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Anselm's Cur Deus Homo for a Peace Theology: on the Compatibility of Non-Violence and Sacrificial Atonement

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Anselm's Cur Deus Homo for a Peace Theology: on the Compatibility of Non-Violence and Sacrificial Atonement ANSELM'S CUR DEUS HOMO FOR A PEACE THEOLOGY: ON THE COMPATIBILITY OF NON-VIOLENCE AND SACRIFICIAL ATONEMENT Rachel Reesor-Taylor Department of Graduate Studies and Research McGill University, Montreal February 2007 A thesis submitted to Mc Gill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctorate ofPhilosophy © Rachel Reesor-Taylor, 2007 Libraryand Bibliothèque et Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-38634-7 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-38634-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant à la Bibliothèque 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 télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, électronique commercial purposes, in microform, eUou autres formats. paper, electranic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. ln compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privée, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont été enlevés de cette thèse. 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 fram the thesis. ••• Canada Abstract in English Although the interpretation of Anselm's Cur Deus Homo in the tradition of Albrecht Ritschl, Adolf von Harnack and Gustaf Aulén has led to a suspicion about its usefulness for a Peace Theology, a reading through the lens of more recent scholarship, which assumes its original Catholic, sacramental and sacrificial framework, reveals a beautiful understanding of the cross in this medieval classic that is perfectly compatible with a commitment to nonviolence. Three Mennonite scholars writing in pursuit of an Anabaptist Peace Theology, John Howard Yoder, John Driver and J. Denny Weaver display varying degrees of dissatisfaction with the explanation that Anselm provided in Cur Deus Homo, and none held out many prospects for its usefulness. Yoder highlighted the weaknesses, Driver essentially repeated them, and Weaver went a step further to charge that Cur Deus Homo depicted divinely sanctioned violence and ought to be rejected. They did not demonstrate much awareness of or reliance on the contributions of scholars who have focused on Anselm's theology and context. Reading Cur Deus Homo through the lens of more recent anselmian scholarship reveals that the honour and justice of God are one with the mercy and love of God. Humanity is restored not through punishment, but through the means of satisfaction and reward, while the whole explanation is seen in a sacrificial framework. Anselm's insistence upon human participation, and on satisfaction are very congenial to certain emphases of a Peace Theology, namely, discipleship and restorative justice. The real death understood metaphorically as a sacrifice does not violate the commitment to nonviolence, but strengthens it. A rejection of Anselm's metaphysic, ontology and sacrificial framework, a failure to distinguish between punishment and satisfaction, a failure to reflect from the perspective of the guilty, and a neglect of or ambivalence about the doctrines of the two natures and the trinity alllead to a distorted impression of Cur Deus Homo, concealing the contribution Cur Deus Homo might make to a Peace Theology. Abstract in French L'interprétation du texte d'Anselme Cur Deus Homo dans la tradition d'Albrecht Ritschl, d'Adolf von Harnack et de Gustaf Aulén amène à penser qu'il ne serait pas utile pour une théologie de la paix. Pourtant, en le lisant au moyen de l'érudition contemporaine qui suppose le contexte originel, sacramentel et sacrificiel, se dégage une image de la croix qui est compatible avec une option pour la non-violence. Trois spécialistes mennonites à la recherche d'une théologie anabaptistes de la paix sont John Howard Yoder, John Driver et J. Denny Weaver. Ils ne trouvent pas beaucoup de mérite dans le Cur Deus Homo. Yoder a souligné les faiblesses du texte, Driver les a répétées, et Weaver est allé plus loin en affirmant que Cur Deus Homo représente une violence divinement sanctionnée et devrait donc être rejeté. Ils n'ont pas démontré une connaissance de la littérature concernant la théologie et le contexte d'Anselme. La lecture du Cur Deus Homo avec l'aide de cette littérature revèle que l'honneur et la justice de Dieu s'accordent avec son amour et sa miséricorde. L'humanité est rachetée non pas par la punition, mais