Christian anthropology

This article is about Christian anthropology. For other uses, see Anthropology (disambiguation).
The Creation of Adam, as depicted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling

In the context of Christian theology, Christian anthropology is the study of the human (anthropos) as it relates to God. It differs from the social science of anthropology, which primarily deals with the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity across times and places.

One aspect of Christian anthropology studies the innate nature or constitution of the human, known as the nature of humankind. It is concerned with the relationship between notions such as body, soul and spirit which together form a person, based on their descriptions in the Bible. There are three traditional views of the human constitution – trichotomism, dichotomism and monism (in the sense of anthropology).[1]

  1. ^ Erickson, Millard (1998). Christian Theology (2 ed.). Baker Academic. p. 537. ISBN 0-8010-2182-0.