Christ the Representative

Toward a Representational Christology

Series: 

This book explores how the person and salvific significance of Jesus Christ can be understood within today’s secular and religiously plural world. Rather than adopting an exclusivist approach, it presents Christology in a manner that steers clear of both rigid absolutism and reductive relativism. At its core lies a thought-provoking question: how might Christology be interpreted not in opposition to, but in dialogue with, other religious traditions? Engaging with biblical sources, often-overlooked strands of theological heritage, and contemporary theological discourse, the book offers a fresh perspective on the concept of ‘incarnation.’ It reinterprets it as ‘representation,’ moving beyond the traditional doctrine of Christ’s two natures towards a more dynamic understanding of two fundamental relationships—Jesus’ relationship with God and his relationship with humanity.

This work was originally published in German as Jesus Christus – Repräsentant Gottes by Theologischer Verlag Zürich (TVZ) in 2021. This English edition has been translated from the original and adapted to the context of Anglo-American theology and religious studies.
Copyright Year:
2025
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-73420-3
Publication:
06 Oct 2025
Paperback
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-73419-7
Publication:
16 Oct 2025
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About MyBook
Reinhold Bernhardt, Ph.D. (1989), University of Heidelberg, was a Professor of Systematic Theology/Dogmatics at the University of Basel, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2024. He has published monographs, edited volumes, and numerous articles on various theological topics, primarily from an interreligious perspective.
Contents
Preface

7 Preliminary Considerations: Contextual Christology
 1.1 The Religions as Context
 1.2 ‘Natural Self-Affirmation’?
 1.3 Outline of the Argument

8 The Problem: Christology and the Theology of Religions
 2.1 Interreligious Appreciation?
 2.2 Renunciation of Textual Justification?
 2.3 The Person and Mission of Jesus Christ
 2.4 Particularity and Universality
 2.5 The Theology of Israel as a Precedent

9 The Agenda: ‘Representation’ as the Key Concept of Christology
 3.1 Clarification of the Term ‘Representation’
 3.2 Application of the Concept of Representation to the Interpretation of Jesus Christ

10 Implementation: Unfolding Representational Christology
 4.1 Person and ‘Work’ of Jesus Christ
 4.2 Revisions of Logos-Incarnation-Nature Christology
 4.3 Defining Relationships with Sensitivity to Difference
 4.4 Spirit Christology
 4.5 Wisdom Christology
 4.6 Word, Spirit, and Wisdom—an Interim Evaluation
 4.7 The Revelation and Withdrawal of God
 4.8 The Work of Jesus Christ and Its Effects
 4.9 Christ-Event and Christ-Content

11 Selected Approaches to a Representational Christology
 5.1 Schubert M. Ogden’s Concept of Representation
 5.2 Roger Haight: Jesus as Symbol of God

12 Conclusions and Further Reflections
 6.1 Soteriological Exclusivism?
 6.2 Solus Christus?
 6.3 An Application: the Qurʾan as a Representation of God?
 6.4 Closing Remarks
Bibliography
Index of Names
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Publisher:
Brill
Language:
English
Pages:
x, 234 pp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004734203

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