Apollinaris on the Person of Christ

Apollinaris is a bishop of Laodicea in Syria. He is noted opponent of Arianism. He believes that Jesus had a human body and human soul, but he had the Divine Logos in place of a human spirit. This view appealed to the trichotomy and switched human spirit of Jesus with the Divine Logos. In other words, Apollinaris is trying to conceptualize human and divine nature of Jesus Christ. He taught that Jesus has human soul and human body but his spirit is placed by Divine spirit or Logos.

This view has problem: Jesus does not have a human intellect (not fully man). It takes away humanity of Jesus. His human spirit is also omitted. Thus, Apollinarianism denies the incarnation of Jesus Christ in human flesh. He defended the Divinity of Jesus vigorously by emphasizing his divine nature while denying the existence of rational human soul in Jesus. Gregory Narzianzus said, “What Jesus has not fully assumed, he cannot heal.”