Theios aner
Theios aner is ancient Greek ( θεῖος ἀνήρ ) and means "divine man" or "God-man". The term describes a person endowed with godly powers who performs superhuman deeds. Ludwig Bieler sees elements of the Greek ideal of theios aner continued in the figure of Jesus Christ . Edward Schillebeeckx, on the other hand, emphasizes that the theios aner does not correspond to the Christian image of Jesus of Nazareth .
In addition, the theios aner literature is younger than the Gospels, so any commonalities that may exist are best explained by the fact that the message spread by the Christians has influenced this literature.
Rudolf Bultmann sees the theios aner concept as a threat to the Christian existence:
“If the effectiveness of the spirit in special power acts is seen as a clear characteristic of the spirit endowment, then the Christian existence threatens to be understood as that of a θεῖος ἀνήρ in the sense of Hellenism, and the eschatological history of salvation comes under the light of edifying legend, a danger that itself already shows in the NT, which shows its consequences fully in the apocryphal acts of the apostles. "
literature
- Bieler, Ludwig: Theios aner. The image of the “divine” man in late antiquity and early Christianity. 1967.
- Edward Schillebeeckx: Jesus. The story of a living man. Herder, Freiburg 1980. ISBN 3-451-17233-X .
- Edward Schillebeeckx: Christ and the Christians. The story of a new way of life. Herder, Freiburg 1980. ISBN 3-451-17912-1 .
supporting documents
- ^ Rudolf Bultmann: Theology of the New Testament. JCB Mohr, Tübingen 1980, p. 166.