Biblical View of Chosen One Dual Nature
The concept of the dual nature of the chosen one, Jesus Christ, is rooted in biblical teachings and has been a cornerstone of Christian theology. The biblical anchor for this doctrine lies in passages that affirm Jesus as both fully human and fully divine. For instance, the apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:27 about God's chosen ones, highlighting the divine initiative in salvation [1].
The term "Nazarite" or "Nazarene" signifies "one chosen or set apart," reflecting Jesus' unique status as the chosen one (Hitchcock's Bible Names). The dual nature of Christ is understood through the lens of His being both God and man. According to John of Damascus, an Eastern Orthodox theologian, Christ's person is characterized by two natures, divine and human, which coexist in a single subsistence [4].
Reformed and Eastern Orthodox traditions have articulated this doctrine in distinct ways. Charles Hodge, representing the Reformed (Old Princeton) tradition, describes the human constitution as a "realistic dualism," emphasizing the existence of two distinct entities, soul and body, that form one life [8]. In contrast, John of Damascus underscores the unity of Christ's person, affirming that His two natures are brought under one subsistence, and it is this unified person that is worshipped [5].
The Eastern Orthodox tradition, as represented by John of Damascus, emphasizes the preservation of the natural properties of both natures in Christ, affirming that He has two natural wills and energies corresponding to His divine and human natures [6, 7]. This understanding is crucial for maintaining the integrity of Christ's humanity and divinity.
The concept of dual nature is not limited to Christology; it is also reflected in the human constitution. The term "Machpelah," meaning "double," is associated with the burial site of Abraham and his wife Sarah, symbolizing the dual aspect of human nature (Hitchcock's Bible Names) [2]. Hodge explains that the soul and body are not separate forms of existence but are intertwined as one life, with the soul externalizing itself in the body [3].
The biblical view of the chosen one's dual nature underscores the complexity and richness of Christian theology, highlighting the intricate relationship between the divine and human in Jesus Christ. This doctrine has been a subject of careful articulation and debate across Christian traditions, reflecting the depth of Christ's person and the significance of His mission.
The theological debates surrounding Christ's dual nature culminated in the affirmation of His two natures in the early Christian councils. The understanding that Christ is both fully divine and fully human remains a cornerstone of Christian orthodoxy, as articulated by John of Damascus and Charles Hodge, among others [4, 8].
Sources
- King James Version “[KJV] 1 Corinthians 1:27 — But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Machpelah — double”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 70: which is not the prison, or garment, or shell, or hull of the soul; it is not in any way one form of existence and the soul another; both form one life. The soul to be complete to develop itself, as a soul, must externalize itself, throw itself out in space; and this externalization is the body. All is one process, one and the same organic principle, dividing itself only that its unity may become the more free and intensely complete. The soul and body are one; one and the same organic principle. 673 673 The commonly received distinction o”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 49: understand the name of the subsistence, not in the sense of one kind, but as signifying the existence of two natures. For in His own person He anointed Himself; as God anointing His body with His own divinity, and as Man being anointed. For He is Himself both God and Man. And the anointing is the divinity of His humanity. For if Christ, being of one compound nature, is of like essence to the Father, then the Father also must be compound and of like essence with the flesh, which is absurd and extremely blasphemous 1968 196”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 54: man: and Him we worship along with the Father and the Spirit, with one obeisance, adoring even His immaculate flesh and not holding that the flesh is not meet for worship: for in fact it is worshipped in the one subsistence of the Word, which indeed became subsistence for it. But in this we do not do homage to that which is created. For we worship Him, not as mere flesh, but as flesh united with divinity, and because His two natures are brought under the one person and one subsistence of God the Word. I fear to touch coal”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 60: Chapter XIV .— Concerning the volitions and free-will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since, then, Christ has two natures, we hold that He has also two natural wills and two natural energies. But since His two natures have one subsistence, we hold that it is one and the same person who wills and energises naturally in both natures, of which, and in which, and also which is Christ our Lord: and moreover that He wills and energises without separation but as a united whole. For He wills and energises in either form in close commun”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 59: Chapter XIII .— Concerning the properties of the two Natures. Confessing, then, the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, to be perfect God and perfect man, we hold that the same has all the attributes of the Father save that of being ingenerate, and all the attributes of the first Adam, save only his sin, these attributes being body and the intelligent and rational soul; and further that He has, corresponding to the two natures, the two sets of natural qualities belonging to the two natures: two natural volitions, one divine and ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 8: his relation to the children of men; with the doctrine of the fall, original sin, and of regeneration; and with the doctrines of a future state and of the resurrection. It is because of this connection, and not because of its interest as a question in psychology, that the true idea of man demands the careful investigation of the theologian. The doctrine above stated, as the doctrine of the Scriptures and of the Church, is properly designated as realistic dualism. That is, it asserts the existence of two distinct res , entities, or substanc”