par la satisfaction et la récompense, et tout ceci dans un cadre sacrificiel. L'insistance d'Anselme sur la participation humaine et la satisfaction ressemble à la vie de disciple et à la justice restorative accentuées dans la théologie de la paix. La mort présentée comme sacrifice métaphorique ne contredit pas la non-violence, mais la confirme. Rejeter l'idée de sacrifice, ignorer la différence entre punition et satisfaction, ne pas adopter la perspective du coupable, l'incertitude envers les deux natures du Christ et la trinité donnent une impression fausse du Cur Deus Homo, ce qui empêche de reconnaître ce qu'il pourrait offrir à une théologie de la paix. Acknowledgements 1 must pay tribute to the late George Hunston Williams for taking the time to respond to my early musings and pointing me to his helpful work. 1 acknowledge with gratitude my first Theology professor and advisor, Douglas John Hall, for introducing me to the whole of the 2000 years of Christian tradition and giving me confidence to pursue doctoral studies - but only if 1 had to. 1 also acknowledge the friends and former colleagues at Bluffton University who gave support in a host of institutional and personal ways, induding a Bluffton College Summer Study Grant. 1 thank Douglas Farrow, my supervisor, who has kindly, wise1y and patiently given me guidance to bring this long project to completion. On another level, 1 thank Andrew, Wilfrid and Elsa for their patience and love, as well as our parents and all of the rest of our family. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Acknowledgements INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTERI THREE MENNONITE CRITIQUES OF CUR DEUS HOMO: ECHOES OF HARNACK AND AULÉN Introduction • 21 John Howard Yoder 23 The Critique . 23 The Parallels and the Partings. 29 John Driver 47 J. Denny Weaver 52 The Critique . 52 The Distinctive Element 56 Conclusion 63 CHAPTERII THE HONOUR OF GOD: RECONSIDERING THE 'MIGHTY PRIVATE MAN' Introduction . 65 Outline of CDH 66 The Justice of God 72 Justitia Dei 72 Rectitudo is not Legalistic 80 Forgiveness Without Betrayal. 84 The Honour of God 87 The Aseity of God 94 Beauty, Necessity and Fittingness 97 Answering the Critics . 103 Conclusion 105 CHAPTERIII RESTORATION OF HUMANITY: SATISFACTION, REWARD AND SACRIFICE Introduction . 107 Satisfaction 109 A Debt Requires Satisfaction. 109 Satisfaction, not Punishment • . 113 Satisfaction and Forgiveness . 118 Satisfaction, a Human Desire 122 Satisfaction through Sacrifice 123 Sacrifice in CDH 123 George Williams and the sacrificial mode of CDH . 127 The Reward for Humanity 133 Satisfaction, Human Agency and Happiness 141 Participation through Sacrament and Imitation 153 Answering the Critics: Holy Exchange and Divine Action . 159 Conclusion 161 CHAPTERIV CUR DEUS HOMO AND PEACE THEOLOGY: AN ANALYSIS Introduction . 163 Features of a Peace Theology 163 Affinities between CDH and a Peace Theology 168 Satisfaction and Restorative Justice • 169 Third Way of Satisfaction and Restorative Justice 169 Punishment as Legitimate but Secondary . 173 Payment in Restorative Justice 176 Death as satisfaction 179 Human Agency and Discipleship 181 Anselm's Role for Humanity . 181 Satisfaction and Future Obedience 184 From the Perspective of the Guilty 185 Salvation involves reconciliation and incorporation . 188 Sacrifice and Non-violence 189 The Problem with Sacrifice 191 Sacrifice, Violence and Hebrews revisited 193 A Metaphorical Sacrifice but a Real Death . · 200 Sacrifice as Gift, a Holy Exchange 203 Non-violence and Self-offering · 204 Anselm and Non-violence 206 Sources of Misunderstanding . 208 The Rite of Sacrifice • 208 A Division within the Trinity? 209 What CDH Might Offer · 215 Conclusion · 215 CONCLUSION · 218 Bibliography 225 INTRODUCTION What could a church of the 21 st century, committed to nonviolence, aiming to combat oppression and injustice, leam from an Il th century archbishop of Canterbury, part of a conquering power, a land holder in a feudal society, who was in charge of sending soldiers to support the king's battles -- a bishop in the time of the Crusades? One might well wonder. In fact, l intend to show that Anselm' s careful and intricate argument on atonement provides a rich and useable resource for those in the Peace Theology tradition. On the difficult matter of the ghastly cross he explained just how it could be said to be necessary. When his friend, Boso, asked how God could be omnipotent, wise or just if God saved sinn ers by condemning a just man, Anselm had a ready answer.
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