Asian Faces of Jesus Christ: A Postcolonial Period
Leonard Theological College
Subject : Introduction to Christian Doctrines
Topic : Asian Faces of Jesus Christ: A Postcolonial Period
Submitted by : Thakor Ankur R. (BD III)
Introduction: Christological reflection starts with the faith experience of the living Christ. Though “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8), our experience varies according to the person who experiences him and the social-context of the experience. The experience of a mystic is different from the experience of an ordinary Christian. Sometimes even members of other religions claim an experience of Christ. The social context is the life-situation in which Christ comes as the Saviour. In India three elements of this context are important: India is a poor country weighed down with various kinds of inequalities; it is characterised by a passionate search for the Absolute at various levels; it is multi-religious, leading to a clash of Absolutes. The cultural background provides the media-language, world-view, philosophy, images and symbols - through which the person is able to understand and reflect on the experience. This reveals the facts of images of Jesus that were used by the Asian theologians to depict Christology in other faith doctrine and dogmas.
1.0 Historical images of Jesus: At the very beginning, Jesus was represented symbolically or allegorically in two of the most popular forms: Fish and Lamb. The Alpha and Omega were used as the Christ - monogram. The image of cross remained hidden, only after the vision of Constantine the Great in 312 AD, the sign of the cross as image of Christ was revealed.1
2.0 Reasons for the Asiatic image of Christ: Aloysius Pieris dealt with three things in connection to the images of Christ present in Asia:2
(1) The linguistic heterogeneity of Asia.
(2) The Integration of cosmic and meta-cosmic elements in the religions of Asia.
(3) The overwhelming presence of non-Christian soteriologies (soteriologies is
Subject : Introduction to Christian Doctrines
Topic : Asian Faces of Jesus Christ: A Postcolonial Period
Submitted by : Thakor Ankur R. (BD III)
Introduction: Christological reflection starts with the faith experience of the living Christ. Though “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8), our experience varies according to the person who experiences him and the social-context of the experience. The experience of a mystic is different from the experience of an ordinary Christian. Sometimes even members of other religions claim an experience of Christ. The social context is the life-situation in which Christ comes as the Saviour. In India three elements of this context are important: India is a poor country weighed down with various kinds of inequalities; it is characterised by a passionate search for the Absolute at various levels; it is multi-religious, leading to a clash of Absolutes. The cultural background provides the media-language, world-view, philosophy, images and symbols - through which the person is able to understand and reflect on the experience. This reveals the facts of images of Jesus that were used by the Asian theologians to depict Christology in other faith doctrine and dogmas.
1.0 Historical images of Jesus: At the very beginning, Jesus was represented symbolically or allegorically in two of the most popular forms: Fish and Lamb. The Alpha and Omega were used as the Christ - monogram. The image of cross remained hidden, only after the vision of Constantine the Great in 312 AD, the sign of the cross as image of Christ was revealed.1
2.0 Reasons for the Asiatic image of Christ: Aloysius Pieris dealt with three things in connection to the images of Christ present in Asia:2
(1) The linguistic heterogeneity of Asia.
(2) The Integration of cosmic and meta-cosmic elements in the religions of Asia.
(3) The overwhelming presence of non-Christian soteriologies (soteriologies is
Bibliography: Books: Amaladoss, Michael. “The Asian Jesus”. New Delhi: ISPCK, 2005. Dupuis, Jacques. “Jesus Christ at the encounter of world Religion”. New Delhi: Intercultural,1989. Staffner, Hans. “The Significance of Jesus Christ in Asia”. Gujarat: Sahitya Prakash, 1984. Tirimanna, Vimal. “Asian Faces of Christ”. Bangalore: ATC, 2005. Wessels, Anton. “Images of Jesus”. London: SCM Press, 1986. Journals: Aleaz, K. P. “The Theological Contribution of Krishna Mohan Banerjee,” Bangalore Theological Forum XLIV/1 (June/2012): 68.