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{"id":73592,"date":"2025-09-06T01:48:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T05:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/?p=73592"},"modified":"2025-08-24T08:38:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T12:38:38","slug":"imitation-in-early-christianity-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2025\/09\/06\/imitation-in-early-christianity-part-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Imitation in Early Christianity Part Two"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/a><\/p>\n

I appreciate Cornelius\u2019s frankness that the actual use of imitation language in the NT, and other relevant cognate terms, is not vast, even in the Pauline and Johannine corpus.\u00a0 It is however significant enough and important enough that it deserves the thorough treatment Bennema gives it. Some of the most interesting part of the discussion is when he deals with whether we are talking about imitating the historical Jesus, or the exalted Christ or both.\u00a0 In that sort of discussion Phil. 2.5-11 becomes a crucial text, and Bennema rightly recognizes that in various ways Jesus, and his follower Paul were advocating a counter cultural ethic for all followers of Christ from the most elite to the least, the last, and the lost\u2014 all were to model themselves on the behavior of Christ as seen in texts like John 13 or Phil. 2.5-11, which entailed humility and stooping down and serving others, even after the fashion of a slave washing someone\u2019s feet, something that was no part of Greco-Roman ethics for those who were not actual slaves.\u00a0 \u00a0On the other hand, Paul\u2019s call for the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ falls right in line with the Greco-Roman practice of having students imitate the behavior (and teachings) of their teachers, and children doing the same with their parents.\u00a0 \u00a0Bennema is absolutely right that the ethic Jesus and Paul are advocating is an in house, family ethic\u2013 it is for followers of Christ, and not meant to be imposed on a pagan world without their first being born again or being new creatures in Christ.<\/p>\n

But this brings us to the discussion of theosis<\/em>.\u00a0 On p. 302 we have the following qualification of the term\u00a0theosis:\u00a0<\/em>\u201cI do not object to using the term \u2018theosis\u2019, \u2018Christosis\u2019 or \u2018deification\u2019 for the believer\u2019s transformation as long as this refers to participation in Christ\u2019s or God\u2019s life and character in order to become like Christ or God (homoiusious) <\/em>rather than participating in their essence in order to become God (homousios<\/em>).\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0 If this sounds all too much like the debate about the Son\u2019s relationship with the Father at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. your alarm bells are rightly ringing.\u00a0 \u00a0Elsewhere Cornelius clearly states that he doesn\u2019t want to eliminate the fundamental creator\/creature distinction in his discussion about imitation, but as the book progresses we get closer and closer to that outcome it seems to me. Why for example, if it is indeed the humanity of Christ that we are imitating and the ethics he both modeled and taught whilst on earth aren\u2019t we talking about, to coin a neologism\u2013 anthroposis, the imitation of the perfect humanity of Christ?<\/p>\n

But there is another problem with this whole topic, namely the way Christians are being conformed to the image of Christ is mainly through the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer, not mainly through \u2018imitating\u2019 or theosis.\u00a0 \u00a0Let\u2019s put the emphasis in the right place\u2013 it is the Spirit who is sanctifying the believer over time, and making us not merely new creatures in Christ, but in due course hopefully mature Christians manifesting the values and virtues and teachings and humanity of Christ.\u00a0 \u00a0Phil. 2.5-11 says absolutely nothing about \u2018theosis\u2019 in so far as we are talking about Christ\u2019s being God.\u00a0 He simply was a part of the divine identity as the pre-existent Son. We are supposed to have the same mindset as the pre-existent Christ, orientated to be servants of others, and leave the glorifying to God (and by the way Phil. 2.5-11 is not about Christ being like Adam, who did not pre-exist, nor did he take on the form of a servant, nor was he obedient as Christ was even unto death on the cross).\u00a0 What Philippians does say is that we, a collective we, are to work out our salvation as God works in the midst of the congregation and within the individual to be able to will and do what God commands and wants us to be and do.\u00a0 Yes, we play a role in our own sanctification, and \u2018imitation\u2019 of Christ or various godly Christian exemplars is an important part of that.<\/p>\n

Without question both Christ and Paul played the roles of exemplars for their followers\u2013 they did not return abuse with more abuse, they did not return physical acts of violence with physical acts. What they did do was provide a robust work ethic, including even taking on menial tasks to set a good example to their followers. And of course their devotion to God was a constant example for their disciples to follow.<\/p>\n

One of the things that becomes confusing in this whole mimesis discussion is how to draw a distinction between analogies (\u2018your devotion to God is like<\/em> a constant source of joy to you and others\u2019) and following (take up your cross daily and follow me\u2013 presumably being willing to suffer, or even die for one\u2019s loyalty to Christ and his Gospel), and finally imitation.\u00a0 \u00a0These three things are not simply synonyms, and Bennema tries to help us see the distinction.\u00a0 For instance he rightly reminds us that he is not talking about just any sort of mimesis, but rather only ethical mimesis and \u201cthe aim of ethical mimesis\u00a0 is moral transformation (the imitator seeks to become like the exemplar)\u201d. p. 22.<\/p>\n

The point is not to set up a reciprocity cycle like those that existed in the Greco-Roman world especially between patrons and clients, although that reciprocity happens when God loves us, and we love God. But the emphasis is on responding to God\u2019s grace with gratitude and service.\u00a0 Salvation is by grace and through faith, but it also involves the believers role in their own sanctification.\u00a0 This is because salvation has three tenses in the NT\u2013 I have been saved (justification and the new birth), I am being saved and am working out my salvation as God works in us to will and to do (sanctification), and finally I will be saved (when I\u2019m raised from the dead and fully conformed to the image of Christ through the resurrection).<\/p>\n

It is the mark of a really good book, that it makes you think hard, and revisit your own previous assumptions and convictions.\u00a0 This book certainly does that, and in various ways helps clarify for us all, what the NT is really talking about when the subject is imitation of Christ or God, or Paul or other mature Christians.\u00a0 \u00a0Thank you Cornelius for all your many years of hard working laboring in the mimetic vineyard.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let us talk perspective for a moment.\u00a0 One of the things I kept looking for in this book is a discussion of eschatology and how it affects the discussion of ethics.\u00a0 For example, when Paul talks about being conformed to the image of Christ, he does not imagine this process could possibly be completed before […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":73577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[15770],"class_list":["post-73592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-you-shall-be-as-gods"],"yoast_head":"\nImitation in Early Christianity Part Two<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Let us talk perspective for a moment.\u00a0 One of the things I kept looking for in this book is a discussion of eschatology and how it affects the discussion\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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