DOCSLIB.ORG

The Biblical Foundation of Athanasius' Understanding of the Nicene Homoousion

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Biblical Foundation of Athanasius' Understanding of the Nicene Homoousion Durham E-Theses The biblical foundation of Athanasius' understanding of the nicene homoousion Paparnakis, Anthanasius G. How to cite: Paparnakis, Anthanasius G. (1993) The biblical foundation of Athanasius' understanding of the nicene homoousion, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5624/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 ABSTRACT THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF ATHANASIUS' UNDERSTANDEVG OF THE NTCENE HOMOOUSION By: Athanasius G. Paparnakis Degree: Master of Arts Year: September 1993 In this thesis we attempt to investigate St. Athanasius' defence of the bibHcal character of the crucial Nicene term "homoousios" which has been called into question from the very first moment of its emergence in the official ecclesiastical documents until today. In the Introduction we explore two themes: first, the position of the "homoousios" in modem Athanasian scholarship in which we identify three main problems: a) that very little attention has been paid to the relations of the term with the Bible, b) that it is still regarded as a doctrinal development which marked the beginning of importation into the Christian doctrine of ideas alien to the genuine biblical message and c) that the twofold option between "generic" and "numerical" identity is the prevailing view of understanding the meaning of the term. Second, we briefly explore the data provided by the Athanasian pro-homoousion texts which show that he dealt with two problems: a) that the term was not biblical and b) that it implied division of God. As a result, he relates the term with two fundamental biblical doctrines: the natural generation of the Son from the Father and the unity of essence of the Son / with the Father. His main argument is that the objections raised against the "homoousion" spring out of objection to these biblical doctrines and although the term is not included in the Scriptures it fully preserves their message. In view t)f this, we divided our thesis into two corresponding parts. In the first part we look into the biblical evidence which Athanasius recalls as the source of the doctrine of the Generation of the Son from the Father. We follow his attempt to establish it starting from the conception of the Father as Begetter, going to the act of begetting and finally to the Son as the Offi^ing of the Father. In the first chapter we investigate his interpretation of the biblical texts to which he refers with regard to the first two points: the Son has the beginning of his existence in the being (=essence) of the Father and therefore the biblical verb which describes his generation is "to beget" and not "to create". We investigate the understanding of the Son as Offspring in the second chapter together with the other Christological titles 'Word' and 'Wisdom' with which he establishes the indivisible nature of the divine generation. In the third chapter we look into the Biblical Paradigms 'light- effulgence', 'fountain-river' and 'image' which illustrate his understanding emphasizing the spiritual dimension of divine generation. In the second part we look into the biblical doctrine of the Unity of the Son with the Father which Athanasius mainly bases on the Gospel of St. John. He identifies absolute community of attributes between Father and Son in the biblical descriptions of them except the designations 'Father' and 'Son' which are uniquely attributed to them individually. Thus Athanasius concludes in explaining his understanding as unity of being, essence or divinity and duality of names or persons. Both are equally real and true without subordination of the one to the other. The 'homoousion' is understood to maintain both the distinction and the unity of the Father and the Son. Finally in the Conclusions we summarize the results of our discussion focusing on the meaning of the 'homoousion' and the hermeneutical principles that arise out of Athanasius exegesis. THE BIBLICAL FOUNDATION OF ATHANASIUS' UNDERSTANDING OF THE NICENE "HOMOOUSION" By ATHANASIUS G. PAPARNAKIS Graduate of Theology, University of Thessaloniki The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM FACULTY OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY FOR THE DEGREE OF THE MASTER OF ARTS DURHAM 1993 0 MAY 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 ABBREVIATIONS 4 1. INTRODUCTION 5 1. The data of the Athanasian texts 8 2. The structure of this thesis 29 2. THE "HOMOOUSION" AND THE GENERATION OF THE SON FROM THE FATHER 31 2.1. The Biblical Texts 37 2.1.1. The starting point of the debate: 1Cor.8:6 & 2Cor.5:17-18 37 2.1.2. The Father as the 'beginning' of the Son 40 2.1.2.1. Mat 3:17, 17:5 (and parallels) 42 2.1.2.2. Ps2:7; 44{45);2; 109(110):3 44 2.1.2.3. Jn. 8:42 and Jn. 6:46 46 2.1.2.4. Ex. 3:14 and the term "essence" (ouoia) indicating the Father 49 2.1.3. The Generation of the Son 56 2.1.3.1. The verb 'to