Communication of Attributes

Definition and Meaning

The communication of attributes (Latin communicatio idiomatum) is the teaching of Christology that the attributes (inherent properties) of both the divine and the human natures in the one person of Jesus Christ are all ascribed to that one person. According to this teaching, what belongs to one nature may be spoken of under the name of the other, as in the expressions "God shed his blood" or "the Son of man came down from heaven." This explanation arises from the doctrines of the Incarnation and the two natures of Christ.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages commonly cited in support include Acts 20:28 ("the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood"), 1 Corinthians 2:8 ("they would not have crucified the Lord of glory"), and John 3:13.

In the fifth century, Nestorius objected to calling Mary the "Mother of God" (Theotokos). In response, Cyril of Alexandria defended the title on the grounds that the two natures are united in one person. This controversy is treated in detail in the article on Nestorianism. Following the Council of Ephesus in 431, the Council of Chalcedon in 451 confessed that the two natures exist in one person without confusion and without division, and the communication of attributes came to be formulated within this framework.

During the Reformation, the doctrine became bound up with the controversy over the Lord's Supper. Martin Luther and the Lutheran tradition hold that Christ's human nature participates in the attributes of the divine nature, particularly omnipresence. On this basis they maintain that the body of Christ is truly present in the Lord's Supper. This Lutheran position was set out in the Formula of Concord of 1577, which distinguishes three kinds (genera) of the communication.

The Reformed, by contrast, including Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin, hold that the attributes of the two natures are ascribed to the person, but that one nature does not directly possess the attributes of the other. Accordingly, they teach that the human nature of the ascended Christ is in heaven. Lutherans criticize the Reformed for separating the two natures too sharply, while the Reformed respond that the Lutherans deify the human nature and thereby undermine its true humanity. At the Marburg Colloquy of 1529, the question of the Lord's Supper was likewise left unresolved.

Practice in the Korean Church

In Korean Protestantism, this doctrine is treated mainly in the Christology portion of systematic theology courses in seminaries, and the term is unfamiliar to most church members. It nevertheless provides the theological basis for expressions such as "the blood of God" or "the God who died" when they appear in sermons or hymns.

• Many Presbyterian denominations follow chapter 8, section 7 of the Westminster Confession of Faith. This section teaches the Reformed understanding, stating that "by reason of the unity of the person, that which is proper to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person denominated by the other nature."
• The Lutheran Church in Korea follows the Lutheran confessions, including the Formula of Concord, and explains this doctrine in connection with the teaching that Christ is truly present in the Lord's Supper.
• Denominations in the Wesleyan theological tradition, such as the Methodist and Holiness churches, accept the Chalcedonian doctrine of the two natures, but they seldom make this question an issue at the denominational level.