<論文>天使とキリスト--その隠れた関係

Abstract

At one time, Jesus Christ was viewed as a type of angel, though today no one would refer to him in that manner. Christ and angels are different entities, and clearly differentiated. However, in the early days of Christianity, particularly from the ist century to around the time of the Nicaean Council in A.D. 325, both were viewed as being very similar, if not exactly the same. If one supposes that the role of angels is to serve God, then Jesus Christ was sent from heaven to the Earth to share the word of God, his role being that of a messenger to the world. The New Testament certainly has portions (for example in Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews) that refer, both directly or indirectly, to Jesus Christ as an angel, showing that this line of thinking existed in ancient times. Several apocryphal writings refer to the notion of Jesus Christ as an angel in a more straightforward and positive manner than the somewhat rude phraseology used in the book of Revelations, or the negative and indirect words of the apostles. For example, a reading of the "Gospel of Thomas" or the 2nd century apocalyptic writings such as "The Shepherd of Hermas" shows that some certainly viewed Christ and angels as being the same, or mostly the same, and that the writers of the Gospels and the Apostle Paul quickly tried to suppress such ideas. It is also not the case that there were no church fathers or theologians favorable to this teaching. For example, Justin Martyr's "First Apology" and Origen's "Against Celsus" fit this mold. Iconographically, Michael the Archangel and Christ were often shown in very close relation to one another. In recent years, research in the fields known as "Angel Christology" and "Angelmorphic Christology" are gradually bringing to light teachings on Christ that were either viewed as heretical or forgotten. Based on such prior research, this discussion calls to mind the hidden relationship between angel worship and faith in Christ.