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Product Description

Truly Divine and Truly Human traces the fascinating story of how Christians came to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as both ‘truly divine’ and ‘truly human.’ It follows the centuries of debate—and the Church councils—that led up to this proclamation and the years of argument and schism that followed. This declaration has remained central to Christianity down the centuries and an appreciation of how it was made is crucial not only for an understanding of Christian history but also for an understanding of Christian identity today.

Between 325 and 787 AD seven ecumenical councils took place in the early church. This book discusses what they had to say about Jesus Christ in the context of the developing Trinitarian theology of the time. Stephen Need examines the controversies that led up to the first seven ecumenical councils, the councils themselves, the decisions they made, the key theologians involved and the cities in which the councils were held. A final chapter looks at the contemporary significance of these councils and their positions for the church.

Written for introductory students and non-specialists with photographs throughout the text, Truly Divine and Truly Human is a highly readable introduction to a complex and formative period of Christian history.

Reviews

“This modest volume written by Anglican scholar Stephen Need concerns the development of orthodox Christology as seen through the lens of the seven great ecumenical councils. Written primarily for students, the text carries on in a self-consciously pedagogical style and is fitted with such helpful tools as maps, brief historical excurses, photos, a glossary of key terms, a chronology of the councils with reference to important places, figures, and circumstances, and even an annotated bibliography. In this vein, the author’s intentions are simple: “In the end, anyone reading this book should be able to see what the seven ecumenical councils were basically all about and why Jesus Christ gradually came to be portrayed as ‘truly divine and truly human’” (p. xvi). . . Truly Divine and Truly Human truly merits a spot on not a few syllabi.”
—Themelios

Stephen W. Need has taught New Testament Studies and Early Christianity in England and Jerusalem. He has travelled widely in the Middle East and is currently Dean of St. George's College, Jerusalem.

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