adoptionist
1
9.9
- noun
- /əˈdɑpʃənɪst/
- Specialized
- The theologian identified himself as an adoptionist, believing that Jesus was uniquely chosen by God rather than being divine by nature.
- adoptionist Christology
Examples
-
I remember another New Testament scholar saying to me that he was an adoptionist in Christology because it was the only Christology he could understand!
Academic text (1991) -
The label of adoptionist does not frighten him (343), but he makes it clear again and again that starting from Jesus' humanity is only half of what has to be said; it needs to be supplemented by adding a further, "incarnational" movement that begins "from above" with deity.
Academic text (1991) -
Such a Christology is adoptionist in the sense that Jesus became Christ; it is Adamic in the sense that this elevation, as intended, is the goal of humanity as such.
Academic text (1991) -
The answer for which Macquarrie makes his case is that the earliest stratum of Christological thought was adoptionist and Adamic.
Academic text (1991) -
This reinterpretation, in turn, allows Macquarrie to incorporate his view of freedom as entailing the ability to sin into his Adamic-adoptionist Christology.
Academic text (1991) -
Many adoptionists argue that Jesus' humanity is essential to understanding his role as the Son of God.
-
In debates about Christology, some found themselves aligning with adoptionist views, emphasizing the significance of Jesus' earthly life.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Adoptionist is built from adopt meaning 'to take as your own' and the ending -ist meaning 'a person who believes'. So an adoptionist is someone who believes Jesus was 'taken' or 'chosen' to be the Son of God, not naturally divine from birth.