present conference is on Why God Became Man. This is no ordinary question, never was. But it is extraordinarily important to have the right answer today. There are certain mysteries of our faith that are fundamental to Christianity. No one should have any doubt that the most fundamental […]

Historical Christology – A Study of Catholic Teaching about Christ From Biblical Times to the Present

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. INTRODUCTION – (Introduction Missing) I. MESSIANISM II. WITNESS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT III. THE EARLY APOLOGISTS IV. ORIGINS OF COMPARATIVE CHRISTOLOGY V. ARIANISM AND THE COUNCIL OF NICEA VI. CHRISTOLOGY OF THE FATHERS VII. EPHESUS AND CHALCEDON VIII. CHRISTOLOGY OF THOMAS AQUINAS IX. CHRISTOLOGICAL ERRORS IN THE MODERN WORLD […]

Historical Christology – Chapter I: Messianism

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Unique among the religious traditions of the world, Judaeo-Christianity is the religion of hope. Its sacred writings from Genesis to the Book of Revelation are eschatological; they always press forward in expectation and recount the past as a presage of the future. One of the benefits of a science […]

Historical Christology – Chapter II: Witness Of The New Testament

Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Christians imply more by the term, “New Testament,” than meets the eye. They affirm two levels of God’s communication to the human race, an early witness that spanned the centuries before the coming of Christ, and a latter testimony which began with the Incarnation but will continue until the end […]

Historical Christology – Chapter III: The Early Apologists

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. From the dawn of Christianity, the apostles and first leaders of the Church were at pains to verify the origins of their faith and how radically, therefore, the Christian religion differs from the mythology of pagan Greece and Rome. They were conscious of the strength of their position in […]

Historical Christology – Chapter IV: Origins of Comparative Christology

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The beginnings of the science of comparative religion should be traced to the first centuries of the Christian era, when defenders of the new faith found themselves in contest with contemporary Greek and Roman religions. Devotees of Zeus and Jupiter were not going to yield easily, and three hundred years […]

Historical Christology – Chapter V: Arianism and the Council of Nicea

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. If the person of Christ was a stumbling block among His own contemporaries, and the test of discipleship was acceptance or rejection of the Savior, the same condition prevailed as the Church approached the end of her catacomb days and was to take her place of freedom in the Roman […]

Historical Christology – Chapter VI: Christology of the Fathers

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Between the Councils of Nicea and Ephesus arose a series of patristic writers that have shaped Christology on its kerygmatic side more than any other factor in the history of the Church. Nicea had clarified the divine nature of the Savior and Ephesus would define His divine personality, but […]

Historical Christology – Chapter VII: Ephesus and Chalcedon

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. True to their native tendency of philosophizing the faith, theologians in the East were not satisfied with the plain orthodoxy of Nicea. Arianism had by no means disappeared, even after the death of its great supporter, the Emperor Constans (350 A.D.), although its main thrust was shifted to the West […]

1 2 3