What does the very presence of four gospels giving four pictures of Jesus tell us about the nature of Christology?
In the intro to his book The Many Faces of Christology, Tyrone Inbody says, “Christology is about the importance of Jesus of Nazareth, his person and work as the Christ, for those who have the “eyes of faith” to see who he was and why he was important for the life of the church.”
One of the realizations we must make about the New Testament nature of Christology is that these four different pictures of Jesus, these four Narrative accounts, were absolutely vital for the formation of whatever ecclesial movement would ultimately be produced from the life, death, and resurrection of this man they came to “see” and follow as the Christ-Messiah.
Another thing that stands out, especially in light of the search for a historical Jesus, is that the idea of “truth” in relation to these four convergent-yet-distinct Accounts would by nature be primarily transformational (and not, therefore, static and formal) in its relation to the Corpus of Scripture and the Church that surrenders to it. If the paradox can hold and the Gospels can be beautiful utilized in tension, then their utility is not in their historical accuracy but in their ability to change lives in the direction purported by the holistic vision of the man they are written about.
I'm a runner, writer, thinker, and pastor. I love to agitate people's consciences. I like to spend my time reading, running, and relaxing with family & friends.