Column: As It Is Written . . .
The Eternal Son
by Patrick Henry Reardon
Several decades ago a new parishioner remarked that I seemed to have a "high Christology." Responding to my comment that I had no idea what he was talking about, he explained that a high Christology believes in Jesus' pre-existence as God's Son. A "low Christology," on the other hand, believes that the human being Jesus was adopted as God's Son, whether at his Baptism, or his Resurrection, or whatever. "Christians," I asked, "who don't believe Jesus is God's eternal Son? How can that be?"
As I have thought about this matter over the years, one idea has become perfectly clear: The early Christians knew nothing about a "low" Christology; even the Arians believed in a pre-existence of Christ!
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Patrick Henry Reardon is pastor emeritus of All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois, and the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Out of Step with God: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Numbers (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2019).
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