Curious Christian

Reflections on culture, nature, and spirituality from a Christian perspective

Unknown even to Jesus

Published by

Matt Stone

2010-07-25

Earlier this week I asked, what does negative theology look like from a Christ-centred perspective? Reflecting on this further I was drawn to ask, what was unknown even to Jesus? Sound like a strange question? Well, consider what Jesus said about the last days:

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mark 13:32

So, omnipotence was illusive even for God incarnate. How much more so for us then? It is important to recognize the limits of our knowledge. It’s important to flesh out a negative theology even as we affirm Jesus as the revelation of God. I’m thinking that negative theology can potentially function as a corrective against theological arrogance.

Tags Jesus, Mystery

4 responses to “Unknown even to Jesus”

Fire-girl

2010-07-26

For the less theologically aware among us, what’s negative theology?

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Dan Danforth

2010-07-26

Did you mean omniscience rather than “omnipotence”?

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Kalessin

2010-07-26

Q. What is negative theology?
A. Heck, what ISN’T negative theology?!

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Andrew Park

2010-07-26

Would an example of negative theology be lament? What about Jesus’ cry from the cross, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”, which an echo of a Davidic lament in Psalms.
Does Christ, to be Christ, have to know everything or are the omnis (all knowing, all powerful, all present -everywhere), when held too rigidly as absolutisms by some Christians really theological `boxes’ we think we have to put God in to understand divinity?
What about the alterity (“otherness”) of God we’ll never really understand, apart from the aspects of God’s revelation of transcendence to us?
Is God utterly “all knowing”, or on a learning curve journey through history with us, and with the rest of creation as it evolves and develops into eternity?
Are there “grey” areas which even God doesn’t fully understand due to that journey unfolding continuum?
Maybe I might be off the track, but Matt is this where you are heading?
I think there are aspects of healthiness to admitting our lack of capacity to being all knowing (know it alls – arrogant intellectualism etc), and our need for a divine helper whose knowledge and understanding is far beyond ours. Yet, there is a humility and vulnerability, as well as a type of dignity in Jesus when he says things in the Gospels which indicated even he didn’t know – “Only the Father knows” etc.

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