ABSTRACT
To argue that the work of a seventeenth-century puritan theologian has relevance for modern Christological reflection is to assume a particular vision of the Christological task. it is a vision that takes for granted the notion that Christology is a communal project in which all those who would follow Jesus have been invited to participate. ever since Simon peter was asked to declare openly Jesus’ true identity (Matt. 16:13-20), Christians have responded to this invitation with greatest seriousness. They soon became aware that everything that they distinctively affirm about God, divine salvation, their mission to the world and their eternal future is dependent on what they hold to be true about the person of Jesus. in short, the Church’s faith, life and hope are all the outworking of what it has to say about this itinerant preacher from Galilee. And on this confessional rock, properly conceived, the Church is promised that it will be enabled to stand firm against all the intellectual cynicism, scorn and doubt that the world and the forces of evil may bring against it. each generation of believers in this communal undertaking has one significant advantage over those that preceded it. it has a richer and fuller conversation about Jesus’ person to look back on, to learn from and to speak into.
