When Aristotle sat down to write his Categories, he wasn’t trying to map the absolute limits of the universe. Instead, he was cataloging something much closer to home: the fundamental ways we talk about things that are—substances, quantities, qualities, relations, time, and space. It was a brilliant, structural look at ontology (being) and the basic framework of human experience.
Yet, when we turn the pages of the Gospels, we encounter someone who doesn’t just categorize existence—He commands it.
In his New Testament Survey, apologist Norman Geisler points out a breathtaking ontological reality: every single category of being that Aristotle laid out is mastered by Jesus Christ. Jesus is not a mere teacher navigating the rules of reality in his human form; as the true Lord of all categories, He governs them entirely.
An excerpt from Norman Geisler’s A Popular Survey of the New Testament (p.94):
“Power of the Logos (Word) over Cosmos (World): Jesus’s power over the cosmos was seen by the fact that he manifested control over every category of the cosmos as listed by the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Categories.
Note Jesus’s power over:
✔️ Substance (what?)-turning water into wine (John 2:1-10)
✔️ Quantity (how much?)-feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14)
✔️ Quality (what kind?)-the blind man gets quality of sight (John 9:1-11)
✔️Relation (to what?) —raising Lazarus to his new relationship with the living (John 11:1-44)
✔️ Space (where?) —healing the nobleman’s son from a distance (John 4:46-54) time (when?)-healing a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight vears (John 5:1-9)
✔️ Position (on what?) —walking on water, an unnatural position (John 6:16-21)
✔️ Action (from what?) —his victorious death (John 19)
✔️ Passion (on what?) -his triumphant resurrection (John 20)
✔️ State or Habit (under what condition?)-catching a multitude of fish (John 21:1-6)”
Though He entered our world in the incarnation, Jesus was never confined by the categories of existence; rather, as their Creator, He is their sovereign Lord.
This is more than a fascinating philosophical harmony to ponder over a quiet cup of coffee or in our studies—it is an anchor for our souls. Because Christ holds total dominion over every category of existence, no trial we face falls outside His sovereign reach. The One who commands the building blocks of reality is the One who holds us fast. Whatever category of trial finds us today — our Lord is in control.
Hold Fast Apologetics 