beget' in Ps. 2:7, 44:2, 109:3, Prov. 8:25 56 2.1.3.2. The verb 'to create' in Heb. 1:4, 3:2, Acts 2:36, Deut. 32:2,18 60 2.1.3.3. Prov. 8:25 in contrast to Prov. 8:22 68 2.1.3.4. Jn 1:18 in contrast to Prov. 8:22, Col. 1:15, 18, Rom 72 8:29 2.1.4. The differences between human and divine generation 74 2.2. The Christological Titles 87 2.2.1. The Only-begotten Son of God (MovoYevfiQ YIOQ) 87 2.2.1.1. The natural sonship of the Son 93 2.2.1.2. The meaning of sonship "by participation" (ixExoxti) 100 2.2.1.3. The Son as Only-begotten 102 2.2.2. Word (Aoyoc;) and Wisdom (Socpia) 110 2.2.2.1. The Word of God as mediator to the creation 112 2.2.2.2. The Word of God as the offspring of the Father 118 Table of Contents 2 2.3. The Biblical Paradigms 124 2.3.1. The biblical paradigms in Athanasius' exegesis 124 2.3.2. 'Light-effulgence', 'Fountain-river', 'Hypostasis-character' 128 2.3.3. 'Image' (eiKcbv, Col. 1:15) 131 3. THE "HOMOOUSION" AND THE UNITY OF THE SON WITH THE FATHER 137 3.1. The Biblical Texts 142 3.1.1. Jn 10:30, 14:9,10 142 3.1.1.1. Unity of essence as opposed to unity of will 142 3.1.1.2. Jn. 10:30 in contrast to Jn. 17:11,20-23 148 3.1.2. Jn 16:15: identity of attributes 156 3.2. The Christological Titles 165 3.2.1. Word (AoyoQ) 165 3.2.2. Wisdom (Eo(pia) 172 3.3. The Biblical Paradigms 179 4. CONCLUSIONS-ASSESSMENTS 183 1. The meaning of the "homoousion" and its biblical dimension 184 2. The Athanasian exegesis 187 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY 190 1. On the "homoousion" 191 2. On Athanasius and Arius 193 3. On Dogmatic issues 195 4. On Biblical issues 196 5. Exegetical Commentaries 198 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Reaching the end of this attempt of probing into the treasures of patristic biblical exegesis, I feel the need to acknowledge my deep gratitude to all those people who made it possible. First of all, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor Dr. George D. Dragas not only because his wise and tireless guidance led me through the difficulties of academic theological research, but also because the multifold co-operation I enjoyed with him during the past years within the friendly and helpful environment of the University of Durham has left its strong and good impression on my theological and scholarly future. Also, I am deeply grateful to Mrs Ina Dragas and her family whose abundant kindness, friendship and support has made easier for me living and working a long way from home. Secondly, I would like to thank my Professor of New Testament in the University of Thessaloniki Dr. Stergios Sakkos whose encouragement initiated my studies in England and his support until the last moment brought it into fulfilment. Thirdly, I thank my fellow-traveller' Mr. Panagiotis Myrou with whom I shared the same roof and the same pains of academic research. His moral support and advice all these years was most valuable. Last but not least, I want to thank my beloved mother Maria and brother Constantine who bore the various difficulties of me studying abroad and constantly supported me in every way. To them, especially, I owe whatever I am and I have today. To all these people I humbly dedicate this small piece of work with wholehearted love and deep respect.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • St Basil's Contribution to the Trinitarian Doctrine: A
    ST BASIL’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE TRINITARIAN DOCTRINE: A SYNTHESIS OF GREEK PAIDEIA AND THE SCRIPTURAL WORLDVIEW Philip Kariatlis Abstract: St Basil’s contribution to the formulation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity has long been acknowledged in the Christian tradition. Indeed, he was responsible for articulating the ‘orthodox’ vision of God with theological and philosophical originality that truly laid the foundations upon which the way of pondering the Trinitarian mystery in the East was established. His achievement lay in his remarkable ability to ennoble the culture of the day with the Christian message without in any way compromising the latter. This paper explores the Trinitarian theology of St Basil with a view towards highlighting the harmonious synthesis of Greek paideia and the scriptural worldview. ndeniably, the Church’s teaching on the mystery of the Holy Trinity stands at the very heart of Christian belief. Indeed, Uit has rightly been recognised as Christianity’s differentia specifica, namely that specific teaching which clearly distinguishes the 1 Christian faith from all other forms of monotheism. Notwithstanding the importance of this teaching and the fact that it is firmly rooted in the Scriptures, it nevertheless took the early Church many years to acquire a clearly articulated theology of the Trinitarian mystery. The need for precise terminology particularly emerged when the Church had to define with accuracy in what way the one God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – namely, the Father almighty – was related to Jesus Christ – who was professed to be God’s only begotten Son, his eternal Word and Image – PHRONEMA, VOL.
