Grace Thompson
The concept of humans as a union is explored in Christian theology, specifically in the idea of 'union with Christ'. This union is understood in several ways, including as a spiritual union, a faith union, and a mystical union. In Catholic theology, the Eucharist is the primary means of achieving union with Christ. Additionally, Catholic social teaching has long advocated for labour unions, emphasizing their role in promoting harmony, collaboration, and social justice, as well as the common good. The idea of hypostatic union, or the union of Christ's divinity and humanity, is also a significant concept in Christian theology, particularly in understanding the nature of Jesus and salvation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nature of the union with Christ | Roman Catholic theology holds that believers actually imbibe the physical body and blood of Christ when they partake in the Eucharist |
| Union with Christ | A mutual indwelling of Christians and the triune God |
| Protestants believe that Christ lives in Christians and is visible in their lives | |
| Jesus having gone through life, death, and resurrection, shares these experiences with believers | |
| Jesus' love for humanity was manifested in his sacrifice on the cross | |
| Jesus is both fully God and fully man | |
| Jesus is bridegroom and the worshipper/church (humanity) is His bride | |
| Jesus does not destroy, overwhelm or annihilate our humanity | |
| Jesus lifts up humanity to a dignity hitherto unknown | |
| Jesus is indispensable for every good that we enjoy | |
| Jesus is the center of our salvation and our sanctification | |
| Jesus is central to all of our deepest joys in this life | |
| Catholic social teaching | Freedom of association is an important human right and a vital aspect of our humanity |
| Unions should promote fraternity, harmony, and the rights and prosperity of their members | |
| Unions should not play politics or have close links with political parties | |
| Unions should not be established in such a way that they promote an attitude of class conflict | |
| Unions should play a major role in regulating to secure human rights in the economic sector |
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What You'll Learn
Jesus Christ: fully God, fully man
The concept of Jesus Christ being "fully God, fully man" is known as the hypostatic union, a technical term in Christian theology. It describes the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis, or individual personhood. In other words, Jesus Christ is simultaneously perfectly divine and perfectly human, with two complete and distinct natures.
The idea that Jesus is both fully God and fully man can be challenging to comprehend, even for the brightest minds in the early centuries of the church. It is seen as a paradox, as God is understood as perfectly good, wise, and powerful, yet fully became a human, burdened by sin and limited in goodness, knowledge, and understanding. This paradox can only be resolved through a leap of faith, as the precise nature of this union is believed to defy finite human comprehension.
The biblical answer to this paradox is that only God the Son became incarnate, not the Father or the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus is God the Son, and his incarnation does not mean he stopped being God and started being man. Instead, he added manhood to himself, retaining all his divine attributes. This is supported by passages such as Philippians 2:6-8, which describes how Jesus "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
Jesus' humanity is evident in his birth as a baby, his experience of human emotions, and his human needs and limitations, such as hunger, thirst, and weariness. He lived on earth just as humans do and experienced the full range of human experiences, yet he did not possess a sinful nature and never committed sin, even when tempted.
The union with Christ is a significant concept in Christian theology, and there are several ways to understand it. Roman Catholic theology holds that believers partake in the physical body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist, creating a spiritual union. Reformed theology sees it as a comprehensive category in the doctrine of Salvation, while Pietist theology views it as a mystical union. Evangelical theology focuses on the experiential aspect, where Jesus shares his life, death, and resurrection experiences with believers.
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The Eucharist: uniting with Christ
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. It is a sacrament that brings one into a deeper union with Christ. Through the Eucharist, Christians are united with Christ's person through his humanity and divinity. This union is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the faithful, drawing them into the eternal relationship of love among the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Eucharist is a spiritual union, as Christians are united with Christ by the agency of the Holy Spirit. It is also a faith union, as Christians depend on Christ for nourishment. This union is described by St. Paul as: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). The Catechism teaches that "the Eucharist makes the Church" (CCC 1396), meaning that without the Eucharist, there would be no Church, only a collection of individuals who would eventually dissolve through divisions. Through the Eucharist, Christ enters into our existence and permeates it with his grace, bringing coherence between Liturgy and life.
The Eucharist is also understood as a mystical union, where believers transcend all boundaries of time and space to be with Christ at the hour of his redemptive sacrifice on the cross and to be united with the risen Jesus who reigns in heaven. Medieval conceptions of this mystical union were influenced by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who applied the concept of bridal love from the Song of Songs to a mystical union with Christ, with Jesus as the bridegroom and the church as his bride.
The Eucharist is further understood as a carnal or fleshly union, as Christ became incarnate and thus became one with humanity. This union is described in John 6:56: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him." By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, we become united to Christ's person and our mortal and corruptible natures are transformed by being joined to the source of life.
Finally, the Eucharist is a covenant or federal union, as Christ's obedience is accounted to believers. It is also an extensive union, as Christians are united with Christ in everything he has done, including his life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and session.
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Catholic social teaching: unions promote harmony
Catholic social teaching has long supported the idea of unions, with every pope since Leo XIII making the case for them. In his encyclical, Rerum novarum, Pope Leo XIII mentions how the state's forbidding the creation of unions contradicts its own existence, as the state's job is to uphold rights—one of which is freedom of association. This freedom is considered a vital aspect of humanity, as it allows people to deliberately come together in solidarity to create associations that promote the common good.
