Christology

===Early notions of Christ===
The earliest christological reflections were shaped by both the Jewish background of the earliest Christians, and by the Greek world of the eastern Mediterranean in which they operated.{{sfn|McGrath|2006|pp=137–141}}<ref group=web name="EB_Christology"/>{{refn|group=note|[[Early Christians]] found themselves confronted with a set of new concepts and ideas relating to the life, death, and [[resurrection of Jesus]], as well the notions of [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]] and [[Redeemer (Christianity)|redemption]], and had to use a new set of terms, images, and ideas in order to deal with them.{{sfn|McGrath|2006|pp=137–141}} The existing terms and structures which were available to them were often insufficient to express these religious concepts, and taken together, these new forms of discourse led to the beginnings of Christology as an attempt to understand, explain, and discuss their understanding of the nature of Christ.{{sfn|McGrath|2006|pp=137–141}} Early Jewish Christians had to explain their concepts to a Hellenistic audience which had been influenced by Greek philosophy, presenting arguments that at times resonated with, and at times confronted, the beliefs of that audience. This is exemplified by the [[Apostle Paul]]'s [[Areopagus sermon]] that appears in Acts 17:16–34,<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|17:16–34}}</ref> where Paul is portrayed as attempting to convey the underlying concepts about Christ to a Greek audience. The sermon illustrates some key elements of future christological discourses that were first brought forward by Paul.{{sfn|McGrath|2006|pp=137–41}}<ref>''Creation and redemption: a study in Pauline theology'' by John G. Gibbs 1971 Brill Publishers pp. 151–153</ref><ref name=Watson >''Mercer Commentary on the New Testament'' by Watson E. Mills 2003 {{ISBN|0-86554-864-1}} pp. 1109–1110</ref>}} The earliest Christian writings give several titles to Jesus, such as [[Son of Man]], [[Son of God]], [[Messiah]], and ''[[Kyrios]]'', which were all derived from Hebrew scripture.<ref group=web name="EB_Christology"/>{{sfn|Brown|2004|p=4}} According to Matt Stefon and Hans J. Hillerbrand:

{{Blockquote|Until the middle of the 2nd century, such terms emphasized two themes: that of Jesus as a preexistent figure who becomes human and then returns to God and that of Jesus as a creature elected and "adopted" by God. The first theme makes use of concepts drawn from Classical antiquity, whereas the second relies on concepts characteristic of ancient Jewish thought. The second theme subsequently became the basis of "adoptionist Christology" (see [[adoptionism]]), which viewed Jesus' baptism as a crucial event in his adoption by God.<ref group=web name="EB_Christology"/>}}

Historically in the [[Alexandrian school]] of thought (fashioned on the [[Gospel of John]]), Jesus Christ is the eternal ''[[Logos (Christianity)|Logos]]'' who already possesses unity with the Father before the act of [[Incarnation]].<ref name=Waldrop >Charles T. Waldrop (1985). ''Karl Barth's christology'' {{ISBN|90-279-3109-7}} pp. 19–23</ref> In contrast, the [[Antiochian school]] viewed Christ as a single, unified human person apart from his relationship to the divine.<ref name=Waldrop />{{refn|group=note|The views of these schools can be summarized as follows:<ref name=Bromo50>''Historical Theology: An Introduction'' by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 2000 {{ISBN|0567223574}} pp. 50–51</ref>
* Alexandria: ''Logos'' assumes a general human nature;
* Antioch: ''Logos'' assumes a specific human being.}}

====Pre-existence====
The notion of pre-existence is deeply rooted in Jewish thought, and can be found in apocalyptic thought and among the rabbis of Paul's time,{{sfn|Grillmeier|Bowden|1975|p=15}} but Paul was most influenced by Jewish-Hellenistic wisdom literature, where {{"'}}Wisdom' is extolled as something existing before the world and already working in creation.{{sfn|Grillmeier|Bowden|1975|p=15}} According to Witherington, Paul "subscribed to the christological notion that Christ existed prior to taking on human flesh[,] founding the story of Christ{{nbsp}}[...] on the story of divine Wisdom".{{sfn|Witherington|2009|p=106}}{{refn|group=note|Witherington: "[Christ's Divinity] We have already seen that Paul, in appropriating the language of the christological hymns, subscribed to the christological notion that Christ existed prior to taking on human flesh. Paul spoke of Jesus both as the wisdom of God, his agent in creation (1 Cor 1:24, 30; 8:6; Col 1:15–17; see Bruce, 195), and as the one who accompanied Israel as the 'rock' in the wilderness (1 Cor 10:4). In view of the role Christ plays in 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul is {{em|not}} founding the story of Christ on the archetypal story of Israel, but rather on the story of divine Wisdom, which helped Israel in the wilderness."{{sfn|Witherington|2009|p=106}}}}

====''Kyrios''====
The title ''[[Kyrios]]'' for Jesus is central to the development of [[New Testament]] Christology.<ref name="MiniJohnson"/> In the [[Septuagint]] it translates the [[Tetragrammaton]], the holy Name of God. As such, it closely links Jesus with God – in the same way a verse such as [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] 28:19, "The Name (singular) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit".<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|28:19|NIV}}</ref>

''Kyrios'' is also conjectured to be the Greek translation of [[Aramaic]] {{transliteration|arc|Mari}}, which in everyday Aramaic usage was a very respectful form of polite address, which means more than just 'teacher' and was somewhat similar to '[[rabbi]]'. While the term {{transliteration|arc|Mari}} expressed the relationship between Jesus and his disciples during his life, the Greek ''Kyrios'' came to represent his lordship over the world.<ref name="Cullmann2">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79Zovlpi8uQC&dq=mari+aramaic+jesus&pg=PA202 |title=The Christology of the New Testament |date=1959-01-01 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |isbn=978-0-664-24351-7 |pages=202 |language=en |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408105043/https://books.google.com/books?id=79Zovlpi8uQC&dq=mari+aramaic+jesus&pg=PA202 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Early Christianity|early Christians]] placed ''Kyrios'' at the center of their understanding, and from that center attempted to understand the other issues related to the Christian mysteries.<ref name="MiniJohnson">{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Mini S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aa3yRbs0tisC&dq=Kyrios+christology&pg=PA231 |title=Christology: Biblical And Historical |date=2005-01-01 |publisher=Mittal Publications |isbn=978-81-8324-007-9 |pages=229–235 |language=en |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405041637/https://books.google.com/books?id=Aa3yRbs0tisC&dq=Kyrios+christology&pg=PA231 |url-status=live }}</ref> The question of the deity of Christ in the New Testament is inherently related to the ''Kyrios'' title of Jesus used in the early Christian writings and its implications for the absolute lordship of Jesus. In early Christian belief, the concept of ''Kyrios'' included the [[pre-existence of Christ]], for they believed if Christ is one with God, he must have been united with God from the very beginning.<ref name=MiniJohnson /><ref name="Cullmann">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79Zovlpi8uQC&dq=Kyrios&pg=PA234 |title=The Christology of the New Testament |date=1959-01-01 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |isbn=978-0-664-24351-7 |pages=234–237 |language=en |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326164811/https://books.google.com/books?id=79Zovlpi8uQC&dq=Kyrios&pg=PA234 |url-status=live }}</ref>