By Schubert Ogden
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There is agreement that Easter meant, in effect, that "the once" became "the once-for-all." But what kind of a change is this? My answer is that it's the same kind of change of which the predication of christological titles of the subject Jesus is the reflection. If this is correct, however, it's important to observe what happens both to the subject Jesus and to any of the several christological predicates by virtue of this change.
Put schematically, one can say that both terms -- predicate and subject -- interpret each other. The predicate interprets the subject Jesus (formally) as the explicit primal ontic authorizing source of a certain selfunderstanding self-understanding and religious faith. The subject, on the other hand, interprets the implicit primal ontic authorizing source (materially) as authorizing just the selfunderstanding and religious faith that the subject authorizes explicitly.
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In this way, "the once" that becomes lithe "the once-for-all" becomes none other than the event as decisively authorizing this self-understanding and religion. Of course, one may say that "the once" must also be whatever can be shown to be necessarily implied by its being just such an explicit primal ontic authorizing source. And reductio, or "transcendental," arguments are insofar entirely in order. But one must watch all such arguments very, very closely, being especially on guard that the inference from premises or warrants to conclusion doesn't somehow involve, however subtly, the fallacy of four terms.
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