The Metaphor of God Incarnate
Hicks suggests a metaphorical view of the incarnation is the only credible view. [more]

The Myth of God Incarnate

"In the 19th century Western Christianity made 2 major new adjustments in response to enlargements of human knowledge..it accepted that the books of the Bible were written by a variety of human beings in a variety of circumstances & cannot be accorded a verbal divine authority."

Christianity - Myth of God Incarnate

In the opening essay, "Christianity without Incarnation" Maurice Wiles shows that the question of the Incarnation of God in Jesus in a "Proper", "Necessary" and "Constructive" question. He comments:

"But when one is asked to believe something which one cannot even spell out at all in intelligible terms, it is right to stop and push the questioning one stage further back. Are we sure that the concept of an incarnate being, one who is both fully God and fully man, is after all an intelligible concept?

The collection of essays represents perhaps the most indepth and frank discussion of the issue of Christ's divinity and comes to the conclusion that the view of Jesus as an a literal incarnation of God is untenable and not what the teaching of Jesus originally was at all. Contributions are from:

Don Cupitt - University Lecturer in Divinity and Dean of Emmanuel College, Cambrdige
Michaell Goulder - Staff Tutor in Theology Department of Extramural Studies at Birmingham University
Leslie Houlden - Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon
Dennis Nineham - Warden of Keble College, Oxford
Maurice Wells - Professor of Divinity and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford and Chairman of the Church of English Doctrine Commission.
Frances Young - Lecturer in New Testament Studies at Birmingham University



Introduction | Change or Die | Myth of God Incarnate | Conclusion

John Hick

John Hickis H. G. Wood Professor of Theology in the University of Birmingham. [more]

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