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Cur Deus Homo? the Implications of the Doctrine of the Incarnation for a Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Humans and Non-Human Animals

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Cur Deus Homo? the Implications of the Doctrine of the Incarnation for a Theological Understanding of the Relationship Between Humans and Non-Human Animals Cur Deus Homo? The Implications of the Doctorine of the Incarnation for a Theological Understanding of the Relationship between Humans and Non-Human Animals Item Type Thesis or dissertation Authors Hiuser, Kristopher J. Citation Hiuser, K. J. (2014). Cur deus homo? The implications of the doctorine of the incarnation for a theological understanding of the relationship between humans and non-human animals. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, United Kingdom. Publisher University of Chester Download date 28/09/2021 23:54:18 Item License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10034/607163 Cur Deus Homo? The Implications of the Doctrine of the Incarnation for a Theological Understanding of the Relationship between Humans and Non-human Animals. Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Chester for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Kristopher James Hiuser October 2014 Declaration I declare that the material presented for examination here is my own work and has not been submitted for an award at this or another Higher Education institution. Contents Acknowledgements 1 Abstract 3 Introduction Introduction 4 Literature Review 5 Rationales 17 Methodology 20 Synopsis 28 1. Anselm of Canterbury and Sin Introduction 32 Aesthetic Cosmology 33 Sin 45 Redemption 66 Conclusion 76 2. Gregory of Nyssa and the Image of God Introduction 79 Why God became Incarnate 81 The Image of God 87 The Irrational Aspect of Humanity 100 Conclusion 115 3. Maximus the Confessor and Microcosmic Constitution Introduction 118 Creative Cosmology 119 Incarnation 138 Deification 146 Conclusion 152 4. Karl Barth and Representative Covenant Partnership Introduction 155 Covenantal Theology 157 Representation 173 Ethics and Representation 184 Conclusion 194 Conclusion Review of Findings 196 Potential Concerns 202 Implications for Theology 206 Moving Forward 208 Bibliography 210 Acknowledgements My PhD dissertation was not written without a tremendous amount of support from a wide range of sources, each of whom I would like to give my thanks. To the University of Chester, and the Theology and Religious Studies department for not only welcoming me to come to Chester, but also for financial contributions which enabled me to write my dissertation. To both of my supervisors, Professors David Clough and Ben Fulford for your continued support through the process of writing my thesis, and your countless helpful comments about my work (which were always accompanied by affirming statements). In addition, to David Clough in particular who was immensely helpful before I even arrived in Chester and helped Erin and I find a house to live in, who met us at the train station, and even opened up his house for us when we first arrived. Beyond such welcoming, thanks for aiding in my academic growth and development beyond my thesis through encouraging me to attend and present at conferences, through giving me the opportunity to assist in teaching, as well as a range of other work opportunities. To the Light Project which gave the opportunity to lecture on the theology of nonhuman animals, and the realisation through that, that I really did enjoy teaching theology and engaging with students. To my mom, who though she cried when I told her the good news of being accepted by Chester (because I was leaving Canada), nonetheless was very supportive of both Erin and I throughout the whole PhD process, and indeed, throughout the whole of my student career. To some of my fellow PhD students who I’ve met along the way and who played a large role in helping me make it through the whole process. In particular, Matthew Barton for being a co-author with me on the writing my first article, and Emily Pennington, for the countless occasions in which we could vent, laugh, and inspire each other with our shared experiences of writing a PhD, and the many shared drinks such times entailed. I must say, I’m still no fan of soapy wine. To all of my other friends and all the supportive people from Christ Church, who provided the environment where I could relax and enjoy life outside of the dissertation. Particular thanks to Ralph Kemp who not only consistently opened up his home to me for 1 some well needed scotch and cigars, but also for all the enjoyable things we’ve done since I’ve arrived in Chester which helped keeping me working. Finally to my wonderful wife Erin who not only up and moved across the ocean to be with me as I worked through my PhD, but also supported both of us – through not only this PhD, but also through my Masters. In addition, many thanks to her for reading through the entire thesis with her sharp eye for all my grammatical foibles. I have not only