THE CHRIST-CHURCH MARRIAGE ACCORDING to ST. JOHN By
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1] UNIVERSITY DOTTAWA ECOLE DES GRADUES THE CHRIST-CHURCH MARRIAGE ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN by John Alexander Bisbee Thesis presented to the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, of the University of Ottawa as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy rS.ty o» - **£$ Spokane, Washington, 1966 UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UMI Number: DC53592 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI® UMI Microform DC53592 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 UNIVERS1TE DOTTAWA ECOLE DES GRADUES ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis was prepared under the supervision of Rev. Maurice Giroux, O.M.I., S.T.D., director of the Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, of the University of Ottawa. The writer is indebted also to Rev. Joseph F. Conwell, S.J., S.T.D., chairman of the Department of Theology of Gonzaga University, for his advice. Gratitude is especially due to the writer's wife and children for their daily prayers and encouragement in the project. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE DOTTAWA ECOLE DES GRADUES CURRICULUM STUDIORUM John Alexander Bisbee was born February 23, 1926, in Kansas City, Missouri. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from St. John's Seminary and College, Camarillo, California, in 1956. He received the Master of Arts degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame, in 1960. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE DOTTAWA ECOLE DES GRADUES TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter page INTRODUCTION vi I.- JOHANNINE SYMBOLISM 1 II.- CANA: THE SIGN 20 III.- MARY AT CANA „ 44 IV.- GOLGOTHA: THE REALITY 80 V.- MARY AT GOLGOTHA 125 VI.- FECUNDITY OF THE PASCHAL MARKIAGE 159 VII.- FECUNDITY THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS 183 EPILOGUE: THE PAROUSIAL WEDDING 215 BIBLIOGRAPHY „ 219 UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE DOTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES BIBLICAL QUOTATIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS Old Testament quotations are from the new trans lation of the U. S. Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD), 1961. New Testament quotations are from the Revised Standard Version (1946, 1952), unless otherwise specified. Some New Testament quotations--specified as "oC"--are from the old CCD version (1941). Others—designated "nC"--are from the new CCD translation (currently unfinished); these are excerpted from the new Roman Missal. MG = Patrologia Graeca, ed. J. Migne, 161 vol., Paris, 1857-1866. ML = Patrologia Latina, ed. J. Migne, 221 vol., Paris, 1844-1864. CSEL = Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Vienna. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE DOTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES INTRODUCTION This thesis was originally planned to encompass a "theology of marriage." As research progressed, and nar rowing down became inevitable, the writer attempted to focus on the biblical sources, especially Paul and John. Further examination of Johannine texts, especially as inter preted by many modern authors, seemed to reveal a profound and consistent theme of marital symbolism. The development of this theme provides the subject of the present thesis. Although many points are drawn directly from scripture, the chief method is not critical exegesis, but inductive demonstration from extrinsic evidence, i.e., the opinions of biblical commentators. (Chapter I will explain this further.) The thesis attempts to show, from a mass of indicators, that one of the concepts through which Johan nine scripture presents the redemptive union between Christ and Church is as a fruitful marriage. This interpretation is offered as a working hypothesis which seems to throw light on the texts in question. Any single point in the demonstration is dispensable; the hypothesis is based on the collective evidence. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE P'OTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES INTRODUCTION vii The overall contribution this thesis attempts to make is to synthesize into a recognizable pattern many fragments of insights and suggestions, from authors through the centuries and from scripture itself: the theme of the Christ-Church marriage according to John. