Category: Christology
-
The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ: When, and Why Did It Happen?
The Evangelist Matthew describes the great event of Christ’s Transfiguration as follows. 1 Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And,…
-
How Can a Crucified God Save the World?
The Apostle Paul writes: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ…
-
What Makes Christianity Unique? Jesus Christ and the World’s Religions
There are many religions, offering widely differing understandings of God. The question, however, is whether many gods can actually exist. Saint John of Damascus, who lived during the seventh and eighth centuries, was one of the most distinguished figures of his time. Among other things, he was renowned for the depth of his theological and…
-
Who Can Tell Us the Truth About Jesus Christ?
My friend and reader, if I wanted to discover “who you truly are,” I would have to ask those who know you best: your father, your mother, your siblings, and so on. If I were to ask only people who had merely heard about you—without ever having seen you in person, spoken with you, or…
-
Justice and Mercy in the Old Testament
When we study the Old Testament, let us keep in mind that it is Christ-centered. “We have found the Messiah, of whom Moses in the Law and the Prophets wrote. We have found Him. He is Jesus Christ, the Son of Joseph from Nazareth” (John 1:45). ?herefore the Old Testament cannot be understood apart from…
-
Why Was Jesus Born a Jew?
Why did Jesus Christ choose to be born and accomplish the work of our salvation in the land of Israel? One might say: because there the prophets spoke and prophesied of Him. But why there, and not in Persia, Egypt, or Greece? The answer is found in the divine calling of Abraham, the father of…
-
Lazarus and Palm Sunday
By Fr. Vassilios Bakoyiannis On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, the resurrection of Lazarus is celebrated—not because his resurrection happened on this day, but because it is closely connected to the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In summary: In the month of December, the Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah) of the Jewish Temple was…
-
The Ultimate Proof of Christ’s Resurrection
?he first disciple whom the Lord wished to see after His Resurrection His former denier Peter (Mark 16:7), Out of love, He wanted as soon as possible to remove Peter’s guilt and to make Peter feel comfortable with Him. And Peter, knowing the forgiveness of Christ, went to the so called “Small Galilee” (an area…
-
The Ascension and the Four “Bodies” of Christ
The Lord descended in one form and ascended in another: He descended as God and ascended as both God and Man. Although He ascended into heaven, He did not “discard” His human nature. He continues to bear it forever. He remains united with us. Can we truly grasp what this means? His all-holy Body was…