The Form of a Servant: A Historical Analysis of the Kenotic Motif

This is both a historical and a systematic exploration of the basic Christian belief in God's self-emptying in creation and redemption. In Christ, God has "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant." Not only does the author review the thinking on the kenotic motif from earliest Christian times (even antedating the Pauline Epistles) to the present, but he views it as a source of fresh insight for Christology today. Kierkegaard introduced the kenotic motif to contemporary theology, which...