Monday, September 01, 2008

Kairos and Kenosis

Location? It reminds me of the Oregon/California coast.
καιρὸς

Kairos according to Alan Richardson is an important word in the Greek New Testament and means an appointed time in the purpose of God, for example in Mark 1:15 the kairos is fulfilled. Richardson (1999: 316).

Browning points out that kairos is an opportune time or moment for a decision, the term chronos is used for a length of time, and aion, in broad terms is era and makes the distinction between the present era, age, and coming era. Browning (1997: 371).

chronos/χρόνος
aion/αἰών


Mark 1: 15

Bible Hub

καιρὸς is time noun, nominative, masculine, singular

Parsing Nominative Singular Masculine 

Greek


καιρὸς: Noun a point or fixed period of time; season; the right time; due measure or fitness; advantage

κενόω


ἐκένωσεν

Kenosis is Greek for 'self-emptying'. Browning (1997: 215). George Newlands mentions that Paul uses this concept in Philippians 2:7, as Christ emptied himself regarding the incarnation. Kenotic love is in God's being, expressed through the divine self-giving of Christ, as God's love overcomes evil through the death and resurrection of Christ. Newlands (1999: 316). S.M. Smith notes that Kenotic theology focuses on the person of Christ in terms of some form of self-limitation by the preexistent Son in his becoming human. Smith (1996: 601). It theoretically looks at the incarnation in history.

Thiessen writes that Kenotic theologians have incorrectly concluded that Christ emptied himself of his divine attributes, and instead surrendered the independent use of some of his attributes. Thiessen (1956: 295-296). Thiessen sees Christ as using these powers as the Father granted them. He gave up glory and became a servant. Thiessen (1956: 296). Christ gave up glory as a servant, but could not, and did not give up being God. Erickson suggests that it was equality with God and not the form of God that Christ gave up. He still shared the same nature as the Father but subordinated himself to the Father in the incarnation. These limitations were in no way due to a loss of divine attributes, but due to the addition of human ones. Erickson (1994: 735).


Christ was fully human.

Christ subjected himself to the Father

Christ was fully God.

God the Son's (divine) attributes cannot change.

Philippians 2: 7

From:


Bible Hub 

ἐκένωσεν: Verb to empty out, emptied

Parsing 3rd Person Aorist Active Indicative Singular

Bible Hub

κενόω: Root word, to empty out, emptied

BROWNING, W.R.F. (1997) Oxford Dictionary of the Bible, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.

NEWLANDS, GEORGE (1999) ‘Kenosis’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

RICHARDSON, ALAN (1999) ‘Kairos’, in Alan Richardson and John Bowden (eds.), New Dictionary of Christian Theology, Kent, SCM Press Ltd.

SMITH, S.M. (1996) ‘Kenosis, Kenotic Theology’, in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.

THIESSEN, HENRY C. (1956) Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

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