The Roles of Christ's Humanity in Salvation

Theodore of Mopsuestia was hailed in his lifetime as one of the outstanding theologians and bishops in the second half of the fourth and early fifth centuries. He was then and still is respected as the preeminent spokesperson for the School of Antioch's unwavering defense of Christ's full humanity and its exegetical approach to the Scriptures. But within ten years after his death in 428, his enemies began to attack him openly, eventually succeeding in condemning both his works and person at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553. He has since been declared by some as the ""Father of Nestorianism."" In this book, Frederick G. McLeod first establishes the principal influences that shaped Theodore's exegetical outlook. He then draws out the typology that Theodore sees present between Adam and Christ's humanity, exploring three major roles that Christ's humanity plays as the head of all human immortal existence, the bond of the universe, and the perfect image of God. Next McLeod shows how Theodore's customary word for Christ's ""person"" (prosopon) ought to be understood in a functional way. The book concludes by applying these insights to the 71 excerpts that were used to condemn Theodore at the Second Council of Constantinople and proposing that these passages can be interpreted in a different, non-heretical way. This book enables one to judge Theodore's christological statements in the wider context of how he conceives of Christ's roles in salvation. It establishes clearly how Christ can be said to be a true mediator between the Father and all creation. It also makes one aware of the communal dimensions and relationships contained in the notion of ""person."" Finally, it indicates how the body plays an essential role in human and cosmic salvation.