Black Christology and the two natures of Christ. Existential and metaphysical reflections on black theology in the 21st century

Abstract

The doctrine of Christology is fundamental in Christian theology for understanding God’s soteriological process in human existence. Christology entails God’s unique and special revelation to humanity and displays God’s active role in human history. Christology carries the philosophical encounter with the loftiness of metaphysics related to God, preexistence, being and the logos. However, this deep philosophical aspect of the nature of God is animated by the incarnation and is, therefore, a historic and existential reality of a transcendent God working in the world. The omnibenevolent Creator steps into history to fulfil soteriology as a downcast human being and as God. The nature of Christ as fully God and fully human is a syllogistic approach to God creating humans through Imago Dei and redeeming them in and through Himself, thereby binding the role of divine and human agency. This research seeks to develop a metaphysic and existential interpretation of Christology as it relates to the black experience. This reflection is critical for black theology as it has a doctrinal value of Imago Dei and the existential aspect of God’s love. The one nature (human) bears the humiliation and dehumanisation of Christ through his crucifixion and the display of his body by the Romans, which is both historic and metaphorical for those who have been oppressed, humiliated and dehumanised. This research seeks to demonstrate conceptions and models for hope. Black Christology allows for an independent and existential meaningful interpretation of the life of Christ for blacks and all of humanity.