Maksud Yesus dalam Peristiwa Baptisan: Sebuah Tanggapan Teologis terhadap Marcus J. Borg

Jesus’ baptism does not only refer to His divine role, but moreover to His divine identity. This is a theological declaration that He is God. However, Marcus J. Borg asserted that Jesus’ baptism was Jesus’ deep spiritual awareness toward spiritual world and the presence of God’s Spirit in His life. This does not indicate His divinity at all. Based on these two contradictory views, a problem remains to be solved: Is Borg’s assumption correct? What is actually Jesus’ true intention in His baptism? This was the focus of the research. This writing exerted to describe particularly Borg’s view on Jesus’ baptism, analyzed and responded to his view according to evangelical perspective. Despite the fact that Borg’s view on Jesus’ baptism has widely garnered support from modern theological readers, his theology is still far from orthodox theology because it was too socio-anthropological based analysis and ignored the Bible as God’s revelation.Abstrak. Baptisan Tuhan Yesus bukan hanya merujuk kepada fungsi jabatan-Nya, tapi lebih daripada itu, yaitu kepada identitas ilahi-Nya. Ini merupakan sebuah deklarasi teologis bahwa Ia adalah Allah. Tetapi Marcus J. Borg menyatakan bahwa baptisan Yesus sebagai sebuah kesadaran spiritual Yesus yang mendalam akan dunia roh dan kehadiran Roh Allah dalam hidup-Nya. Hal ini sama sekali tidak mengindikasikan keilahian-Nya. Mengaitkan kedua pandangan yang bertolakbelakang ini, muncul permasalahan: benarkah asumsi Borg di atas? Apakah sebenarnya yang menjadi intensi Yesus dalam peristiwa baptisan tersebut? Inilah yang menjadi fokus penelitian penulis. Tulisan ini berusaha untuk memaparkan secara khusus pandangan Borg dalam peristiwa baptisan Yesus dan menganalisis serta menanggapi pandangannya menurut perspektif injili. Terlepas dari pandangan Borg yang digemari di kalangan pembaca teologi modern tentang baptisan Yesus, pemikirannya masih jauh dari teologi ortodoks oleh karena terlalu berpijak pada analisis secara sosio-antropologis dan mengabaikan Alkitab sebagai wahyu dari Allah.

Divine Action and Divine Identity in Christianity and Islam

The chapter seeks to answer the question about whether the God Christians worship is the same as that of Islam. It argues that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God and under certain agreed descriptions worship the same God. It explores and defends this notion philosophically, in conversation with recent analytic philosophy, linguistic philosophy, and recent studies of the relation of Christianity and Islam. It offers a rejection of the author’s previous view that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God but worship different Gods. It concludes by analyzing the political and theological consequences of this view, and suggests a retrieval of a natural theology at the heart of the American political project to make more room for Muslims in American society.

Monotheisme Yahudi Kuno dan Doktrin Trinitas

This study examines ancient Jewish monotheism and compares it with the doctrine of the trinity in the Bible, particularly in Paul's epistles (Ephesians) and the Gospel of John. Researchers used qualitative methods with an emphasis on biblical studies. Researchers conclude that triadic patterns are central to Paul's theology in Ephesians. On the other hand, from the point of view of the practice of worship and devotion, early Christianity seemed to be dominated by a binitarian or diadid pattern of worship (as Hurtado argues). Was the Holy Spirit worshiped in the worship practices and devotion of early Christianity? The evidence from the NT forces us to refrain from giving positive answers to this question. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit is not presented as God (cf. John 14-16; etc.), but that the objects of recipients of worship and devotion in the NT pages are dominated by the Father and the Son. This pattern of worship finds its background not in the Greco-Roman religions, but in ancient Jewish monotheism. From ancient Jewish monotheism too, we find reference to the Christology of divine identity which was so dominant in the NT. Abstrak: Penelitian ini mengkaji tentang monoteisme Yahudi kuno dan membandingkannya dengan doktrin trinitas dalam Alkitab, khususnya dalam surat Paulus (Surat Efesus) dan juga Injil Yohanes. Peneliti menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan menitikberatkan pada kajian biblika. Peneliti menyimpulkan pola-pola triadik merupakan pusat teologi Paulus dalam Surat Efesus. Di sisi lain, dari segi praktik penyembahan dan devosinya, Kekristenan mula-mula tampaknya didominasi oleh pola penyembahan yang binitarian atau diadik (seperti argumentasi Hurtado). Apakah Roh Kudus disembah dalam praktik penyembahan dan devosi Kekristenan mula-mula? Bukti-bukti dari PB memaksa kita untuk menahan diri dalam memberikan jawaban positif terhadap pertanyaan ini. Hal ini tidak berarti bahwa Roh Kudus tidak dipresentasikan sebagai Allah (bnd. Yoh. 14-16; dll.), namun memang objek penerima penyembahan dan devosi dalam halaman-halaman PB didominasi oleh Bapa dan Anak. Pola penyembahan ini, mendapatkan latar belakangnya bukan dalam agama-agama Greco-Roman, melainkan dalam monotheisme Yahudi kuno. Dari monotheisme Yahudi kuno juga, kita mendapati acuan bagi Kristologi identitas ilahi yang sangat dominan dalam PB.

Conciliar Trinitarianism, Divine Identity Claims, and Subordination

In this article, I present the trinitarian teaching of the first seven ecumenical councils, what we might call Conciliar Trinitarianism. I then consider two questions. First, what is the relationship between the divine persons and the divine nature? I argue that neither strict identity nor instantiation interpretations of that relationship fit well with the conciliar texts. Second, does the relation of procession among the divine persons, asserted in the conciliar texts, imply an objectionable ontological subordination in the Trinity? I argue that there is at least one way for a proponent of Conciliar Trinitarianism to deny that objectionable ontological subordination follows from the divine processions.

Christology

Christology is concerned with the identity of Jesus Christ. This essay explores Paul’s Christology with the help of the various categories that make up a concept of personal identity: name, narrative, character, relationships, and roles. In the case of Jesus Christ, however, the issue of identity is complicated by the fact that Paul not only understands Jesus to be a human individual, but also, in some sense, includes him in the divine identity of the one and only God. This essay explains this puzzle in terms of a Christology of divine identity.