The Christology of St. Irenaeus

London, T&T Clark, 2024

In this book, Austin Stevenson argues that it is not the 'divinity' of Jesus that causes problems for historians, but his humanity. To insist that Jesus was fully human, as both theologians and historians do, still leaves us with the question of what it means to be human. It turns out that theologians and historians often have different answers to this question on both a philosophical and a theological register. Furthermore, historians frequently misunderstand the historiographical implications of classical Christology, and thus the compatibility between traditional beliefs about Jesus and critical historical inquiry. Through close engagement with the thought of Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–74), this book offers a new path toward the reconciliation of these disciplines by focusing on human knowledge and subjectivity, which are central issues in both historical method and Christology. By interrogating and challenging the normative metaphysical assumptions operative in Jesus scholarship, a range of possibility is opened up for approaches to Jesus that are genuinely historical, but not naturalistic. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/consciousness-of-the-historical-jesus-9780567714398/ “This work argues that Thomas Aquinas's participatory metaphysics and epistemology -- including his understanding of prophecy and of Jesus's beatific vision -- can assist powerfully in the resolution of certain potent puzzles about the apocalyptic Jesus, as well as in the development of a historical biblical scholarship that is appropriately critical in facing its own philosophical premises. Persuasive in its applications to Jesus scholarship and sure-handed in its interpretations of Aquinas, the book represents a major advance. It will be of significant help to theologians and biblical scholars seeking ways to enable the erudition of each discipline to instruct the other.” (Matthew Levering, University of St Mary of the Lake, USA) “This remarkable book constitutes a significant contribution to contemporary Christology. The author offers a deeply insightful analysis of the relationships that obtain between conciliar Christology and modern historical-critical scholarship. He does so while advancing scholarly understanding of Aquinas' philosophy and theology in reference to Christology, in ways that have real significance for Christian ecumenism. The treatment of the knowledge of Christ in historical context is seminal and provides a reference work for future reference and debate. A first-rate theological work.” (Thomas Joseph White, The Angelicum, Italy) “This book compellingly argues that research into the identity of Jesus is tied up with metaphysical commitments of some sort, though the nature and function of these commitments is often hidden from view. Austin Stevenson brings them clearly into the light of day. Only an author who understands the issues deeply could have written so lucidly about them. This book is anything but a facile rejection of historical research. Rather, it challenges its readers to think about what history means and to bring history and theology into dialogue with one another.” (Darren Sarisky, Australian Catholic University, Australia)

A paper in the study of dogmatics, unpublished

Philobiblon. Transylvanian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research in Humanities, 2025

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202 AD) emerged on the theological scene during a time marked by upheaval, conflict, and profound searching. Considered “the most important theologian of the second century” and called “the father of Orthodox dogmatics,” he dedicated his entire life and efforts to the service of the Church. St. Irenaeus conveys with absolute certainty, born from his unshakeable conviction, that the truth received from his predecessors “is the one and only truth.” For this reason, he devoted himself to preaching, defending, and demonstrating this truth with extraordinary determination, firmly resisting all attacks, as is evident from his written work.

Church History, 2013

The title nicely captures the topic and timeframe of the thirteen English and seven German essays contained in this volume, which originated in a 2010 Berlin conference of the same name. The essays are spread across three sections, framed by an introduction by Rothschild and a concluding summary essay by Schröter: 1) Cultural Milieu (Jewish antecedents); 2) First Century Developments: From Galilee to Asia Minor (Synoptic Gospels; Paul; Acts; Revelation); and 3) the Formation of Christian Identity According to "Apocryphal" Writings, "Gnosticism," and Paganism (covering a range of noncanonical texts). Although Rothschild's introduction frames the question around the "rapid growth" of Christianity displacing the unified "paganism" of the Roman empire, the essays themselves show the developments were anything but systematically planned and executed, and had varied manifestations in different times and places. As Schröter concludes, "Christianity" in the first three centuries was polymorphic, and its identity was emerging throughout the time. There is thus no "grand theory" of Christian "success" assumed, and each essay in and of itself is stimulating and explores its focus subject in detail. The volume is an important resource for the ongoing exploration of the development of the early Christ groups into "Christianity," although it is more likely to be found in a research library than on the personal bookshelves of anyone other than those working directly on this issue.

Anglican Theological Review 94:3 (Summer), 2012

The christological controversy of the fifth century is notoriously difficult to understand, and even more so to appreciate. However dizzying the debates regarding the nature(s) and person(s) of the Incarnate Christ, what eludes many students and scholars alike is why anyone then (or indeed now) should have cared so deeply about the precise solution as to effect the dissolution of the Eastern Christian oikoumene in order to see it prevail. To teach this controversy wellas I try to do-requires exploring with my students what seems to be most at stake in it. This is harder than it might seem: the different contestants cannot agree on exactly what is or should be at stake; they make a virtue of speaking past one another; and the terminology is as

This paper shall argue that modern and classical Christology fail to recognise the full implications of Christ as a single person of divine and human nature. Using the thought of Soren Kierkegaard, a preliminary suggestion about how we ought to think about the Incarnation will be made.

2018

T HE present study is intended to be an entirely objective examination of the origin of what may be called the "Son Christologies" in the NT-Son of David, Son of God, the Son-as seen against the background of the OT. These Christologies are of the greater interest in that they are held by some to have originated in the mind of the founder of Christianity himself. How far this may be true, and in what sense, it is the purpose of this paper to re-examine. The Son of Man, while not the subject of special and separate study here, belongs to another category of what may be called "intercessory" or "sacrificial" Christologies-the Servant of the Lord, the High Priest-and it serves as the focus of the Christologies to be discussed in this paper.

Journal of Biblical Literature, 2008

1 To avoid obvious anachronisms in referring to early conceptions of Jesus, I use "prophet typology" rather than "prophet christology. " There are nevertheless trajectories from early conceptions to later confessions, and I do not want to convey the idea of early conceptions as "protochristologies" in the sense of being somehow insufficient or by necessity temporary in comparison with later developments.

Church History, 2015