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Christology is the area of Christian theology which is concerned with the nature of Jesus of Nazareth. 

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There are two basic views:

• high Christology: This emphasises the divine nature of Jesus

• low Christology: This emphasises the human nature of Jesus

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Since the time of Jesus, there have been those who prefer a low Christology, such as the Ebionites of the early Christian era, as well as those who prefer a high Christology, such as the Docetists. The Gospels sometimes emphasise Christ's human nature, sometimes his divine. The Fourth Gospel (John) is often said to have a high Christology overall: 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God ... And the Word became flesh...'

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Debate raged in the early Church. Arius in Alexandria believed Christ was a creature. He was declared a heretic at the Council of Nicaea and denounced by Athanasius, who held a high Christology, dying in obscurity but still with his supporters. The belief that Jesus was both man and God was made doctrine. But the question still remained: just how could Jesus be both God and man?

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Two schools developed: the Alexandrian in Egypt with Cyril as a prominent figure; and the Antiochan in Syria influenced by Nestorius. Nestorius argued that there were in fact two persons in Jesus Christ, one human and one divine. The Alexandrian school rejected such a view arguing that it seemed to suggest that Christ had multiple personality disorder. In the end, the Emperor called a council: the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Pope Leo wrote to the council in favour of the Alexandrian understanding and this became the doctrine of the Church: Jesus Christ was comprised of two natures in one divine person. This teaching is known as the hypostatic union.

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This doctrine essentially teaches that the eternal person/role of God known as the Son/Word was united with humanity in a real sense at a point in our world and history. Why? To bring about our salvation, Christians answer. 

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The writer Nikos Kazantzakis put it this way: 'The Word, in order to touch me, must become warm flesh. Only then do I understand - when I smell, see, and touch.' (Report to Greco, '4: The Son')

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Since at least the Enlightenment, there has been a move in certain Christian traditions towards a low Christology, and a rejection of the high Christology which has dominated Christian history. For these theologians, Jesus was not God in the traditional sense. Rather, he is the perfect example of what humanity can be at its best: he is a role-model of humanity at its most divine. 

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