# The Pneumatological Constitution of Christology in John Zizioulas
When John Zizioulas declares that Christology is always “constituted by Pneumatology,” he articulates a foundational principle of his theological method that challenges traditional Western approaches to understanding Christ’s identity and work. This statement represents far more than a simple assertion about the Spirit’s assistance to Christ—it involves a radical reconceptualization of how we understand Christ’s very existence and being[1][2].
## The Meaning of Pneumatological Constitution
For Zizioulas, **pneumatological constitution** means that the Holy Spirit does not merely assist or accompany Christ’s ministry, but actually **constitutes Christ’s very identity as Christ**[2]. This represents a fundamental shift from viewing the Spirit as a helper or empowerer to understanding the Spirit as the one who makes Christ to be who he is in his earthly existence and ongoing ministry.
The theological foundation for this claim rests on several biblical realities that Zizioulas emphasizes:
**Christ’s Birth in the Spirit**: Zizioulas argues that “we must take seriously, in all its implications, the biblical assertion that Christ was born of the Spirit, was anointed by him, and that his existence was fully in the Spirit”[1]. Christ cannot be isolated from the Holy Spirit “in whom he was born of the Virgin (Matt 1:20; Luke 1:35); in whom he became able to minister on earth (LukeAnointing that Creates Identity**: The very term “Christ” (Christos) means “the Anointed One,” signifying that Christ’s identity is fundamentally tied to his anointing by the Spirit[2][3]. This anointing is not merely functional empowerment but constitutive of who Christ is. As Acts 10:38 states, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power”[4][5].
## Beyond Functional Assistance
Zizioulas explicitly rejects any understanding that reduces the Spirit to “some kind of impersonal ‘force’ or ‘power’ springing as it were from Christ or a Person ‘assisting’ Christ in His saving work”[1]. Instead, he argues for a **co-institutional relationship** where “there is no priority of Christ in relation to the Spirit; both are co-founders of the Church and they ‘co-institute’ the Church”[1].
This theological position addresses what Zizioulas sees as a crucial error in generations of theological thinking: “The great mistake of generations of dogmatists was to separate Christology from the science of God – and therefore from pneumatology”[6]. Such separation creates artificial divisions that undermine the integrated nature of God’s work.
## Biblical and Patristic Foundations
The pneumatological constitution of Christology finds support in the **dual biblical witness** that Zizioulas identifies. He notes that in New Testament writings we encounter both:
1. **The Spirit given by Christ** (particularly the risen and ascended Christ): “there was no Spirit yet, for Christ had not yet been glorified” (John 7:39)
2. **No Christ until the Spirit is at work**: The Spirit functions “not only as a forerunner announcing his coming, but also as the one who constitutes his very identity as Christ, either at his baptism (Mark) or at his very biological conception (Matthew and Luke)”[2]
This apparent tension is resolved not by choosing one over the other, but by recognizing their **simultaneous and mutually constitutive relationship**. Both perspectives “co-exist in one and the same Biblical writing”[2].
## Relational Ontology and Christological Identity
The pneumatological constitution of Christology connects directly to Zizioulas’ broader theological framework of **relational ontology**. He argues that “in being conceivable only in the Spirit, Christ appears to be a relational being to an absolute degree; He cannot be conceived in terms of our empirical individualized existence”[1].
This means that Christ’s identity is not that of an isolated individual but of a **person-in-communion**. Drawing on the biblical witness that Christ exists “only pneumatologically whether in His distinct personal particularity or in His corporate identity”[7], Zizioulas shows how the Spirit makes Christ to be simultaneously one person and many persons—the head of his body, the Church.
## Eschatological Dimension
The pneumatological constitution of Christology has profound **eschatological implications**. Zizioulas emphasizes that “the Spirit brings the last days into history (Acts 2:18), and this applies also to the Incarnation”[2]. The Spirit makes Christ “the last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45), an eschatological being “dwelling” in history.
This means that “we are not saved because Christ became history, but because in Christ as the bearer of the Spirit history has been eschatologized”[2]. The Spirit brings the ultimate future—the eschaton—into present reality through Christ’s pneumatologically constituted existence.
