The Triune God As Similarity in Difference: an Engagement with Paul Ricoeur's Hermeneutical Detour JH Ahn Orcid.Org / 0000-00
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Triune God as similarity in difference: An engagement with Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutical detour JH Ahn orcid.org / 0000-0002-0574-3183 Thesis accepted for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Dogmatics at the North-West University Promoter: Prof S Van Der Walt Graduation: May 2020 Student number: 28883179 Acknowledgments The last moment of the long journey to the Triune God probably should inevitably end with Augustine’s confession: “I [Augustine] confess rather that the highest Trinity’s sublime knowledge has been too great for me, and that I am unable to reach to it” (Ps 138:6) (De Trin. 15.27.50). I also praise the Holy Triune God: “Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul” (Ps 146:1). I would like to express my gratitude to my promoter Prof. Sarel Van Der Walt who gave me guidance and advice as well as encouragement. I would also like to give thanks to Prof. Hae Moo Yoo. Through him, I gained trinitarian perspectives for theology. I would like to express my special gratitude to my wife Hyo Jung Lee and my lovely children; Dong Eun, Si Eun, Cho Eun. I want to dedicate this thesis to my family. I Abstract The aim of this study is to apply Ricoeur’s (1913-2005) philosophical hermeneutics to the doctrine of the Trinity and to move and expand the doctrine from the notional sphere to the pragmatic field through trinitarian hermeneutics. The basic structure of this thesis is constituted by interaction between three fields: Ricoeur’s hermeneutical detour (symbols, metaphors, and narratives), doctrine of the Trinity (the analogical, the immanent, and the economical Trinity) and biblical texts. This dialectic process is accomplished by the notion of resemblance, in other words, similarity in difference. Through synthesis of the interaction, this thesis promotes the realization that the Triune God is not only the purpose of interpretation, but is also the route of interpretation. Key words – The Trinity, Paul Ricoeur, hermeneutics, Trinitarian hermeneutics, hermeneutical detour, symbol, metaphor, narrative, similarity in difference, relationship between hermeneutics and the Trinity, Biblical interpretation. II Table of Contents Brief Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT 1.2 AIM & OBJECTIVES 1.3 CENTRAL THEORETICAL ARGUMENT 1.4 METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 2. RICOEUR’S PHILOSOPHY AND HERMENEUTICAL DETOUR 2.1 RICOEUR’S LIFE AND HIS WORKS 2.2 HERMENEUTICAL DETOUR 2.3 SIMILARITY IN DIFFERENCE 2.4 HERMENEUTICAL APPROACHES TO THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY 2.5 CONCLUSION CHAPTER 3 SYMBOLS AND THE ANALOGICAL TRINITY 3.1 SYMBOLISM OF RICOEUR 3.2 THE TRINITY AND SYMBOLISM 3.3 TRINITARIAN SYMBOLS IN SCRIPTURE 3.4 CONCLUSION CHAPTER 4 METAPHORS AND THE IMMANENT TRINITY 4.1 RICOEUR’S THEORY OF METAPHOR 4.2 THE IMMANENT TRINITY 4.3 TRINITARIAN METAPHORS IN SCRIPTURE 4.4 CONCLUSION CHAPTER 5 NARRATIVES AND THE ECONOMICAL TRINITY 5.1 RICOEUR’S NARRATIVE THEORY 5.2 THE ECONOMIC TRINITY 5.3 TRINITARIAN NARRATIVE IN SCRIPTURE III 5.4 CONCLUSION CHAPTER 6 RICOEUR’S BIBLILCAL HERMENEUTICS AND TRINITARIAN HERMENEUTICS 6.1 RICOEUR’S BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS 6.2 TRINITARIAN HERMENEUTICS 6.3 THE INTEGRATION BETWEEN RICOEUR’S HERMENEUTICS AND THE TRINITARIAN HERMENEUTICS 6.4 THE TRIUNE GOD AS THE PRIME PRINCIPLE OF BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS 6.5 CONCLUSION CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY IV Full Table of Contents Abstract ························································································································· I Table of Contents ············································································································ III Brief Table of Contents ····································································································· III Full Table of Contents ······································································································· V Abbreviations ················································································································· X Chapter 1 Introduction ······································································································ 1 1.1 Background and problem statement ·················································································· 1 1.1.1 Background ············································································································ 1 1.1.2 Problem statement ···································································································· 2 1.2 Aim & Objectives ········································································································· 5 1.2.1 The aim ················································································································ 5 1.2.2 Objectives ············································································································· 5 1.3 Central theoretical argument ·························································································· 6 1.4 Methodology ··············································································································· 6 1.4.1 The hermeneutical detour and the Trinity ········································································· 7 1.4.2 Symbolism and the analogical Trinity ············································································· 7 1.4.3 Metaphor and the immanent Trinity ················································································ 8 1.4.4 Narrative and the economic Trinity ················································································ 8 1.4.5 The Trinity as similarity in difference and as the route of interpretation of Scripture ······················· 8 Chapter 2. Ricoeur’s philosophy and hermeneutical detour ······················································· 10 2.1 Ricoeur’s life and his works ·························································································· 10 2.2 Hermeneutical detour ·································································································· 17 2.3 Similarity in difference ································································································ 22 2.4 Hermeneutical approaches to the doctrine of the Trinity ······················································· 25 2.5 Conclusion ··············································································································· 29 Chapter 3 Symbols and the analogical Trinity ········································································ 32 3.1 Symbolism of Ricoeur·································································································· 32 3.1.1 General symbolism ································································································· 33 V 3.1.1.1 Definition of symbol ·························································································· 33 3.1.1.2 The proper place of interpretation of symbols ····························································· 38 3.1.1.3 Reflection and symbol ························································································ 40 3.1.2 Symbol and interpretation ························································································· 41 3.1.2.1 Symbol and analogy ·························································································· 42 3.1.3 Symbolism of evil ·································································································· 44 3.1.3.1 Primary symbol for evil as defilement ····································································· 44 3.1.3.2 The second symbol for evil as the myth ···································································· 45 3.1.4 Summary············································································································· 48 3.2 The Trinity and symbolism ··························································································· 49 3.2.1 Augustine of Hippo (354 ~ 430) ·················································································· 50 3.2.2. Karl Barth (1886~1968) ·························································································· 53 3.2.3. Kevin Vanhoozer (1957~ ) ························································································ 54 3.2.4 Paul Tillich (1886 ~ 1965) ······················································································· 57 3.2.5 Karl Rahner (1904 - 1984) ······················································································· 60 3.2.6 John Zizioulas (b. 1931-) ·························································································· 61 3.2.6 Summary············································································································· 62 3.3 Trinitarian symbols in Scripture····················································································· 63 3.3.1 The Father in the trinitarian symbol ·············································································· 63 3.3.2 The Son as trinitarian symbol ····················································································· 65 3.3.3 The Spirit as trinitarian symbol ··················································································· 67 3.3.4 Summary·············································································································