    [Show full text]
  • The Catholic Church, Being Committed to the View That Christ Provided For
    CONTEMPORARY UNDERSTANDING OF THE IRREFORMABILITY OF DOGMA The Catholic Church, being committed to the view that Christ provided for an abiding living magisterium to herald in an authori- tative way the revelation fully communicated in apostolic times, has throughout its history been obliged to defend its position against two sets of adversaries. On one flank are the archaists, who maintain that the apostolic faith, as set forth in the Bible, admits of no further dogmatic development. On the other flank are the rationalists and modernists who contend that the native ability of the human intelli- gence to achieve progress in all fields demands that the Church should not commit itself to any past revelation as permanently normative for the present and the future. In the time of Pius IX the Roman magisterium had to address itself to both these sets of adversaries. In several authoritative documents the Holy See made use of the phrase of Vincent of Lerins that the Church's teaching evolves homogeneously in eodetn scilicet dogmate, eodern sensu, eademque sententia (DS 3020; cf. DS 3802, 3043). This formula, like the Chalcedonian definition regarding the two natures of Christ, is not so much a solution as an effort to ward off simplistic solutions that would suppress one aspect or the other of the question. Further probing is necessary in order to discern how dogma remains self-identical while evolving. The term "irreformability," to which I have been asked to address myself, has been familiar to all Catholic theologians since Vatican Council I. In its Constitution on the Church, Pastor Aeternus, the Council declared that the definitions of the Roman pontiff are irre- formable, not by reason of the consent of the Church, but ex sese (DS 3074).
    [Show full text]
  • T. F. Torrance As Missional Theologian by Joseph H
    Taken from T. F. Torrance as Missional Theologian by Joseph H. Sherrard. Copyright © 2021 by Joseph H. Sherrard VI. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com 1 Dualism and the Doctrine of God T. F. Torrance’s Trinitarian Theology and the Gospel Within Western Culture The Missio Dei and the Doctrine of God In our introduction we noted the recent appearance of a number of argu- ments for the fundamental importance of the category of mission within the discipline of systematic theology. These attempts are often gathered under a single descriptive heading: missio Dei. This term and the conceptual framework attached to it, often (apparently erroneously) traced back to Karl Barth,1 describes the fundamental conviction that unites all these recent projects. In Transforming Mission, a foundational text for both strands of biblical and theological reflection upon mission, David Bosch describes the conviction in this way: “Mission was understood as being derived from the very nature of God. It was thus put in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity, not of ecclesiology or soteriology. As far as missionary thinking was concerned, this linking with the doctrine of the Trinity constituted an important innovation.”2 1See John G. Flett’s helpful historical study of the term missio Dei in chapters three and four of his The Witness of God: The Trinity,Missio Dei, Karl Barth, and the Nature of Christian Community (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2010). Flett argues that while Barth is an important contributor to the church’s reflection on its mission, the specific term missio Dei was neither used nor defined by Barth.
