What are enhypostasis and anhypostasis?

Answer

The term “hypostasis” in Latin means “person” or “substance.” It denotes the essential part of an individual or what defines their true being. This term is commonly used in reference to Christ and His essence.

The Council of Nicaea confirmed the biblical teaching that Jesus shares the same essential nature as the Father—He is “of one substance with the Father.” However, Christ goes beyond this by also taking on human nature. The concept of the hypostatic union describes the joining of human and divine nature in Christ. The terms “enhypostasis” and “anhypostasis” are employed to explain Jesus’ connection to human nature.

While Jesus has always been divine, His humanity became a reality around 2,000 years ago. How did the Son of God become human? If He assumed a human hypostasis, it would imply that He adopted or inhabited an existing human being—entering into an embryo already conceived in Mary’s womb, which would have otherwise been born as someone else if not for God’s intervention. To clarify that this is not Christian doctrine, the term “anhypostasis” is used, with “an-” serving as a negator. Jesus did not take on an existing human hypostasis—He did not take control of another human and their nature. It can be said that the humanity He assumed was impersonal.

It is crucial to emphasize that Jesus’ human nature was genuine. His humanity was not borrowed from another individual, nor was it a mere facade. Jesus did not feign humanity—He truly possessed human nature. The term “enhypostasis” is utilized to affirm this reality. The prefix “en-” is synonymous with “in”—Jesus was genuinely “in” human nature and a true human person. Therefore, theologians use “enhypostasis” to assert that Jesus indeed possessed genuine human personhood, which, unlike His divine nature, could not exist independently. Jesus augmented His divine nature and person with a real human nature.In nature, not a human person. In the end, Jesus has two natures, but He is only one person—He is the same person that He has been from all eternity, but He has added a human nature to His pre-existing divine nature.

Sometimes words seem to make the issue more complicated than it needs to be. However, technical words are sometimes necessary to make very fine but important theological points. The most important thing is to recognize that, in Christ, God took on genuine human nature. Christ’s genuine human nature is in addition to His genuine divine nature, and He remains one unified person, not two. Because the Second Person of the Trinity entered the human race, He could die for the sins of human beings and also sympathize with our weaknesses (see Hebrews 2:14-18). If the words enhypostasis and anhypostasis help us to understand and explain the Incarnation to others, then they are useful. If they only complicate the issue, we can communicate the same concept this way: “2 natures; 1 person.”

A contrast with the Trinity may help as well. Each Person of the Trinity possesses the one indivisible divine nature. These three Persons make up the One True God. Christ is only one person (as are the Father and the Spirit), but He has two natures—a divine nature (from all eternity) and a human nature (from His conception.)