The Nature of “Christ” Debate
What is The Son’s Nature & Relationship to God the Father?
Learn how this Temple perceives the Nature & Unique Relationship of Yahshuah (The Son) to Yahovayah (The Father)
Now the Nature of Christ as an ideology, has caused much debate and controversies over the centuries, in fact from the very beginning of the Christian Tradition. Immediately after Yahshuah’s ascent, even his own disciples and apostles, differed and struggled with the concept of His true nature. This resulted in a periphery of Christian sects, groups, traditions, philosophies, doctrines and heresies, prominent within the first three centuries. With all these different sects claiming to be the true custodians of the Gospel of Yahshuah and his Disciples or Apostles, therefore having the correct understanding and knowing his true nature. This includes the; Ebionites, Marcionites, Thomasines, Montanism, Ascetics, Proto-Orthodox, Gnostic’s, Arian’s , etc, etc, etc, all claiming that their own particular insight explains the fullness of the true nature of Christ.
This battle of spiritual intellect, discourse and debate, continued and raged throughout the early years of Christianity, up until the first universal council, of all the then existing Bishopric’s, representing the different sect’s throughout the then Christian world, gathered at the council of Nicea in 325AD.
It was at this council that the debate or differences was officially put to an end, when the doctrine or ideology, of the later to be known as the Orthodox faith, became the only accepted theology to explain the True Nature of the Christ, namely the Trinity, the Father, Son & Holy Spirit, One God.
This first universal council concluded that Jesus, was a God and was one with God, this conclusion was sealed and authenticated in the Nicene Creed.
All other ideologies not in line with this Creed, immediate became heresy and blasphemy and these teachings were, forbidden, their adherents exiled and their literature totally extinguished, leaving only the Orthodox traditions that have continued up until our modern age.
However although the Nicene Council and the Nicene Creed, was and is a landmark in the development of the modern Christian Church, as today at least 99% of the 1 billion plus Christians on earth, still adhere to it.
Nevertheless, contrary to popular belief this Creed, did not end the debate on the nature of Christ, and his relation to God the Father, or the relationship of the Christ to his mother Mariam (Mary) and her relationship to him.
Therefore this debate on the nature of Christ continued to rage within the then accepted orthodox Christian traditions,
Three more councils took place over the following century that proceeded the Council of Nicene, these were; Council of Constantinople in 381, Council of Ephesus in 431 & the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Each of these councils, although reaffirming the Nicene Creed, meaning that Christ was God & One with the Father, these three Councils that follow dealt, discussed and debated how, i.e. the Nature of the Union.
From these councils it was authenticated and made official orthodox doctrine that Mariam (Mary) was the God Bearer, Mother of God the Theotokos. This was and is still the accepted doctrine of all Orthodox Christians today.
However the debate on the nature of Christ, did not end their either, in fact, it could be said that this debate and the difference in ideologies it created, was the sole cause for the breaking up of the original Orthodox Church that was One Church, sharing One Baptism, Sacraments and One Communion, from 325 AD to 431 AD.
It was at the Council of Ephesus, where the differences, later to be known as schisms surfaced. Ironically the council met specifically to discuss and to come to a final conclusion on the True Nature of Christ, that had supposedly been dealt with at the Nicene Council. However the question posed at this council, was not whether he was God, as this had already been confirmed, authenticated and made orthodox, but specifically, how was he God, what was his nature, was it the same, similar or completely different? The conclusions drawn from this Ephesus 431 AD and the 451 Council of Chalcedon, would prove to be, not only controversial for the then united Church, but the leading factor in there separation and division, resulting in a separate Christian heritage and tradition from that time until now,of both East & West, i.e. never again the twain shall meet.
This is known in history of the 1st Great Schism, seldom spoken about or known by the majority of Christians in the Western world. This is a very important event, possibly the most important event in the history of the Christian Church, which culminated in the separation of Eastern and Western Christianity, the East represented by the Oriental Christians, including; The Egyptian-Ethiopian, Armenian, Syrian & Indian Christian Churches, with the West represented by Roman Catholicism.
It should be fully understood here that although the Roman Catholics, excommunicated the Oriental Churches, branding them heretics, due to them not accepting the Creed or doctrine established at the Council of Chalcedon, earning them the descriptive title as Non-Chalcedonian, it should be noted that the Non- Chalcedonian’s representing the Oriental Churches, comprised every other orthodox Christians in the world, baring Europeans. Therefore Rome although claiming to have excommunicated them from the one and only Catholic Church, i.e. themselves, what they actually did was separated themselves from the actual United One Catholic Church, the Orientals, who remain over 1500 years later One United Christian Church.
This is very important to understand as it is one of the foundations upon which this Temple website is built. Furthermore it separates the East & Western Christian tradition, their histories and heritage, therefore enables Africans and people of colour to claim a totally different Christian heritage from Europeans, therefore a heritage not tainted with the horrors done in the name of God, Christ and Christianity.
It also offers and provides us, with TWO, different natures of Christ as perceived in the West & in the East, Chalcedonian & Non-Chaledonian. Obviously as African Karastians (Christians) we adhere strictly the Non-Chalcedonian philosophy and reject the Chaledonian creed, followed by all Roman Catholics and to a degree all European Christians, including Protestants.
To this end we present the accepted Nature of Christ and his relationship to the Father, based upon the Non-Chalcedonian Oriental Christian tradition which states that;
Following, then, the holy Fathers, we all with one voice teach that it should be confessed that our Lord Jesus Christ is one and the same Son, the Same perfect in Godhead, the Same perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, the Same [consisting] of a rational soul and a body; homoousios (consubstantial) with the Father as to His Godhead, and the Same homoousios (consubstantial) with us as to His manhood; in all things like unto us, sin only excepted; begotten of the Father before ages as to His Godhead, and in the last days, the Same, for us and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin Theotokos as to His manhood;
One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, made known in two natures [which exist] without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the difference of the natures having been in no wise taken away by reason of the union, but rather the properties of each being preserved, and [both] concurring into one prosopon and one hypostasis— not parted or divided into two prosopa, but one and the Same Son and Only-begotten, the divine Logos, the Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from of old [have spoken] concerning Him, and as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and as the Symbol of the Fathers.
The only difference with the Chalcedon Creed and the Roman Catholic Ideology is that they believe and accept TWO separate natures of Christ, Human & Divine, whilst the Non-Chalcedonians except the same TWO Natures, but without intermingling, fully God & Fully Man.
Although a very minute difference and possibly only a misunderstanding in wording, the idea of TWO separate natures that intermingle to form One Nature, or the TWO natures both containing the Divine & Human natures simultaneously is totally incompatible to African & Eastern spirituality.
Nevertheless although The Temple of Yahshuah Website, endorses the Non-Chalcedonian Creed perception of the Nature of Christ, we are not however confined only to this particular ideology. In addition to this Creed we also accept all the Councils and Creeds that came before.
But most importantly and significantly, the Nature of Christ, perceived within this websites, can best be understood, from our own Temple Creed that pre-dates all the aforementioned creeds, by thousands of Years. It is this Creed and based upon this creed alone that we perceive and proclaim the True Nature of Christ.
This is of course; The Nile Valley or Hapi Valley Creed, found in
numerous places throughout this websites, called “God is One”.
Please read and study this 6000 year old Creed, to get a better overstanding and a enlightened insight to the True Nature of Yahshuah Karast Mesu and His True Relation to The Father, Yahovayah.