    [Show full text]
  • Alexander of Alexandria and the Homoousion
    Vigiliae Christianae Vigiliae Christianae 66 (2012) 482-502 brill.com/vc Alexander of Alexandria and the Homoousion Mark Edwards Christ Church, Oxford, OX1 1DP, United Kingdom: [email protected] Abstract This paper responds to recent publications which play down the role of Bishop Alex- ander of Alexandria in securing the adoption of the term homoousion at the Nicene Council of 325. It argues that, while the term is not employed in any surviving work from his hand, there is some reason to believe that he sanctioned the use of it by his colleagues. There is no doubt that before the Council he had already declared the Son to be “from the Father’s essence”, and it is all but certain that when this phrase was challenged, together with the homoousion at Nicaea, it was he who produced a concil- iatory exegesis of both innovations, relying on the theology that had already been expounded in his letters Philostorgius’ story that he and Hosius of Cordoba had con- certed a plan to introduce the homoousion is not implausible, and it should not be assumed that the author of an anonymous life of Constantine, which corroborates this narrative, is merely paraphrasing Philostorgius. Their testimony is consistent with that of Ambrose of Milan, who can be shown to have been acquainted both with docu- ments and with witnesses of the proceedings at the Council. Keywords Nicaea, Alexander of Alexandria, homoousion, creed, Trinity, Eusebius of Nicomedia, Arius To whom do we owe the presence in the Nicene Creed of the adjective homoousios? There was a time when everyone would have held the opinion, lately endorsed again by Henry Chadwick, that “anti-Arian leaders” had already resolved to press it upon the Council of 325 before its opening.1 The parties to this compact were always assumed to have been Alexander 1) H.
    [Show full text]
  • Trinity Handouts.Xlsx
    Alexander of Alexandria (d.326) Ossius of Cordova (c.256-357) Apollinarius (d.390) Arius of Alexandria (256-336) Hillary of Potiers (c.310-367) Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390) Irenaeus Constantine (272-337) Athanasius (296-373) Eunomius (d.393) (130-202) Eusebius of Caesarea (263-339) Basil of Caesarea (330-379) Gregory of Nyssa (335-395) AD 200 AD 300 AD 400 AD 500 Constantine died (337) Tertullian (165-225) Constantine became Council of Origen (185-254) Emporer (312) His sons, Constantine II, Ephesus Constantius II, and (431) Council of Edict of Milan Constans succeed him as Chalcedon (313) co-emporers (451) COUNCIL OF NICAEA COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE May 19 - June 20, 325 May - July 9, 381 318 Fathers in Attendance 150 Fathers in Attendance We believe in one God the Father all powerful, We believe in one God the Father all-powerful, maker of maker of heaven and of earth, all things both seen and unseen. and of all things both seen and unseen. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, the only-begotten begotten from the Father, begotten from the Father that is from the substance [Gr. ousias, Lat. substantia ] before all the ages, of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten [Gr. gennethenta , Lat. natum ] begotten not made [Gr. poethenta , Lat. factum ], not made, CONSUBSTANTIAL [Gr. homoousion , Lat. unius substantiae consubstantial (quod Graeci dicunt homousion) ] with the Father, with the Father,
    [Show full text]
  • The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Thomas F. Torrance
    The Trinitarian Ecclesiology of Thomas F. Torrance Kate Helen Dugdale Submitted to fulfil the requirements for a Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago, November 2016. 1 2 ABSTRACT This thesis argues that rather than focusing on the Church as an institution, social grouping, or volunteer society, the study of ecclesiology must begin with a robust investigation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Utilising the work of Thomas F. Torrance, it proposes that the Church is to be understood as an empirical community in space and time that is primarily shaped by the perichoretic communion of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed by the economic work of the Son and the Spirit. The Church’s historical existence is thus subordinate to the Church’s relation to the Triune God, which is why the doctrine of the Trinity is assigned a regulative influence in Torrance’s work. This does not exclude the essential nature of other doctrines, but gives pre-eminence to the doctrine of the Trinity as the foundational article for ecclesiology. The methodology of this thesis is one of constructive analysis, involving a critical and constructive appreciation of Torrance’s work, and then exploring how further dialogue with Torrance’s work can be fruitfully undertaken. Part A (Chapters 1-5) focuses on the theological architectonics of Torrance’s ecclesiology, emphasising that the doctrine of the Trinity has precedence over ecclesiology. While the doctrine of the Church is the immediate object of our consideration, we cannot begin by considering the Church as a spatiotemporal institution, but rather must look ‘through the Church’ to find its dimension of depth, which is the Holy Trinity.
