Thomas Gaston - Dynamic Monarchianism: The Earliest Christology

In this presentation from the 2024 UCA UK International Conference, Thomas Gaston argues that ancient Dynamic Monarchians held that Jesus was a miraculously conceived man who, after his resurrection, ascended to heaven and to divine authority, as opposed to being an eternal divine Person who became human. Far from being a phenomenon that appeared only in isolated cases in the third century, Dynamic Monarchianism was a tradition that existed from the earliest days of Christianity and was part of the Christian mainstream until the emergence of newer Christologies led to it being regarded as heretical. Thomas Gaston holds a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Oxford, a Masters in the History of Christianity from the University of Birmingham, and a degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick. He specializes in historical Christology, early Christianity, and biblical interpretation. He is also the author of Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel (Paternoster, 2016) and many articles on Christian theology and history which have appeared in academic journals. Gaston is a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers and is a senior manager at Wiley. He lives in the United Kingdom.