Introduction: In this post we will present the person and work of Jesus Christ from an Asian perspective. We will try to present the Christological reflection of S.J. Samartha.
Christological reflections of S.J. Samartha: Stanley Jedidiah Samartha was born in 1920 in Karnal,
Karnataka, and was ordained as a minister of the Church in South India. His
theological studies took him to United Theological College in Bangalore, Union
Theological Seminary, University of Basel and Hartford Seminary, where he
completed his Ph.D. He was Director of Basel Missionary Theological Seminary,
Mangalore, Professor of History of Religion and Philosophy at United
Theological College and Principal of Serampore College. [1]His parents Lucas
Jonathan Samartha was a pastor and Sahadevi was a teacher from the Basel
Mission.
Influences: Early in his
life, Samartha was enveloped in a deep Christian spirit that was greatly
influenced by the Basel mission. In his writings, he acknowledges the profound
impact of the Basel mission on the formation of his Christian character. [2] In
the seminary, Samartha came under the influence of his professors, especially
Marcus Ward and P.D. Devanandan. He was also fortunate to work under some
prominent Western scholars of his time such as Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr,
C.H. Dodd, Oscar Cullmann and Karl Barth.[3]
Re-thinking Mission: For
Samartha, the time has come within the Christian tradition, and especially
within the ecumenical discourse, to re-formulate the meaning of
"mission" in a multi-religious context, that it was not only about
proselytism, but above all about taking into account the integrity of other
faiths and cooperation in pursuit of common goals , such as justice, peace and
human rights.
In his book, One Christ of Many Religions, he stated that
"mission is God's ongoing activity through the spirit to mend broken
creation, overcome humanity's fragmentation, and bridge the gap between
humanity, nature, and God." This mission is not only for Christians
according to Samartha, but also for other faiths. Christians, along with other
faiths, practice their mission to serve the poor, remove ignorance, heal the
sick, care for orphans and widows regardless of their religious or ideological
affiliation. These services must be held without a hidden agenda to convert
some, but as a Christian response to God's love in Christ. The distinctiveness
of the Christian mission lies precisely in the fact that it is Christian, that
is, it is rooted in God through Jesus Christ and works in the world in the
power of the spirit, without denying, however, that neighbors of other faiths
have their "... missions in the global community". [4]
The Person and Work of Jesus Christ: How do we view the two
natures of Christ and especially the divinity of Christ? Samartha, along with
Cullmann, says that it goes without saying that the divine nature is completely
exhausted in Jesus. This means that while we accept God's truth and love in
Jesus Christ, the sense of mystery and depth in God should not be eliminated in
any Christology in India. Samartha contemplates Christ's work of salvation. In
Advaitic monism, some things are not given sufficient importance. These include
the freedom and responsibility of the individual personality, the social and
historical dimensions of human life, the persistence of sin, guilt, and death
in human existence, especially at a time when new weapons of mass destruction
are creating man's disposition to use at will or unleash at random.
Christian Christology must therefore give them meaning. This can
only be possible through the interpretation of the cross and the resurrection
of Christ. Still, we must avoid interpreting the cross as an "emergency
measure" or a "rescue operation," because the scope of Christ's
work is greater than the redemption of individuals. Samartha says that Christ's
death and suffering were firstly voluntary, secondly vicarious "in the
sense that there is a deliberate recognition that it was for the sake of
others", thirdly, it is the resurrection that is the pinnacle of the
cross. Therefore, the cross cannot be interpreted without the resurrection.[5]
Theocentric Christology: The
development of Christology in the context of religious pluralism was always
central to Samartha. He was of the view that the Church in India developed
several Christologies related to the distinct context of India. So he switched
to cosmic Christology. “Christology is the expression of faith in God through
Jesus Christ in the history of spiritual transmission,” he said. The term
'unbounded Christ' is a declaration of the universal lordship of Jesus Christ,
transcending geographical borders, cultural background and spiritual
traditions. [6]
Faith in God is important to Christians because many Christians
live with people of other faiths. It provides a basis for preserving the
mystery of God while recognizing the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. It allows one
to surrender to God in Jesus Christ without taking a negative attitude towards
fellow believers of other faiths, and at the same time offers a more
comprehensive conceptual framework for dialogue with fellow believers. It helps
shift the emphasis from a normative to a relational attitude towards neighbors
of a different faith.[7]
Helicopter Christology v/s Bullock-cart Christology: In its attempts to land on the religiously pluralistic
terrain of Asia, Helicopter Christology makes so much missiological noise and
kicks up so much theological dust that the people around cannot hear the voice
or see the vision of the descending divinity.
On the other hand, the Christology of the bullock cart has its
wheels always in contact with the unpaved roads of Asia, for without constant
friction with the ground the cart cannot move forward at all. In addition, the
Christology of the oxcart has the advantage that its bulls move at a steady
pace, even if the driver sometimes falls asleep.
Oxcart Christology is quite a useful image of doing Christology in
an Indian context, oxcart Christology because it sees Jesus rooted in the soil
of history. Such a Christology gives a sense of direction. It moves from the
riches of the past to the possibilities of the future. [8] For Samartha, Christ
is the center of Christian life and the essence of Christian faith. Every
Christology tries to grasp the content of the mystery of Christ and explain how
God relates to humanity and how humanity relates to God through Jesus Christ.
According to Samartha, the entire Christological problem in a religiously
pluralistic world consists in how to understand and confess, in particular, the
revelation of God's universal salvific will in Jesus Christ..[9]
Conclusion:
Samartha emphasized the need for ‘revision’ of Christologies, as
Christology is the understanding and interpretation of the person and work of
Jesus Christ in a given context. In the present religiously plural context of
India one cannot neglect the core issue of Christian faith namely, Christology.
Every effort should be made to make Christology relevant to the Indian context.
[1]Laji Chacko, Introduction to
Christian Theologies in India (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2014), 176.
[2] Samuel George, Jesus Beyond
Borders (New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2016), 68.
[3]Laji Chacko, Introduction to
Christian Theologies in India…, 177.
[4] Chacko, Introduction to Christian
Theologies in India…, 178.
[5]SunandSumithra, Christian
Theologies from an Indian Perspective (Bangalore: National Printing Press,
2016), 193-194.
[6] Chacko, Introduction to Christian
Theologies in India…, 181.
[7] R.S. Sugirtharajah, Readings in
Indian Christian Theology (Delhi: ISPCK, 2005), 111-112.
[8] George, Jesus Beyond Borders.., 92.
[9] Chacko, Introduction to Christian
Theologies in India…, 181.
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