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docetism
docetism The view that Jesus was a divine being who only appeared to be human, explicitly branded as a heresy by Ignatius (d. 107 CE), though it may have existed earlier. It derives from Hellenistic dualism: the idea that what is created is tainted, ‘fleshly’, and mortal, whereas the divine realm is good, spiritual, and immortal. So, the docetist argument ran, because Jesus the Saviour belongs to the divine realm, he cannot have been truly human.
Some scholars believe that there are indications of docetic thought within the gospel of John, especially in Ch. 17. It is claimed that in the fourth gospel Jesus lacks the human characteristics of compassion and mercy; that he is never properly exposed to the sickness and sufferings of our world; and that he is so manifestly ‘always on the side of God’ that he has no solidarity with humanity. Against this it is urged that the hallmark of Johannine Christology is John 1: 14, ‘the Word was made flesh’, and that the authenticity of Jesus' humanity is demonstrated in John's gospel by the references to Jesus' mother (2: 1–11) and brothers (7: 3–10); his weariness at the well in Samaria (4: 6); his thirst (4: 7); his grief (John 11: 33); his death. On this evidence it is held that the Christology of John is not docetic: Jesus shares his humanity with all other human persons. |
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Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "docetism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "docetism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-docetism.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "docetism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-docetism.html |
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Docetism
Docetism. In the early Church a tendency, rather than a formulated doctrine, which considered the humanity and sufferings of the earthly Christ as apparent rather than real. In some forms it held that Christ miraculously escaped death, e.g. by Judas Iscariot or Simon of Cyrene exchanging places with Him just before the Crucifixion. It reached its zenith in the 2nd cent., particularly among the Gnostics.
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Cite this article
E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Docetism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Docetism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Docetism.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Docetism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Docetism.html |
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Docetism
Docetism (Gk., dokeō, ‘I seem’). The doctrine that the humanity and sufferings of Christ were apparent rather than real. The view that Jesus miraculously escaped death on the cross (such as, on the usual or orthodox understanding of the Arabic, in the Qurʾān, 4. 157) may also be termed docetic.
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Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Docetism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Docetism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Docetism.html JOHN BOWKER. "Docetism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Docetism.html |
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Docetism
Docetism [Gr.,=to appear], early heretical trend in Christian thought. Docetists claimed that Christ was a mere phantasm who only seemed to live and suffer. A similar tendency to deny Jesus' humanity appeared in the teachings of Simon Magus, Marcion, Gnosticism, and certain phases of monarchianism. |
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Cite this article
"Docetism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Docetism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Docetism.html "Docetism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Docetism.html |
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