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The Infinitude of Beauty As Expression of the Beauty of the Infinite?

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The Infinitude of Beauty As Expression of the Beauty of the Infinite? The Infinitude of Beauty as Expression of the Beauty of the Infinite? A critical evaluation of the use of the analogia entis in the theological aesthetics of David Bentley Hart by Marnus Havenga Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology (MTh), Department Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology, Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Professor R.R. Vosloo April 2014 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za DECLARATION By submitting this thesis electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the authorship owner thereof (unless to the extent explicitly otherwise stated) and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. Date: 27/11/2013 Copyright © 2014 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate if American Orthodox theologian David Bentley Hart's use of the classical Thomistic principle of the analogia entis (in his monograph The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth), can be deemed to be a valid, responsible and beneficial manner of affirming a continuity between the beauty of God and the beauty of creation, and opposing the seemingly problematic worldview of dualism. After reviewing a selection of works in the field of theological aesthetics, this study is conducted both as a historical analysis and a systematic exposition on the analogia entis, by critically examining the use (and critique) of analogy and the analogy of being in Greek (Aristotle), Scholastic (Thomas Aquinas) and 20th century thought (Erich Przywara, Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar), before inspecting and ultimately affirming David Bentley Hart’s own use thereof (in regards to the beauty of God and the beauty of creation). ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Opsomming Die doel van hierdie studie is om ondersoek in te stel of die Amerikaanse Ortodokse teoloog David Bentley Hart se gebruik van die klassieke Thomistiese beginsel van die analogia entis (in sy monografie The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth) as geldige, verantwoordelike en voordelige wyse geag kan work om 'n kontinuïteit tussen die skoonheid van God en die skoonheid van die skepping te bevestig, en sodoende die oënskynlike problematiese wêreldbeskouing van dualisme aan te spreek. Na die beskouing van 'n reeks werke in die veld van teologiese estetika, fokus hierdie studie op beide die historiese analise en die sistematiese uiteensetting van die analogia entis, deur die gebruik (en ook kritiek) van analogie en die synsanalogie in Griekse (Aristoteles), Skolastiese (Thomas Aquinas) en 20ste eeuse denke (Erich Przywara, Karl Barth en Hans Urs von Balthasar) onder die loep te neem, waarna David Bentley Hart se eie gebruik daarvan (in terme van die skoonheid van God en die skoonheid van die skepping) ondersoek en uiteindelik bevestig word. iii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgments Foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Robert Vosloo, one of the most well-read persons I've ever met, for his continuous encouragement and masterly assistance in the development and writing of this thesis. His wealth of knowledge on everything from aesthetics to scholastic metaphysics to 20th century and contemporary theological thought (across different schools and traditions), as well as his love for the beautiful, has been incredibly inspiring and helpful, and I am truly grateful to be one of his students. Besides my supervisor, I would also like to thank the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and Stellenbosch University's Postgraduate and International Office, who has jointly made it possible for me to spend the last six months in Tübingen, Germany. The fact that I could listen to Bach Cantatas in the Stiftskirche, marvel at magnificent art in the Kunsthalle, and blissfully stroll through the Schönbuch nature reserve while working on this study, truly made writing on the theme of beauty an immensely rich and sacred experience. My sincerest thanks furthermore goes to my parents, Marthinus & Ronelle Havenga, my brother and sister, Franco and Ané Havenga, and especially also then Angelique Bester, for their endless support and care - for which I am endlessly grateful. iv Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za “... A man that looks on glass, On it may stay his eye, Or, if he pleaseth, through it pass, And then the heav’n espy ...” The Elixir, George Herbert v Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Table of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Setting the Scene ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 The Research Problem ............................................................................................ 5 1.3 The Research Question ........................................................................................... 6 1.4 The Research Method and Design ........................................................................... 6 1.5 The Structure of the Thesis ...................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2 – Theological Aesthetics and the Turn to Analogy ..................................... 9 2.1 The Reappraisal of Theological Aesthetics in the 20th Century ................................. 9 2.2 Some Terminological Clarifications ........................................................................ 11 2.2.1 Aesthetics ............................................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Beauty .................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Christianity's Relationship to Beauty ........................................................................ 15 2.4 Iconoclasm, Asceticism and Futurism (Farley) ....................................................... 17 2.5 Farley’s Themes in Practice ................................................................................... 20 2.6 Beauty Revisited .................................................................................................... 24 2.7 Introducing David Bentley Hart as Part of the Conversation .................................. 29 Chapter 3 – The Use of Analogy in Ancient Greek and Scholastic Thought ........... 31 3.1 A Third Alternative .................................................................................................. 31 3.2 The Analogy of Proportionality in the Thought of Thomas Aquinas ....................... 32 3.3 The Analogy of Proportionality Reconsidered? ...................................................... 39 3.4 Cajetan, the Analogy of Being and Beyond ............................................................ 42 Chapter 4 – The Analogy of Being in the 20th Century ............................................... 43 4.1 From Aristotle and Thomas to Przywara, Barth and Von Balthasar ....................... 43 4.2 War, Przywara and Analogy ................................................................................... 44 4.3 Przywara’s Conception of the Analogia Entis ......................................................... 46 4.4 From Above to Below: The Analogy of Being and Faith ......................................... 48 4.5 A Different Take on the War: Karl Barth’s Break from Liberal Protestantism ......... 51 4.6 God as Wholly Other .............................................................................................. 52 4.7 Barth’s Interactions with Przywara at Göttingen and Münster ................................ 53 4.8 Barth’s Rejection of the Analogia Entis .................................................................. 55 vi Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za 4.9 The Analogia Entis as the Invention of the Anti-Christ ........................................... 58 4.10 An Eventual Turn to Analogy .................................................................................. 60 4.11 From One Swiss to Another ................................................................................... 63 4.12 Von Balthasar’s Return to the Whole ..................................................................... 66 4.13 Returning to the Theology of David Bentley Hart .................................................. 70 Chapter 5 – The Analogia Entis according to Hart ..................................................... 71 5.1 A Brief Review ........................................................................................................ 71 5.2 Dionysus Against the Crucified: Nietzsche and his Postmodernist Disciples ......... 73 5.3 God Beyond, Yet Also Within the World ................................................................. 77 5.4 The Analogia Entis ................................................................................................. 80 5.5 Towards a Theological Aesthetics .......................................................................... 85 Chapter 6 – The Beauty of the Infinite: Hart's Theological Aesthetics ..................... 87 6.1 A Dogmatic Minora ................................................................................................. 87 6.2 Trinity
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