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRAPUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE D'OTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES CHAPTER I JOHANNINE SYMBOLISM Summary of Chapter Biblical symbolism shows communication of revealed meaning from an eternal to a temporal level, which thereby becomes a sign of the eternal. Johannine scripture, parti cularly the fourth gospel, relates these levels to the theological "Word" revealed through the historical "flesh," especially the events of Christ's life, passion, death and resurrection. John shows Jesus' historical acts as "signs" of the paschal mystery, both in se and as continued in the Church, chiefly through the sacraments. The thesis examines the Johannine redemptive mystery symbolized specifically as a marriage between Christ and his Church. This invisible union on the level of "Word" will be seen as symbolized by events on the level of "flesh." Biblical Symbolism One of the obvious bases for the current theological aggiornamento in the Church is a return to the biblical mode UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRAPUATE STUPIES UNIVERSITE DOTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES JOHANNINE SYMBOLISM < of thinking, which is largely Semitic; therefore, histori cal, concrete and monistic. If, as Berdyaev says, "a symbol shows us that the meaning of one world is to be found in another," then small wonder that symbolism pervades the biblical revela tion. Danielou emphasizes: Symbolism occupies a very important position in religious life and thought. Biblical, sacra mental and mystical theologies resort to images derived from the sensible world as a habitual language to signify the realities of the spir itual world. Yet we must realize that modern man has very little enthusiasm for this kind of knowledge. Accustomed as he is to the methods and successes of efficient causality, he has little taste for research into exemplary causality and regards it as an inferior order of knowing which has its origin more in poetry than in science and is not capable of that rigorous method which is for him the foundation of real certitude. Symbolic theology does not pro ceed from some vague, prelogical mentality, which would have nothing more than an archeo- logical interest for us, but ... on the con trary, it constitutes one of the permanent forms of religious thought. 1 N. Berdyaev, Freedom and the Spirit, /New York, Scribner, 1935/ p. 52-53, quoted by Chavasse, The Bride of Christ, London, Faber & Faber, 1940, p. 13. 2 J. Danielou, "The Problem of Symbolism," in Thought, Vol. 25, 1950, p. 423. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRAPUATE STUPIES UNIVERSITE DOTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES JOHANNINE SYMBOLISM 3 Biblical symbolism, as this thesis uses the term, means more than figures of speech: simile, metaphor, person ification, allegory, etc. Of course, there are revealed figures of speech; e.g., Christ is "door of the sheep" (Jn 10:7). But many of the biblical metaphors border on symbolism; e.g., "lamb of God." Biblical symbolism, more than simply comparing analogues, shows the revealed meaning, the supernatural intelligibility, of the secondary analogue as derived from the prime analogue, because this prime analogue mysteriously communicates itself into the symbol. Christ communicates meaning to the Church which therefore symbolizes Christ. God communicates to Christ who thereby signifies God. The biblical symbol is, in a broad sense, a "sacrament," containing something of what it symbolizes. Symbolism of John Johannine scripture, basically Semitic literature, relates parts to a totality-view and seeks to convey depth of insight more than analytical precision. One Johannine characteristic that may irritate modern readers is the flexibility and elusiveness of thought. The difficulty, of course, stems largely from the UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRAPUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE D'OTTAWA ECOLE PES GRADUES JOHANNINE SYMBOLISM Semitic background, but it is accentuated by John's own peculiar style. Grossouw explains it thus: John does not reason; he "bears witness," he affirms. He does not prove, he draws no conclusions, he does not lead the reader by gradual deductions toward the comprehension of the whole, his thought does not develop by adding the different parts to constitute the entirety. Instead, he places his reader directly in front of the reality which he himself was privileged to see. This supernatural reality is the center whence all his ideas originate. All his judgments move around this one central point (concentric thinking), constantly endeavor ing to approach even closer and to grasp it (spiral thinking). This hidden and mysterious center is no other than Christ. Concerning the fourth gospel, Braun says: C'est a. quoi nous le voyons se livrer par un jeu merveilleux de r^fe'rences a. l'Ancien Testament, de themes tendus et enchevetres comme les fils d'une tapisserie, de symboles d£gage"s des faits 4vang61iques, de termes polyvalents, d'analogies et de rapports secrets entre les diffe'rentes parties d'un meme message. 3 W. Grossouw, Revelation and Redemption, West minster, Md., Newman, 1955, p. 15. 4 F. M. Braun, La mere des fiddles, Tournai, Casterman, 1954, p. 9. UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA SCHOOL OF GRAPUATE STUDIES UNIVERSITE POTTAWA ECOLE DES GRADUES JOHANNINE SYMBOLISM Two Levels Brown sees in John two basic levels of meaning, the historical and the theological: In the Fourth Gospel the author frequently intends the reader to see several layers of meaning in the same narrative.