| The title of this thread carries with it a noticable orientation (no pun intended!) towards the "East" where everything is habitually understood as being part of Christology (e.g., "ecclesiology" is understood by Zizioulas as being "pneumatologically conditioned Christology). NOt everyone would prefer this organization, as any organization carries with it certain implications -- this one not excepted.
That "everything is Christology" and can be said so (imho) lets us make two comments that I'd like to share at this moment:
1. Atonement is part of Christology, and not the other way around.
2. Other things too, like the Transfiguration, and the Resurrection, because they are part of Christology -- and not something stand-alone -- can be carefully matched up with the atonement, and will help cast light on its understanding.
At least this is what I think our Eastern brethren have been doing.
Picture this! Christ on Tabor, with Moses and Elijah, and three disciples -- the Transfiguration. This is part of Christology. In scripture this event adds assurance to the narative, that everything will be OK -- sure the three disciples forget until later; but, the point is made that victory is not only in Christ's divinity, but his humanity is made for participation in eternal-life, to the degree that death, though coming, is not destined to hold him. That's what the text gives us.
But pictured, in an icon, we can reflect more easily on the dual-nature of Christ: his humanity and his divinity. We can more palpably appreciate that the humanity is divine, and that divinity is "with us": emanuel. And the *meaning* of that is this, that the purpose, the promise, the goal, the reason, the hope of this Transfiguration is that WE TOO, like the apostles, can "climb the mountain" and "dwell with God." Early on the icon--like the example in St. Catherine's at Mt. Sinai--showed the apostles almost right by Moses and Elijah, reflecting the "priesthood of the believer" and that ALL of us are called to live with God, and are to be "transformed" that we might prove... (Rm. 12) Later, the monastic athleticism inspired versions to show the apostles at the bottom of the hill at the early beginning of their long struggle to become free from the bondage of the old man through dusting out the secret compartments of their soul and the bodily habits that could open opportunities for sin.
Worth picturing.
Transfiguration is related to atonement, this way: that atonement has its goal in the incarnation in the purpose that it ALL is for the joyous victory of our becoming LIKE CHRIST.
Thanks for reading this.
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