    [Show full text]
  • Church, Heresy, and Pure Religion Rob Iliffe
    The Unknown Newton Church, Heresy, and Pure Religion Rob Iliffe Although Isaac Newton was known as a highly devout man during his lifetime, doubts about his religious orthodoxy began to circulate imme- diately after his death. Chiefly responsible for these rumors was William Whiston, Newton’s successor as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University and a champion of his scientific work. Soon after Newton’s death, Whiston published a short account of his private religious convictions in A Collection of Authentick Records (1728), proclaiming that Newton had held what most of his contemporaries thought of as scandal- ous and even heretical views about the doctrine of the Trinity. According to Whiston, Newton believed that the doctrine was a terrible fabrication devised in the fourth century and that Athanasius, the great Alexandrian bishop, was “the grand and the very wicked Instrument of that Change” and the architect of the corruption of original Christianity. For years, Whiston had publicly hinted at Newton’s heresy, hop- ing thereby to support his own anti-Trinitarian positions, which, unlike Newton, he widely professed. For those views Whiston had been expelled from both his college fellowship and his professorship at Cambridge. His claims about Newton went largely unheeded, partly because most refused to believe something so hideous about Britain’s greatest natural philoso- pher (the contemporary term for a scientist), and partly because Whiston, having rejected the authority of tradition himself, was thought to be an untrustworthy source. However, Whiston had in fact accurately captured Newton’s radically unorthodox views. For almost all his adult life Newton harbored a guilty secret that he revealed only to a trusted few, and he skillfully put off those who probed too deeply.
    [Show full text]
  • St Gregory's Teaching on the Holy Spirit As the Basis Of
    “WHAT THEN? IS THE SPIRIT GOD? CERTAINLY!” ST GREGORY’S TEACHING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE BASIS OF THE WORLD’S SALVATION Philip Kariatlis Abstract: The writings of St Gregory the Theologian on the Holy Spirit stand out among early Christian Patristic literature for their cogency and spiritual depth. Whilst the Holy Spirit figures centrally in numerous works, this paper focuses on his famous Fifth Theological Oration, arguably the crowning work in the area of Pneumatology, where St Gregory put before his audience the full flowering and richness of the orthodox vision of the Holy Spirit. By ushering in a new way of critical reflection on the Spirit’s deity, St Gregory not only paved the way for a definitive settlement of the Trinitarian crisis which plagued fourth-century Christianity but more importantly ingeniously demonstrated how God continued to dwell in the Church making salvation (deification) in actual human lives a genuine reality. t Gregory the Theologian has long been recognised in the Christian tradition for his consistent, erudite and focused teaching Son the deity of the Holy Spirit. Far from containing speculative abstractions, his writings reveal a person profoundly steeped in the Christian mysteries. His primary concern was to engage concretely in, and respond effectively to, the controversies of his day employing the best of Greek culture and learning in order to give an eloquent witness to the truths of the Christian Gospel. More specifically, in light of the vast number of divergent views on the Holy Spirit, especially those put forward by the so-called Pneumatomachians,1 St Gregory declared his position boldly and unequivocally that the Spirit is both ‘God’, and ‘consubstantial with the Father’,2 something which, up to that point, had PHRONEMA, VOL.
    [Show full text]
  • From Consanguinity to Consubstantiality Julian Pitt-Riversʼ ʻthe Kith and the Kinʼ
    FROM CONSANGUINITY TO CONSUBSTANTIALITY JULIAN PITT-RIVERSʼ ʻTHE KITH AND THE KINʼ Laurent Dousset Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Centre de Recherche et de Documentation sur lʼOcéanie, Marseille Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France laurent.dousset@pacific-credo.fr In 1973, Julian Pitt-Rivers published a chapter in Goody’s The Character of Kinship that, although rather infrequently used and quoted, suggested a work- around to the major criticisms that were expressed towards kinship studies in the 1970s. Reintroducing the notion of “consubstantiality”, Pitt-Rivers suggested a bringing together of emic and etic approaches to kinship classification and ontol- ogy. As straightforward as it may appear, the concept, when combined with Burke’s use of the notion in relation to that of “context”, crystallizes a methodol- ogy for embedding structural and formal approaches of kinship within the social domains of relatedness and action. While discussing Pitt-Rivers’ proposition, this paper illustrates the application of consubstantiality as an explanatory model of the extension of self in the Australian Western Desert through two examples: the diversity of marriage scenarios and their consequences and the “unusual” usage of some terminological classes in relation to close kin. After Needham’s and Schneider’s critiques in the 1970s evacuated kinship as a non- subject for anthropological research, many scholars endeavored to redefine what was once the pinnacle of the discipline in more emic terms. In the attempt to depart from euro-centric definitions of genealogy and classification, which were previously explicitly or implicitly considered universal aspects of human societies, notions such as ‘related- ness’ made their way into the theoretical apparatus.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Incarnation and Atonement in the Theology of Thomas F