## Ecclesiological Consequences
For Zizioulas, the pneumatological constitution of Christology has direct implications for understanding the Church. Since both Christ and the Spirit “co-institute” the Church, “the Church is not caused to exist by a pre-existing factor—be it Christological or Pneumatological—but both simultaneously constitute her”[1].
This creates what Zizioulas calls a **”double divine economy”**: the work of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit operating together[8]. In ecclesial life, this means “the institutional becomes, in the Spirit, charismatic and the charismatic institutional”[1].
The Holy Spirit who constitutes Christ’s identity continues to constitute the Church as Christ’s body, making the Church “an everlasting Pentecost event”[6]. The same Spirit who makes Christ to be who he is makes the Church to be Christ’s presence in the world.
## Theological Synthesis
Ultimately, Zizioulas concludes that **”Christology is either pneumatological or it is no Christology at all”**[2]. This represents not merely a methodological preference but a fundamental theological claim about the nature of God’s redemptive work.
The pneumatological constitution of Christology reveals that salvation occurs through the **integrated work of Christ and Spirit** rather than through Christ alone with the Spirit’s subsequent assistance. As Zizioulas puts it, “Man can approach God only through the Son, in the Holy Spirit”[2].
This synthesis challenges both **Christo-monistic** tendencies that minimize the Spirit’s role and **pneumatocentric** approaches that overshadow Christ. Instead, it presents a vision where Christology and Pneumatology are so interwoven that neither can be properly understood without the other, reflecting the profound unity of God’s triune life and work.
Sources
[1] Holy Spirit – John Zizioulas Foundation Official Website https://zizioulas.org/
[2] Christology – John Zizioulas Foundation Official Website https://zizioulas.org/
[3] The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit https://roca.org/oa/volume-vi/
[4] Anointing with Oil in African Christianity: An Evaluation of Contemporary Practices https://digitalcommons.
[5] The Catechism of the New Apostolic Church https://nak.org/en/
[6] Pneumatologiczny wymiar Kościoła i teologii według Johna D. Zizioulasa https://repozytorium.uwb.edu.
[7] Zizioulas on the Body of Christ formed in the Spirit https://avowofconversation.
[8] John Zizioulas’ Trinitarian Ecclesiology https://czasopisma.uksw.edu.
[9] Book Reviews : Irving Up-Dated https://journals.sagepub.com/
[10] Book Reviews : The Theology of John Henry Newman https://journals.sagepub.com/
[11] Book reviews http://www.tandfonline.com/
[12] Catholics at a Crossroads: Coverup, Crisis, and Cure. By Eileen P. Flynn, New York: Paraview Press, 2003. 168 pages. $13.95 (paper). https://www.cambridge.org/
[13] Play and Freedom: Patterns of Life in the Spirit https://onlinelibrary.wiley.
[14] Towards a distinct classical Pentecostal method of practical theology https://www.tandfonline.com/
[15] A pneumatological approach to transformational development: Implication for the church https://ojs.reformedjournals.
[16] A Socio-historical Hermeneutical Analysis of Pauline and Lukan Pneumatological Traditions: A case study of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe https://api.arc.ac/publish/
[17] Ecumenical Perspectives on Pentecostal Pneumatology https://missionalia.journals.
[18] “Orthodox Pneumatology for Pentecostal/Charismatic Spirituality with View of Recovering the Theanthropic Structure in Man” https://digitalshowcase.oru.
[19] John Zizioulas and Christology as the realisation of the person. https://twruston.wordpress.
[20] Zizioulas’ Pneumatology and Congar’s Spirit Substitutes https://gaudetetheology.
[21] Microsoft Word – 7_Martzelos.doc https://ejournals.lib.auth.gr/
[22] Zizioulas on Christ, the Spirit and the Church: Introduction https://avowofconversation.
[23] Zizioulas on the Synthesis between Christology and Pneumatology https://avowofconversation.
[24] The Byzantine Synthesis of Christology and Pneumatology https://repository.nwu.ac.za/
[25] Being as Communion https://svspress.com/being-as-
[26] [PDF] TRINITARIAN PNEUMATOLOGICAL PERSONHOOD AND THE … https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/
[27] Our being is in becoming : the nature of human transformation in the theology of Karl Barth, Joseph Ratzinger, and John Zizioulas https://www.semanticscholar.
