Christology in the Synoptic Gospels

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CHRISTOLOGY IN THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS. AN EXAMPLE FOR A SEMINAR
The aim of this solution is to help students in preparing a seminar and exploring the preliminary features the Christology of the Synoptic Gospels using the Christological titles as a tool. Since a title may have various shades of meaning depending on the evangelist and/or on the context, a survey of the Christology of each evangelist will be given. Consequently, taking a general overview of the title of the solution is necessary. Such an overview will help the students to consider those titles in their contexts according to each author because understanding those contexts enrich the titles.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CHRISTOLOGY?
The intention behind this title is not that of basing our discussion on the title "Christ" in a strict sense because that will be underestimating it. The title wants to embrace all those terms or titles that refer to the person of Jesus i.e. in a vast sense, the right title should be "Jesusology" but such a title does not exist. Jesus is the proper name; all others are titles including "Christ" which later became part of Jesus' proper name: Jesus Christ.
Moreover, the topic states Christology "in the" not "of the" Synoptic Gospels because it is a difficult (if not impossible) task to make an exhaustive survey of the Christology of the synoptic Gospels, because Jesus is more than a mine/quarry, therefore "in the" gives us the opportunity to excavate at least what the Gospels tell us.
The expression "Synoptic Gospels" circumscribes the field explaining that the research is not based on the four Gospels or other books of the NT but only on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The understanding the early Christians had of our Lord Jesus Christ is concealed under the Christological titles we have in the NT. The development/progress from how Jesus presented himself during his ministry to how those who believed in Him presented Him successively is very complex. In the Tradition of Jesus an event interfered in a determined way = Resurrection. This gave authority to all that Jesus said and did and his disciples that saw resurrect understood that He was really much greater than what they understood of Him during His public ministry. Now when the Gospels describe the historical Jesus as the Risen Messiah they hold firmly together the identity of the historical Jesus and that of the glorified Christ. The resurrection of Jesus is of a central importance when we talk about faith in Christ. The explanation of the historical Jesus as the vital source/carrier of salvation that marks the beginning of the kingdom of God was confirmed by His resurrection from the dead and at the same time, it was elevated to a new category.

BRIEF INSIGHT INTO SOME MAIN CHRISTOLOGICAL TITLES
CHRIST: Χριστός - משיח - Annointed One. It is the main title, one of the oldest. At the beginning the expectation was that of a royal Messiah, to which the expectation of a priestly Messiah was later added. The royal and priestly connotations embody ensemble the true messianism. However, it is clear that the messiaship of Jesus diverges from that expected by the Israelites: a royal and triumphant Messiah. Cf. Mk 8: 29-33; 14.61 to 62; Mt 16: 15-23; 26.63 to 64; Lk 9,20-22; 22.67 to 69; Jn 10,24-25; 4.25 to 26.

Sometimes associated with other titles: Christ the Son of God (Mk 1: 1), Christ the Lord (Lk 2:11).
SON OF MAN: בֶּן־הָאָדָם , בַּר־אֱנָשׁ (Dan 7), ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. This expression is found only on the lips of Jesus and always in 3rd person. There are three groups: a) The Son of man who is to come (parousia) cf. Mk 8:38; 13:26; 14:62; Lk 12: 8ff.40; 17: 22-30; 18: 8; Mtt 10:23; 19:28. b) The suffering and the resurrected Son of man cf. Mk 8:32; 10:45; 14:21; 21:41 and the parallels. c) The Son of man who performs his ministry cf. Mk 2: 10.28; Lk 7:34; 9:58; 19:10.

SON OF GOD: This is considered by many to be the highest and most characteristic title of Christ - the Council of Nicaea 325. In the primitive church, for the centrality of the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus, the title stands in the foreground, but also the reflection about the relationship of Jesus with the Father and his awareness of being the Son began soon enough, and that brought us to the unification of the two lines of thought. Nevertheless, even where the two lines meet (John, Hebrews), the Christology of the Son of God is still "functional", it refers to the mission of Jesus in the history of salvation, but remains open to further study in the sense of assertions on the nature of ...