Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Metaphors for Jesus's Dual Nature

In a recent video on the history of Christianity, a metaphor was used to shed light on the oft-debated and sometimes contentious mystery of Jesus’s dual nature. How can He be both fully human and fully divine? This theological issue, central to our concept of the Christ, sharply
divided the Church many years ago—and no wonder: how can mere mortals get our heads around this?
The examples used were illuminating: if you pour some oil into a glass partly full of water, then stir it, the liquid will become cloudy—but the oil particles, no matter how small, will still be discrete [this mixture is known as an emulsion]. If you were to centrifuge it, the oil particles would separate out and float at the periphery. However, if you tried the same experiment with water and wine, the mixing would be complete, the particles inseparable, no matter how fast you ran the centrifuge. The very molecules have mingled.
Which model more accurately describes Jesus? If you believe, as I do, that his natures are inseparable, then the water-wine metaphor is more accurate. Does this help to explain the mystery—or at least make us
wonder?

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