Incarnation and Inspiration: John Owen and the Coherence of Christology

Although the history of doctrine suggests they are mutually exclusive, John Owen's theology effectively integrates them in one coherent Christology.  The underlying structure of his exposition is that of incarnation, whereby the Son willingly assumed human nature into personal subsistence with himself.  But his distinctive idea was that the divine Son acted on his own human nature indirectly and by means of the Holy Spirit.  The foundation of the Spirit's distinctive work was the renewal of the image of God in the humanity of Christ, which the Spirit formed, sanctified, empowered, comforted and glorified.  Owen thus affirmed an inspirational Christology within the framework of an Alexandrian interpretation of the incarnation. The coherence of this account is tested with respect to four areas of concern.