Pieper, 1968, vol. 2. “All Divine Attributes are Communicated to the Human Nature”

“All Divine Attributes are Communicated to the Human Nature” (Loc. 5538)

Pieper now cites a last Reformed objection to the communication of attributes. “Either all divine attributes must be predicated of Christ according to His human nature or none at all, since the divine attributes cannot be separated from one another” (Loc. 5538). This argument is focused on “quiescent” divine attributes, such as eternity, incorporeality, immensity, etc. The most common objection is against eternity. Jesus is referred to as, for instance, eight days old. The distinction made by the Lutherans is that the attributes are communicated to the humanity but not to his flesh. While the Son is eternal his body was born at a particular time. The nature of the Son is not an “either-or” but a “both-and.” Furthermore, Chemnitz and others make Scriptural arguments that not all the attributes are communicated in the same way.