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Anglican-Roman Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue: a Case for a Rahnerian Logic of Symbol Eric S

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Anglican-Roman Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue: a Case for a Rahnerian Logic of Symbol Eric S CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Duquesne University: Digital Commons Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 2016 Anglican-Roman Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue: A Case for a Rahnerian Logic of Symbol Eric S. Dart Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Dart, E. (2016). Anglican-Roman Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue: A Case for a Rahnerian Logic of Symbol (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/460 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANGLICAN-ROMAN CATHOLIC ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE: A CASE FOR A RAHNERIAN LOGIC OF SYMBOL A Dissertation Submitted to McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Eric S. Dart May 2016 Copyright by Eric S. Dart 2016 ANGLICAN-ROMAN CATHOLIC ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE: A CASE FOR A RAHNERIAN LOGIC OF SYMBOL By Eric S. Dart Approved March 30, 2016 ________________________________ ________________________________ Fr. Radu Bordeianu, Ph.D. Dr. Sebastian Madathummuriyll, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Theology Associate Professor of theology (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. Elochukwu Uzukwu, Ph.D. Professor of Theology (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. James Swindal, Ph.D., Dr. Maureen O’Brien Ph.D., Dean, McAnulty College of Liberal Arts Chair, Theology Professor of Philosophy Associate Professor of Theology iii ABSTRACT ANGLICAN-ROMAN CATHOLIC ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE A CASE FOR A RAHNERIAN LOGIC OF SYMBOL By Eric S. Dart May 2016 Dissertation supervised by Fr. Radu Bordeianu, Ph.D. This dissertation examines the ecumenical relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion and the necessity for a symbolic cognitive and narrative conversion in both communions. Drawing upon Karl Rahner’s theology of symbol, this dissertation argues that such a cognitive and narrative conversion is determined by the interpretation and appropriation of God’s mystery as the origin and goal of Christian activity and belief. As such, there is a demand for a second naïveté in both communions, whereby, the methods employed by ecumenical dialogue extend beyond the logic of criticism and seek to embrace a postcritical logic of symbol. iv DEDICATION For Becky, Ewan, and Declan v ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like express my gratitude to the many people who supported and encouraged me throughout the process of writing. I would like offer my special thanks to my director, Fr. Radu Bordeianu. Fr. Bordeianu provided me with constant kindness, support, guidance, and gentle mentorship. I am particularly grateful for his astute ecumenical sensibilities and his tenacious attention to detail, both of which proved invaluable to me throughout my writing. I am also exceedingly grateful to my readers, Fr. Sebastian Madathummuriyll and Fr. Elochukwu Uzukwu. Their kind willingness to be readers, their attentive reading of the text, and their eagerness to share their insights and criticisms has been very much appreciated. I would also like to thank Greg Baker for his dedicated friendship and his eagerness to share his keen editing skills throughout the entire project. Greg’s constant presence and support was an invaluable source of motivation and encouragement for me. Thanks are also due to the theology faculty at Duquesne University to whom I remain indebted for nurturing and forming my vocation as a theologian. In a particular way, thanks are due to my colleagues at Gannon University, especially those in the theology department: to Aaron Kerr for never letting me forget that I was writing a dissertation, to Fr. Caz Wozniak for encouraging me to pursue doctoral studies, to Jimmy Menkhaus for his presence during late night writing sessions in the office, to Fr. Jason Glover for his supportive friendship, to Sr. Michele Healey for her ever present encouragement, and to Fr. Michael Kesicki for his warmth and humor amidst the tumultuous moments of the writing process. vi Lastly, I am grateful to my family. I would never have been able to pursue doctoral studies without the loving support, generosity, and personal sacrifices of my mother and father to ensure that their children would be the first generation to have access to a college education. In particular, I owe thanks to my wife, Rebecca, and my sons, Ewan and Declan. Your patience, encouragement, and loving support has carried me through these years of doctoral work. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication ............................................................................................................................v Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................. vi Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Chapter ONE POSTCRITICAL THOUGHT AND NEED FOR SYMBOL IN THE WEST ............................................................................................12 Introduction ...................................................................................12 Unity and Difference in Western Theology ..................................13 Mystery, Symbol, and a Second Naïveté for Western Thought ....28 Conclusion .....................................................................................53 TWO KARL RAHNER’S LOGIC OF SYMBOL AND POSTCRITICAL THEOLOGY ...............................................................................................54 Introduction ...................................................................................54 The Theological Foundations of Karl Rahner ..............................58 Karl Rahner’s Logic of Symbol ....................................................76 Conclusion ....................................................................................94 THREE KARL RAHNER AND ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM: A SYMBOLIC RETHINKING OF UNITY AND DIFFERENCE ...............................................................96 Introduction ...................................................................................96 The Ecumenical Movement and Ecumenical Dialogue in the Third Millennium ..........................................................................97 Karl Rahner and a Symbolic Approach to Ecumenical Dialogue ...................................................................131 Conclusion ..................................................................................170 FOUR ANGLICAN –ROMAN CATHOLIC DIALOGUE: SOCIAL, HISTORICAL, AND THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS ...............172 Introduction ..................................................................................172 The English Reformation and the Via Media ..............................173 Leo XIII and Apostolicae Curae: The Validity of Anglican Orders ...........................................................................178 The Malines Conversations: Dialogue before Dialogue ..............181 Vatican II and the Malta Report...................................................186 viii Chapter FOUR (cont.) The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission .........195 Anglianorum Coetibus and the Anglican Covenant.....................206 Conclusion ..................................................................................210 FIVE RETHINKING ANGLICAN-ROMAN CATHOLIC ECUMENICAL DIALOGUE: SYMBOL, DIALOGUE, AND A SECOND NAÏVETÉ ..212 Introduction ..................................................................................212 Rethinking the Church as the Symbol of God’s Mystery ...........216 A Symbolic Rethinking of Christian Identity and Koinonia .......234 ARCIC III and Receptive Ecumenism: The Need for Narrative and Cognitive Conversion .................................................................247 Conclusion ..................................................................................284 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................286 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................292 ix Introduction The impetus for the following pages developed out of a fascination with the complexities involved with Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter, Anglicanorum Coetibus, which provides a corporate structure for groups of Anglicans to enter into communion with the Roman Catholic Church and the subsequent events that surrounded the development and eventual failure of the Anglican Covenant. The complexities and issues surrounding both Anglicanorum Coetibus and the Anglican Covenant are strikingly similar to the complexities and issues that surround the present-day ecumenical dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Anglicanorum Coetibus, for instance, is both an affirmation
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