[28] Book Review: Reimund Bieringer, Marilou S Ibita, Dominika A Kurek-Chomycz and Thomas A Vollmer (eds), Theologizing in the Corinthian Conflict: Studies in the Exegesis and Theology of 2 Corinthians (Biblical Tools and Studies 16) https://journals.sagepub.com/
[29] The Virgin Birth of Our Lord https://zenodo.org/record/
[30] The Eschatology of the Fourth Bospel https://zenodo.org/record/
[31] Seeing the world through the eyes of God: Reading the Book of Qoheleth in the light of Genesis 1:1–2:4a https://verbumetecclesia.org.
[32] The Spirit of the Atonement: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s Death and Resurrection https://www.mdpi.com/2077-
[33] Embodied grace: The implications of the incarnation to public practical theology in Sub-Saharan Africa https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[34] An Adamic incarnational Christological framework as a theological approach for African contextual ministry https://missionalia.journals.
[35] Renewing the Narrative of the Age to Come: The Kingdom of God in NT Wright and John Zizioulas https://www.mdpi.com/2077-
[36] A Study of the Fourth Gospel https://zenodo.org/record/
[37] The concept of Pneumatology in Christianity https://www.wisdomlib.org/
[38] The sacrament of anointing in the Orthodox Church: meaning and … https://www.churchkyiv.com/en/
[39] The Grounding of Paul’s Pneumatology in his Christology in 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16 https://www.academia.edu/
[40] © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2019 | doi:10.1163/9789004391741_008 https://brill.com/previewpdf/
[41] The Orthodox Faith – Volume IV – Spirituality – Orthodox Spirituality – The Holy Spirit https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/
[42] Zizioulas on eschatology | The Fine Game of Nil – WordPress.com https://twruston.wordpress.
[43] Unknown https://media.sabda.org/
[44] Sacraments : Rites in the Spirit for the presence of Christ https://www.taylorfrancis.com/
[45] Mary in the Annunciation as a Type of Baptism https://czasopisma.kul.pl/
[46] The Holy Spirit as the Unction of Christ in Irenaeus https://academic.oup.com/jts/
[47] Theodore of Mopsuestia Third homily on baptism (the 14th Catechetical Homily) Translation, preface and comments by S. S. Puchkova https://sfi.ru/science/
[48] Baptism in the Holy Spirit: Yet Once More—Again https://brill.com/view/
[49] By water and the Holy Spirit : Baptism and confirmation in anglicanism : Engaging the spirit https://www.semanticscholar.
[50] Spiritualitas Petugas Pastoral dalam Karya Pelayanan Pastoral Awam https://ejurnal.
[51] St John Chrysostom’s doctrine of baptism https://www.semanticscholar.
[52] Thursday: The Holy Spirit and Christ | Sabbath School Net https://ssnet.org/blog/
[53] Recognizing the spirit: An ecclesial pneumatology https://research.library.
[54] Jesus Christ Comes in the Power of the Holy Spirit | EWTN https://www.ewtn.com/
[55] Was Jesus anointed upon His baptism (Matt. 3:16-17)? https://hermeneutics.
[56] Topical Bible: The Spirit’s Consistency with Christ https://biblehub.com/topical/
[57] Baptized in the Spirit – A Sermon for Baptism of Jesus Sunday … https://www.bobcornwall.com/
[58] Remember: Good Christology and Pneumatology Lead to Good … https://gentlereformation.com/
[59] The Spirit of Christ | Ligonier Ministries https://www.ligonier.org/
[60] Why Jesus Needed the Holy Spirit | Desiring God https://www.desiringgod.org/
[61] Cinderella pneumatology as an intercultural discussion: personal, church, and theological experience sequence https://sttpb.ac.id/e-journal/
[62] The Spread Body and the Affective Body: A Discussion with Emmanuel Falque https://www.mdpi.com/2077-
[63] Wesleyan Trinitarian theology and pneumatology: God’s performative action https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[64] From the ‘naked Spirit’ to a Nusantara contextual theology formula https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[65] Comparison between the respective views of John Calvin and classical Pentecostals on the role of the Holy Spirit in reading the Bible https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[66] In defence of qua-Christology https://www.cambridge.org/
[67] Giles’ Comparative Philology https://zenodo.org/record/
[68] A reading of the leper’s healing in Matthew 8:1–4 through ethnomedical anthropology https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[69] Insights and models from medical anthropology for understanding the healing activity of the historical Jesus https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[70] Pneumatology, Spirituality and Ecclesiology in the Orthodox Tradition https://www.academia.edu/
[71] This document was supplied for free educational purposes. https://biblicalstudies.org.