Pope John Paul II emphasised the importance of freedom of association and warned unions against "playing politics" or having close links with political parties, as this would undermine their primary role. He also taught that essential services should never be endangered by strike action, and that the right to strike must not be used for political purposes but only as a last resort.
Unions should promote fraternity, harmony, and the rights and prosperity of their members. They should not be established in a way that promotes an attitude of class conflict; instead, their role is to promote harmony, collaboration, and social justice. In summary, unions should advance the body, soul, property, and mind of their members.
Trade unions can play a significant role in regulating and civilising economic life, promoting the common good, and ensuring social justice. They can also contribute to the modern welfare state by providing welfare, financial services, legal services, and education. In the past, unions in continental Europe provided unemployment and sickness insurance, and there is potential for them to return to this role.
Catholic social teaching values the role of intermediary organisations such as labour unions, community organisations, fraternal groups, and parish churches. It recognises the dignity of labour and calls for the prevention of oppression, poverty, and suffering. It also promotes the equitable distribution of income and access to essential goods and services.
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Medieval theology: Christ's mystical union
Medieval conceptions of union with Christ were influenced by mysticism. The 9th century saw the development of mystical theology through the introduction of the works of the sixth-century theologian Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, such as "On Mystical Theology". His discussion of the via negativa was particularly influential. Under the influence of Pseudo-Dionysius, mystical theology came to denote the investigation of the allegorical truth of the Bible and the spiritual awareness of the "ineffable Absolute beyond the theology of divine names".
In medieval mystical union theology, the sacrament of the Eucharist was the primary conduit through which humanity found union with Christ. According to Roman Catholic theology, believers imbibe the physical body and blood of Christ when they partake in the Eucharist. This is also referred to as the mystical union.
In Christian theology, the union of Christ is built on the assumption of Adam's union with humanity. The Apostle Paul writes that Christ's death and resurrection is a prerequisite for believers to be identified with Christ. The vicarious death of Jesus is the basis for incorporation into Christ. The expression "'in Christ' is used frequently in the New Testament, particularly in the Pauline letters, to refer to this union.
Christian mystics have described the stages of the return of the soul to God in a variety of ways. Teresa of Avila, for example, described four degrees or stages of mystical union: incomplete mystical union, full or semi-union, and so on. The Belgian Jesuit Joseph Maréchal outlines three stages: the gradual integration of the ego under the idea of a personal God, a transcendent revelation of God to the soul, and a "readjustment of the soul's faculties".
The goal of the mystic is a permanent state of being in which the person's nature is transformed or deified. Christian mystics claim that the soul may be lifted into a union with God so close and so complete that it is merged in the being of God and loses its sense of separate existence.
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Hypostatic union: two natures, one person
The hypostatic union is a theological concept in Christianity that describes the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in a single personhood. It is a technical term in Christian theology, specifically Christology, and refers to the belief that Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. This concept is also referred to as the "mystical union", acknowledging that the precise nature of this union is beyond finite human comprehension.
The term "hypostatic" comes from the Greek "hypostasis", meaning "that which lies beneath as a basis or foundation". In the context of the hypostatic union, it refers to the distinct mode or manner of being, commonly understood as "person". The hypostatic union, therefore, asserts that Jesus possesses a truly divine nature and a truly human nature, with these two natures united in one person. This understanding is affirmed by the Athanasian Creed, which states that Christ is "completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh".
The concept of the hypostatic union is important in Christian theology as it emphasises the unity of Christ's divine and human natures. It helps to avoid certain heresies, such as Nestorianism, which suggests that Jesus is both a divine person and a human person, and Adoptionism, which claims that Jesus' deity was granted during his earthly life. By affirming the hypostatic union, Christians assert that Jesus' deity is eternal and that his incarnation as a human did not diminish his divinity.
The hypostatic union is also significant because it provides a framework for understanding the incarnation. It highlights that Jesus' humanity did not negate his divinity and that these two natures coexist without confusion, change, division, or separation. This understanding is reflected in the Definition of Chalcedon, which states that the Son of God is "one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably".
The idea of the hypostatic union has been a subject of debate and discussion throughout Christian history, with theologians such as Cyril of Alexandria, Nestorius, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and Kierkegaard exploring its implications and complexities. Despite differing interpretations, the hypostatic union remains a fundamental concept in Christian theology, particularly in understanding the nature of Christ and the union of the divine and human in his person.
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Frequently asked questions
Hypostatic union is a technical term in Christian theology that describes the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis, or individual personhood. In other words, Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man.
The hypostatic union is considered a paradox, as God is understood as a perfectly good, wise, and powerful being, yet he became a human, burdened by sin and limited in goodness, knowledge, and understanding. The Church teaches that the two natures of Jesus—humanity and divinity—are united without mixing, remaining different without being separated or mingled.
Union with Christ is achieved through spiritual communion, which is a constant desire to be united with God in the Eucharist. In Roman Catholic theology, believers partake in the physical body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist. In medieval mystical union theology, the Eucharist was considered the foremost conduit through which humanity found union with Christ.