    Journal for Christian Theological Research Volume 3 Article 2 1998 The Relationship between Incarnation and Atonement in the Theology of Thomas F. Torrance Gunther Pratz King's College London, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Pratz, Gunther (1998) "The Relationship between Incarnation and Atonement in the Theology of Thomas F. Torrance," Journal for Christian Theological Research: Vol. 3 , Article 2. Available at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr/vol3/iss1998/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal for Christian Theological Research by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 12/14/2017 The Relationship between Incarnation and Atonement in the Theology of Thomas E. Torrence Scholar's Press Non-Roman fonts used: SPIonic, SPTiberian Gunther Pratz, "The Relationship between Incarnation and Atonement in the Theology of Thomas F. Torrance," Journal for Christian Theological Research [http://apu.edu/~CTRF/articles/1998_articles/pratz.html] 3:2 (1998). The Relationship between Incarnation and Atonement in the Theology of Thomas F. Torrance Gunther Pratz King's College London I. Introduction 1. For Thomas F. Torrance the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed with its central place accorded to Jesus Christ seems to be the prime and most valid starting-point for a discussion in Christology. As a realist, Torrance stands firmly in the tradition of this creed and the theology of the Greek Fathers which resulted in and surrounded this confession of the Catholic Church in the fourth century A.D.
    [Show full text]
  • The Psychological Analogy and the Problem Of
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ETD - Electronic Theses & Dissertations A PNEUMATOLOGY OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE: THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MYSTERY OF GOD IN AUGUSTINE AND BARTH By Travis E. Ables Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Religion May, 2010 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Professor Paul J. DeHart Professor Ellen T. Armour Professor J. Patout Burns Professor John J. Thatamanil Copyright © 2010 by Travis E. Ables All Rights Reserved TO HOLLY iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks are due, first of all, to the members of my dissertation committee, each of whom had a significant impact on my thinking and work. Ellen Armour could always be depended upon for a fascinating and incisive perspective. The idea for this dissertation first took shape in a seminar on Augustine with Patout Burns, whose unparalleled expertise in the great bishop’s theology constantly spurred me on to greater precision and care. My relationship with John Thatamanil was one of the cornerstones of my time in graduate school. John has been a true mentor, and I thank him for his always generous support and advice. Paul DeHart, who directed this dissertation, accepts nothing less than excellence, and I have learned from him, more than anything, to be a careful and sympathetic reader and interlocutor. His encouragement and confidence in this project has been invaluable. There are of course many other professors who had a major part in shaping my thought.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexuality and Christian Tradition: Innovation and Fidelity, Ancient and Modern
    DRAFT PAPER: THE DEFINITIVE VERSION WAS PUBLISHED IN the Journal of Religious Ethics 43.1 (March 2015), 122-145. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jore.12088/full d Sexuality and Christian Tradition: Innovation and Fidelity, Ancient and Modern David Newheiser This essay aims to clarify the debate over same-sex unions by comparing it to the fourth-century conflict concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. Although some suppose that the council of Nicaea reiterated what Christians had always believed, the Nicene theology championed by Athanasius was a dramatic innovation that only won out through protracted struggle. Similarly, despite the widespread assumption that Christian tradition univocally condemns homosexuality, the concept of sexuality is a nineteenth-century invention with no exact analogue in the ancient world. Neither hetero- nor homo- sexuality is addressed directly in Christian tradition; for this reason, the significance of older authorities for the modern debate is necessarily indirect. The dichotomy between progressive and conservative positions is therefore misguided: it is necessary neither to abandon tradition for the sake of progress nor to oppose innovation for the sake of fidelity. The debate among Christians over same-sex unions often seems intractable. Conservatives claim that Christians have unanimously condemned homosexuality throughout Christian history, and so they conclude that fidelity requires that Christians condemn homosexuality today. Progressives often respond by arguing that this consensus is overruled by the rights of gay people, which we moderns have come to appreciate. Both sides agree that Christian tradition condemns homosexuality; they differ in whether to treat tradition as outmoded artifact or ironclad constraint.
    [Show full text]