[72] [PDF] PNEUMATOLOGY AND MARIOLOGY https://ejournals.bc.edu/
[73] The Son and the Spirit: The Promise and Peril of Spirit Christology https://equip.sbts.edu/
[74] Zizioulas: The Spirit constitutes the Church – A vow of conversation https://avowofconversation.
[75] Charismatic Pneumatology as Ecumenical Opportunity: Orthopraxy, Subjectivity, and Relational Ontologies of the Holy Spirit https://uscholar.univie.ac.at/
[76] (PDF) Spirit Christology: Seeing in Stereo – Academia.edu https://www.academia.edu/
[77] [PDF] Vladimir Lossky and John Zizioulas on conceiving the transcendent … https://afkimel.wordpress.com/
[78] The spirit of the body of Christ: the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in the church https://www.ajol.info/index.
[79] The New Birth and the Conversation with Nicodemus https://zenodo.org/record/
[80] The water in John 3:5 https://verbumetecclesia.org.
[81] A Priestly Christology: A Biblical-Theological Investigation of Christ’s Priesthood https://noyam.org/?download_
[82] The Spirit of Bod in the Old Testament https://zenodo.org/record/
[83] Pneumasis/pneumafication Based on Romans 8:1–17: Highlighting the Spirit’s Role in Deification https://www.mdpi.com/2077-
[84] Pastoral care and healing in Africa: Towards an Adamic Christological practical theology imagination for pastoral healing https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[85] Imago Dei identity as embodied in the incarnation: Kenosis as a catalyst towards identity formation https://verbumetecclesia.org.
[86] The doctrines of original sin and the virgin birth: divine revelation or human construct? https://verbumetecclesia.org.
[87] Baptism in the Holy Spirit-and-Fire: Luke’s Implicitly Pneumatological Theory of Atonement https://www.mdpi.com/2077-
[88] The Orthodox Faith – Volume II – Worship – The Sacraments – Holy Unction https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/
[89] Bible Doctrines – Pneumatology https://bbn1.bbnradio.org/
[90] The Orthodox Faith – Volume II – The Sacraments – Chrismation https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/
[91] Introduction, Lectures in Christian Dogmatics – митрополит Иоанн Зизиулас https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/
[92] [PDF] christology, pneumatology and ecclesiology – ‘theology https://noyam.org/?sdm_
[93] Fr. James Guirguis. How Do Christians Receive the Holy Spirit? https://orthochristian.com/
[94] The Individual and the Church: John Zizioulas and the Eastern … https://ehyde.wordpress.com/
[95] Pneumatological Method – Biblical Reasoning https://secundumscripturas.
[96] Ordination https://zenodo.org/record/
[97] A Baptismal Theology of Accountability https://journals.sagepub.com/
[98] Book Review: Taufe und Abendmahl bei Paulus; Darstellung und religionsgeschichtliche Beleuchtung https://zenodo.org/record/
[99] The African Church’s application of anointing oil: An expression of Christian spirituality or a display of fetish ancestral religion? https://hts.org.za/index.php/
[100] Spirit, Tradition, and the Pneumatology of Liberation https://theotherjournal.com/
[101] The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ – As It Reads https://asitreads.com/2017-12-
[102] The Catechism in Questions & Answers https://nak.org/en/
[103] [PDF] Towards a Pneumatological Ecclesiology. Rev Fr. Linus Pius Thliz https://acjol.org/index.php/