these things, but also many more to be thankful for in regards to Erin. (= 2 Cur Deus Homo? The Implications of the Doctrine of the Incarnation for a Theological Understanding of the Relationship between Humans and Non-human Animals. by Kristopher James Hiuser Abstract This thesis examines the doctrine of the incarnation with particular attention to the implications of this doctrine for a theological understanding of human/nonhuman relationships. To do so, it is guided by two driving questions: Why did God become human in particular in the incarnation?, and what are the implications of the humanity of Christ for the way in which Christian theology construes the human/nonhuman relationship? Each chapter is guided by these questions, and seeks to find and test the answers given by four major theologians from the Christian tradition: Anselm of Canterbury and sin, Gregory of Nyssa and the image of God, Maximus the Confessor and the human constitution as microcosm, and Karl Barth and the human calling to be a representative covenantal partner. Through the use of the guiding questions, and engagement with these four theologians and their respective answers, three theses are developed over the course of the dissertation. First, that God’s motivation for the incarnation extends beyond the human to include the nonhuman creature. Of the various reasons put forward throughout this thesis, each of them is shown to include the nonhuman animal in some way. Second, that God became human in particular due to the unique human calling to be a representative creature. In arriving at this conclusion, various viewpoints are considered and ultimately rejected as being sufficient to account for God’s will to become human in particular. Third, the unique human calling of representation is shown to carry with it ethical implications for humans with regards to nonhuman animals. Given the human calling of representing creation to God, and God to creation, there are necessary ethical implications which such a calling has for what it means to be human. 3 Introduction The incarnation is a key feature of Christian doctrine that has had radical implications for how human/nonhuman1 relationships have been construed. God’s choice to become human in particular has repeatedly been used throughout the Christian tradition to distinguish between the creature that God willed to become, against those He did not. This is not to suggest that such distinctions should not be made; indeed as I will argue in this dissertation there is good reason for doing so. Often, however, in various ways the Christian tradition has used the incarnation to distinguish between human and nonhuman and carried with such a distinction either a negative view towards nonhuman creatures, or results in their being theologically ignored. As this thesis will explore, there are various ways this has occurred, yet one example illustrates this tendency clearly. David Clough demonstrates a way in which the nonhuman is often ignored in his book On Animals: ‘God became human. Not only that, but God became human in order to overcome human sinful disobedience and reconcile Godself with humanity: the choice of creature in which to become incarnate – human; the cause of the ill that needed remedying – human; and the beneficiaries of the divine act of incarnation and atonement – human.’2 In this example Clough notes the suggestion that God’s incarnation as a human was motivated by the failings of a single type of creature, and God’s desire to redeem that same single type of creature.3 In such accounts all other types of creatures are often relegated to lacking theological significance or even a theological presence. The aim of this thesis is to examine the particular way in which different theologians have answered the question ‘why did God became human?’ and to use their answers as a fruitful means of studying how Christian theology deals with the relationship between human and nonhuman creatures. God’s choice to become incarnate as a human is at the centre of theological understandings of the relationship between human and non-human, and so this is 1 Throughout this thesis, I use the term ‘nonhuman animal’ rather than just ‘animal’ when referring to earthly creatures other than humans. This is done because humans are themselves animals, sharing with other earthly creatures all manner of fleshly existence, and to highlight such a shared creaturely existence that humans have with nonhuman animals, a fact that is often disguised when humans are not expressed to be animals at all. For more on this see Deane-Drummond, Celia and David Clough, ‘Introduction’ in Creaturely Theology: On God, Humans and Other Animals edited by Celia Deane-Drummond and David Clough, 2. London: SCM Press, 2009; and Clough, David. On Animals: Vol. 1 Systematic Theology. London: T&T Clark, 2012, xv-xvi. 2 Clough, On Animals, 81. 3 It is interesting to note that not all have viewed God’s incarnation as a human in particular as necessarily descriptive of a particular merit or superiority on the part of humans.
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