Polymorphic Christology: its Origins and Development in Early Christianity

Polymorphism, the ability of a figure to undergo metamorphosisinto a new form or to appear simultaneously in multiple forms,remains a neglected factor in tracing the development of earlychristological reflections. While polymorphism is found in incipientform in the New Testament, it is not until the second centurythat a range of texts develop this motif. It is argued herethat depictions of the ability of Jesus to appear in multipleforms are used in both docetic and ‘proto-orthodox’Christologies. In the former, portrayal of a polymorphic Christis used to denote transcendence over the material realm, whereasfor the latter they illustrate that Jesus is not constrainedby the forces of mortality, but rather that he has entered ahigher state of physical existence.