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Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction Du Branch Patrimoine De I'edition Towards Right Relationship: Exploring Trinitarian Theology As A Pathway to Communion By Gerald Frank Gabriel A Thesis Submitted to Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax, Nova Scotia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Theological Studies April, 2008, Halifax Nova Scotia Copyright Gerald Frank Gabriel, 2008. Approved: Dr. Rob Fennel 1 Thesis Advisor April 11,2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-46166-2 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-46166-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada Abstract Towards Right Relationship: Exploring Trinitarian Theology As A Pathway to Communion By Gerald Frank Gabriel Abstract: The Trinitarian theology of Catherine LaCugna, expressed in her text God For Us, as well as her other writings, is utilized as a lens to explore the possibility of communion with God, each other and all creation. Ultimately the exploration offers a bridge between theology and spirituality with the objective of inspiring right Christian living. Towards this end, there is a focus on Michael Downey's work, Altogether Gift, a handbook on Trinitarian spirituality, originally conceived as a joint endeavor with LaCugna. Overall LaCugna's contribution is viewed as a significant in that she aids in revitalizing Trinitarian theology, shifting the focus from God in se to God pro nobis. Moreover LaCugna's theology is deemed to be efficacious and the right relationship of communion, between people, all of creation and God, to be normative and attainable. April 15, 2008. Table of Contents Section Page Introduction 3 1.1 Augustine 9 1.2 Aquinas 11 1.3 The Cappadocians 13 1.4 Karl Rahner 15 1.5 Jurgen Moltmann 17 1.6 A Central Issue 18 Relationality 20 2.1 Self-Communication 21 2.2 Personhood 22 2.3 Relationships 23 2.4 Further Considerations 25 Community and Communion 27 3.1 Community 28 3.2 Communion 33 3.3 Towards the Mystery of Communion 36 Oikonomia and Theologia 38 4.1 Entering the Mystery of God 38 4.2 Knowing God 40 4.3 Unknowing God 41 4.3.1 The Correlation of Two Mysteries 43 4.4 Situating LaCugna 45 Pathway to Communion 49 5.1 Right Relationship 51 5.2 Fulfilling the Economy of Salvation 54 5.3 Embracing a Trinitarian Spirituality 58 5.4 Achieving Full Christian Living 59 5.5 Summarizing Thoughts 66 Some Objections 69 6.1 Bracken's View 72 6.1.1 Bracken's Review of LaCugna's Text 73 6.2 Bracken's The Triune Symbol 75 6.3 The Value of His Vision 77 6.4 Refocusing on LaCugna 78 Conclusion 80 7.1 The Substance of LaCugna's Contribution 81 7.2 The Issue of Efficacy Revisited 83 7.3 In Praise of Communion 85 Bibliography 88 3 Introduction Trinitarian Doctrine expounds the nature of God. Classical theological teaching has focused most often on the intra-divine realm of the triune God. Consequently God's ad extra (outside of God's self) relationality has been understated. As Christians, we may understand that God calls us into relationship. But our perception of God, and how God relates to us, influences how we respond to God and live out our Christian faith. In this way, the quality of our intended human-divine interactions is informed. This thesis proposes to examine recent developments in Trinitarian theology as a means of enhancing our relationship with God. Principally the objective is to examine the potentiality for communion with God. The primary focus will be the Trinitarian theology of Catherine LaCugna; she will serve as a lens for our exploration. LaCugna believes that communion with God is indeed possible and is convinced that this state-of- being constitutes right relationship with God. LaCugna's theology is comprehensively presented in her work, God For Us.' This text, along with her other writings, will be the basis for examining the question: Is LaCugna's theological vision efficacious in facilitating or fostering human-divine communion? In pursuing this relationship of communion, a variety of other theologians' contributions, ancient and modern, will be considered. Special attention will be given to the recent text of Michael Downey, Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality.2 Downey's work is consistent with LaCugna's theology - indeed this text was originally conceived as a collaborative effort. Downey's portrayal of Trinitarian spirituality resonates with LaCugna's vision of the Trinity and thus can be viewed as an extension of 1 Catherine LaCugna, God For Us: The Trinity and Christian Life (San Francisco: Harper, 1991). 2 Michael Downey, Altogether Gift: A Trinitarian Spirituality (New York: Orbis, 2000). 4 her theological framework. We will also see how some criticisms of LaCugna nuance our understanding of divine-human communion. At the outset, it is instructive to offer a background to our perspective of the Trinity and the theological context that led to LaCugna's thinking. That is, LaCugna's theology needs to be viewed as an integral part of a larger process that sought to revitalize Trinitarian understanding. Such an effort had been going on for several decades3, striving to overcome the irrelevance of the Trinity for many Christians. In contrast to its former obscurity, the theological discourse surrounding the Trinity in the past thirty years has been both surprising and remarkable. Collectively there has been a quality of thought and significant effort devoted to a deeper understanding of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Thus, after generations of seeming neglect, the theology of the Trinity becomes a central focus. Much of the re-thinking concerns itself with the relational nature of God as revealed by the innate relationships of the three divine persons. One of the foundations of this revitalization of the Trinity is the explication of personhood in the context of Eastern understanding of divine communion within the Trinity: "[God's] being is identical with an act of communion". In this vein, Migliore describes the Trinity as "essentially a koinonia of persons in love".5 In addition the inspiration for much of the discourse entailed re-discovering early Christian conviction that "Jesus and the Spirit reveal the very being of ... a God who reaches out in a dynamism of love and relationship".6 Stanley Grenz, Rediscovering The Triune God: The Trinity in Contemporary Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004). 4 John Zizioulas, Being as Communion: Studies in Personhood and Church (Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1993), 44. Daniel Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology, Second Edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004), 77. 6 Edward Hahnenberg, Ministries: A Relational Approach (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2003), 87. 5 Accordingly, this renewed theological exploration does not only devote attention to the relationship internal to the Trinity, but examines how that divine relationship is extended to humanity and the world. There are a number of theologians who contribute to this sustained dialogue. Gunton speculates about the eventual human outcome of encounter with God and concludes that "human beings are created to be with and for God...and one another in likeness to the triune communion". Tanner explicates that the triune God "expressing .. .dynamic life outward.. .brings about a variety of different forms of connection or union with the non-divine". In her view human beings ultimately will be assumed into the Trinity and the whole world will become a universal community.9 Jenson is unequivocal in his views about God's nature and the implications for human persons: It is precisely because God is triune that we can be one in him: this specific God and he alone can be both a personal center for [people] and a system of relations in which they can be directly related to each other.10 Similarly Torrance drawing on the insights of Barth11 maintains that God's inner nature "becomes the very ground of our participation in God...in the 'mutuality' of the intra divine communion". He maintains that communion is state of being into which 7 Colin Gunton, The Triune Creator: A Historical and Systematic Study (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 210.
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