What Christ's Humanity Says About Human Nature I Paul Gondreau
Oct 28, 2023
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Paul Gondreau, Professor of Theology, discusses the significance of recognizing Christ's true humanity and its impact on understanding our own. He explores various philosophical anthropologies and the body-soul relationship, emphasizing an Aristotelian understanding. Gondreau also delves into the theological implications of Christ's assumption of a rational soul and the importance of embracing and humanizing our emotions. Lastly, he explores the relationship between Christ's humanity and human nature, highlighting how his male neurobiological structure influenced his sexual appetites as a moral exemplar for men.
Christ's true and full humanity is essential for understanding human nature and for knowing certain truths about humanity.
The incarnation highlights the sacred dignity and supreme worth of the human person, rejecting the devaluation of human life and affirming the worth of every individual transcending categories of race, gender, and social status.
Deep dives
The Christological Teleology: Humanity Converges on Christ
Humanity is ordered to Christ as the nexus of human history and all of humanity. Adam and Christ are linked in both directions, with Adam as a prefigurement of Christ. Only Christ, as true God and true man, fully reveals man to himself.
The Importance of Christ's True and Full Humanity
Christ's true and full humanity is essential for understanding human nature and for knowing certain truths about humanity. Denying or downplaying Christ's humanity is a heretical tendency that has been countered throughout Christian tradition. The Council of Chalcedon emphasized the unity of Christ's divine and human natures, preserving the integrity of his humanity.
The Value and Dignity of the Human Person
The incarnation highlights the sacred dignity and supreme worth of the human person. The image of God is manifested in our intellectual nature, and the ultimate goal of humanity is eternal life with the Triune God. The incarnation rejects the devaluation of human life and affirms the worth of every individual, transcending categories of race, gender, and social status.
The Significance of the Body and Soul Composite
The human being is a unity of body and soul, with the body playing an integral role in our human identity. The incarnation confirms and settles philosophical disputes about the constitution of human nature. Our bodies are not mere 'husks' or 'shells,' but are essential to who we are as human beings. The body is God's artistic masterpiece and will also be glorified in the resurrection.
Paul Gondreau earned his doctorate in sacred theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, writing under the renowned Thomist scholar Rev. Jean-Pierre Torrell, O.P. He is professor of theology at Providence College in Rhode Island, where he teaches/has taught courses on marriage, Christology, the theology of Thomas Aquinas, the Church, the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and the Catholic thought of J.R.R. Tolkien. He has a published manuscript on Christ's human passions in the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas and has published numerous essays in the area of Thomistic Christology, Thomistic anthropology, a Thomistic account of human sexuality, and a Thomistic theology of disability. He is associate editor of the theological journal Nova et Vetera, and has served as a consultant to the USCCB's committee on marriage and family.
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