Learn by Topic: Knowledge of the Father

20
April

Father Jonathan Kelly – The Knowledge of Jesus Christ

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Father Jonathan Kelly taught at CatholicManNight on April 20, 2012.  Here is an outline of Father’s address on the Knowledge of Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ speaks from who He is and what He knows, not from what He has learned or what He believes.

Key terms

Hypostatic union

  • In the history of the Church, counsels arise to determine answers to what is being questioned at the time.
    • First heresy was that Jesus only appeared human because of the amazing things He did.  It is called – Docetism (from the Greek word meaning “appear.”
    • Then the pendulum swung the other way, Arius said that Jesus Christ was created by the Father.  “Was not before he was.”
    • Council of Nicaea in 325 settles it:
      • Jesus Christ is of the same essence of the Father, co-eternal, begotten not made (our Creed comes from Nicaea)
      • Fully God and fully man, true God from true God
      • Next question was, how is He both God and man?
      • Council of Chalcedon in 451 answered, “Without mixture, without confusion.”
      • Divine nature penetrates the human nature without changing it

20
April

The Knowledge of Jesus Christ

27

nikolai-koshelev-the-head-of-christ-1880sMan’s Quest for Knowledge

Man has always been on a quest for knowledge.  Ever since Adam and Eve’s fall to Satan’s temptation to “know good and evil” and to be “wise” (Gen 3), the knowledge quest has drawn men into sin.  The Enlightenment failed because it sought to build knowledge through rational thought and the rejection of God.  More recently, Marx (economics), Nietzsche (power) and Freud (sex) all proposed new knowledge that would bring man fulfillment.  The dismal post-modern idea that there is no sure knowledge, seeks to deconstruct civilization into an atheistic, pluralistic and relativistic pool of confusion.  The Internet has provided easy access to most human knowledge and experience including the promotion of darkest human perversion, just a click away.  Politicians, media kings/queens and activists promote hyper-partisan opinions, gaining power/wealth,­­­ while dividing people into armed camps.  Man’s use of the exploding levels of secular knowledge has not led to peace or joy.

The Powerful Knowledge of Jesus Christ

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