Question regarding Qnume and Kyana.

[Matthew]

Hi Matthew.

Well, first "Qnuma" is not a manifestation. In fact there is no direct English cognate to Qnuma. Actually there is no cognate in any other known language. The attempt to equate it to Greek terms is what caused the Christological controversies to begin with. As tempting as it might be, just don't go there. Don't do it. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->.

Second, we don't speak of God in the term of "person." Person is relevant only to humans. God is not a person. The Incarnation of the Messiah is a person, a unity of His Divinity and His Humanity. But that personhood isn't extended to the divine kyana.

So both moralism and polytheism are shamed by the orthodox confession.

+Shamasha

Shlama, Thanks for the reply. While it is easy see how it caused the Christological controversies by Cyril and Nestorius. I'm still confused as to how one would distinguish rule out polytheism or modalism, except for just declaring it so. Unless you are really saying that if polytheism is true, then there would be more than one type of divine kyana. . Hopefully I don't read like I am being confrontational, I don't mean to be. I just am trying to understand how the Church of the East makes these distinctions (and hence meaningfully condemn a belief system as heretical or orthodox).

+Matthew