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  1. <header><a href="/index.html">Theosis</a></header>
  2. Perennial Philosophy is the view that there is an esoteric
  3. unity between various traditional religions in the world.
  4. The first thing quoted when this view is brought up in
  5. regard to Christianity is John 14:6 where Jesus says:
  6. <br>
  7. </br>
  8. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto
  9. the Father, but by Me."
  10. <br>
  11. </br>
  12. At first this seems like a plausible response. However, one
  13. practically has to ignore ecumenical creeds to make it work.
  14. The Nicene Creed states that the Son "for us men and our
  15. salvation became man". Jesus Christ is the incarnation of
  16. the Logos, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy
  17. Trinity. This means that when the man Jesus Christ is
  18. speaking, it is the Logos speaking. Therefore, this isn't
  19. proof that the historical person of Jesus Christ is the only
  20. means to the Father. It is the Son of God who is the only
  21. means to the Father.
  22. <br>
  23. </br>
  24. Another objection is St. Paul's statement of there being
  25. "no other name under heaven". However, this is easily
  26. refuted when looking at the traditional iconography. It
  27. isn't the name of Jesus Christ at the top of Jesus Christ's
  28. icons. It is the Greek letters for "the One who is", which
  29. is a reference to His Divinity. Jesus Christ is only one of
  30. the Son's Names in the tradition of the church. It should
  31. also be noted that in Greek "Name" can denote someone's
  32. character or essence.
  33. <br>
  34. </br>
  35. We also know that the Incarnation is an ever present reality,
  36. and that Jesus Christ was "slain before the foundation of the
  37. world". There is nothing in any ecumenical council stating that
  38. the Logos didn't incarnate as other figures in history. However,
  39. as Christians, we are to accept Jesus Christ as the "fullness of
  40. the Godhead bodily"; also we are to accept His death, burial
  41. (including descent into the dead), and resurrection. None of
  42. these can for a moment be brought into dispute without entering
  43. the realm of heresy.