Christological Reflections: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Christological discourse holds a central place in the wider theological discourse due to the centrality of the doctrine of Christ in the establishment of the Christian message. This in effect places integral value on the task of Christological formulation if at all we intend to stabilize Christian theology. The core of the Christian message is inherent in the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In as much as the primary sources of Christology remains the biblical narrative, there is a significant urge for theological practitioners to supplement the biblical narrative with a well-researched historical account of the life of Christ beyond the confines of the scripture to verify authenticity and historicity of the biblical account. This calls for an industrious effort of theologians to engage historical data as an indication of the existence of Christ. Our study seeks to undertake this task and contribute to Historical and Christology scholarship by addressing the question of the historical quest of Christ. To accomplish this task, our approach will be centred on pagan testimonies, Jewish testimonies, and historical evidences from materials outside thebiblical sphere. A negligence of addressing these concepts may subject the Christian narrative to massive objection in our day and age