How Can The Son of God Die?

Marianne87

Since the three distinc persons of the Holy Trinity cannot exist without each other or they won't be called a one God...so that means during the three days between cruicifixtion and resurrection, when Jesus died....there was no God?...I don't really get how that can be. Jesus died a normal human death right?
I get the Trinity concept but I don't get how one person from this concept can't exist and there is still a God?

Unknown

[quote author=Marianne87 link=board=1;threadid=4597;start=30#msg63092 date=1163167713]
Ok since those 3 distinct personalities cannot exist without each other or they won't be called a one God...so that means during the three days between cruicifixtion and resurrection, when Jesus died....there was no God?...I don't really get how that can be. Jesus died a normal human death right?
I get the Trinity concept but I don't get how one person from this concept can't exist and there is still a God?


Christ did not cease to exist when He died on the Cross.

First of all, He died (as you said) a human death. God cannot die; Christ only died according to His humanity.

Of course, since His humanity and divinity are hypostatically united in a single person of the Word Incarnate, we speak of God dying on the Cross. But the death on the Cross was nevertheless a human one.

Secondly, a person does not cease to exist when they die - we are not atheists. The Church teaches that when Christ died, He descended into Hades - the place where the souls of all people went prior to His resurrection, through which He destroyed the binding power of death.

So we must never think that the second Person of the Holy Trinity ceased to exist when He died on the Cross.

Unknown

If Christ's divinity was united to His humanity, then how could He die?? Surely His-life giving Holy Spirit that is in Him would not allow that?? In fact, wasnt there stories of people rising from the dead ?

Is it because He Chose to die? He said that I lay my life down and with my power i take it back. So, correct me if i'm wrong, but its not that His body died, it is that He allowed then Himself to die (i.e. humanly only).

Is that close, or am I far??

Marianne87

He died a human death yet we say that his divinty and humanity were never seperated? ok that's the problem here if he died in one sense wouldn't he die in the other as as well since they can't be seperated from each other?
So He still exist only in the divine form?
I don't know maybe I can't get my mind around how there is no seperation in one sense and yet they seperate in another sense...maybe I don't understand the concept of divinty and humanity.

it is that He allowed then Himself to die (i.e. humanly only).

So I guess what you are trying to say is that his divinty allowed his humanity to die yet they can't be seperated...I still don't get it :-\

Unknown

[quote author=Marianne87 link=board=1;threadid=4597;start=30#msg63098 date=1163181093]
He died a human death yet we say that his divinty and humanity were never seperated? ok that's the problem here if he died in one sense wouldn't he die in the other as as well since they can't be seperated from each other?


Death is a human thing. It is basically (in simple terms) the separation of the soul and the body.

When Christ died, His human body and soul separated. The former lay in the tomb, the latter descended into Hades - but His divinity did not separate from either.

So He still exist only in the divine form?

Again, death does not mean you cease to exist. When Christ died He did not cease to be.

Perhaps Iqbal can provide a more concise and pithful explanation of the matter. I'm not very good at explaining these things.

GERALDINE

My friends,
Hope ye can understand my point here!!!
As I see it - He died in his Human form for our Salvation but as His divinity was there before all ages ( Simeon came to the Temple by way of the spirit to see the Saviour of the world) so then it remained after his human death!

Marianne87

ok maybe i was mistaken that when people die they cease to exist. I thought just because you are not living anymore means you don't exist...obviously that's wrong. I kinda get it now but more explanation would be helpful
oh and another question...Is Jesus still in his human form and would never be seperated from it?

Unknown

[quote author=Marianne87 link=board=1;threadid=4597;start=30#msg63102 date=1163182902]
Is Jesus still in his human form and would never be seperated from it?


Yes

Unknown

Vassilios,

If Christ's divinity was united to His humanity, then how could He die?? Surely His-life giving Holy Spirit that is in Him would not allow that?? In fact, wasnt there stories of people rising from the dead ?

Is it because He Chose to die? He said that I lay my life down and with my power i take it back. So, correct me if i'm wrong, but its not that His body died, it is that He allowed then Himself to die (i.e. humanly only).

Is that close, or am I far??

You are pretty close. By virtue of the Hypostatic Union between the Divinity and Humanity of Christ, Christ had complete dominion over the course of His life and the manner in which His Humanity was affected. The Humanity of Christ was perfect humanity i.e. just like ours, and as such it was naturally susceptible to suffering and death etc. Nevertheless, He had the authority to allow Himself to be victim to the natural susceptibilities of His Humanity; He had power over the time and manner of His death.

Another important point to remember, is that the Resurrection of Christ demonstrates His authority over death. Christ voluntarily undertook the experience of death, however by virtue of His being God the Word, He had the authority to overcome that death and raise Himself. This is how we contrast Christ from ourselves; we are victims of our human weaknesses, and Christ was ruler of His human weaknesses--He had to be in order to defeat them so that we may in turn be granted the ability to defeat them ourselves.

Unknown

He died a human death yet we say that his divinty and humanity were never seperated? ok that's the problem here if he died in one sense wouldn't he die in the other as as well since they can't be seperated from each other?
So He still exist only in the divine form?
I don't know maybe I can't get my mind around how there is no seperation in one sense and yet they seperate in another sense...maybe I don't understand the concept of divinty and humanity.

There is no sense in which the Divinity and Humanity of Christ are "separate". The death of Christ according to His Humanity simply regards the separation of His soul from His body; the body is deprived of that life-principle which animates and vivifies it, and the soul is deprived of that body which manifests and actualises it--this is death. Nevertheless, the Divinity of Christ remained with His Body and His Soul, as we say in the Syrian Fraction:

"Thus truly did the Word of God suffer in the Body, was slaughtered and humbled on the Cross, and His Soul was separated from His Body, but His Divinity was never separated from His Soul nor His Body" (Malaty, Fr. T., ed., The Prayers of the Fractions)

Marianne87

the Divinity of Christ remained with His Body and His Soul

How can his divinity still be in his body when he died. The body is deprived from the life principle and it doesn't exist anymore in a sense that it can't function...it's just dust with no function meaning it doesn't exist..am I right in this point?
The soul is still living and always will be...but the body isn't...so how can the divinity still be in something that doesn't have an existence anymore?
ok what's the divinity....is it some kind of a nature? maybe if I get an answer to this question I will understand more what is meant by how the divinity can still be in the body while the body doesn't exist.

By the way...thanks Iqbal for making a new post out of this and thanks for your answers...sorry I ask too much I just want to understand this a little bit more.

Coptic Dragon

Sorry if i make a human error in saying this, but from what i can read from Iqbal's notes, i guess the Divinity of God cannot separate from his humanity because he exists everywhere and anywhere, so he cannot depart from the body. Also since Christ ascended into the heavens, the human nature of Christ is still in unification with the Divinity of God, thereby maintaining the Hypostasis.

Hope i make sense, correct me if im wrong...

+CD+

Unknown

Hi My beloved brothers and sisters,

Arent you all glad i asked the question in the beginning?! See how asking questions (when u are not sure) is a good thing!

I recommend also that people take a quick look at The Divinity of Christ that talks about this.

Iqbal's explanation is still an added value.

Take care,
Vas