Durham E-Theses Yearning in the Dust: Bodily Aesthetics in the Soteriology of St. Bonaventure DAVIES, RACHEL,ANNEMARIE,ULRIKE,E How to cite: DAVIES, RACHEL,ANNEMARIE,ULRIKE,E (2016) Yearning in the Dust: Bodily Aesthetics in the Soteriology of St. Bonaventure, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11847/ 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 Yearning in the Dust: Bodily Aesthetics in the Soteriology of St. Bonaventure Rachel Davies Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theology and Religion Durham University 2016 1 2 Yearning in the Dust: Bodily Aesthetics in the Soteriology of St. Bonaventure Abstract This thesis seeks to construct a contemporary spirituality of bodily diminishment rooted in Bonaventure’s theological synthesis, particularly his category of the aesthetic, which, the author argues, provides both a lens for understanding the experience of diminishment, and a way of harnessing it constructively in service of the self’s soteriological journey. Reading Bonaventure’s Trinitarian metaphysics as the framework of his soteriology, this thesis begins by examining key Bonaventurean aesthetic concepts such as fruitfulness, light and proportion before asking how such concepts can illumine the body’s participation in the self’s journey to God—a journey which Bonaventure describes as a primarily noetic or spiritual ascent. Sin is introduced as a “greed” or possessive quality that fractures apart the body-soul self who was called to become whole and “beautiful” through the act of contemplation. This greed, it is shown, has left worldly corporeality (including the human body) abandoned to diminishment and death, an aesthetic harnessed and transfigured by Christ in the paschal mystery. There the “ugliness” of body-soul fragmentation ceases to be terminal, and instead becomes the new face and means of the Christ-formed self's “becoming.” The new aesthetic possibilities opened up to fallen humanity through the paschal mystery are traced throughout Bonaventure’s Major Life of Francis, and particularly the stigmata event, which this thesis reads as a profound revelation of Francis’ own transfigured diminishment. In addition to the Major Life (Legenda maior), central texts used for this constructive project include Bonaventure’s Collationes in hexaemeron and Lignum vitae. In addition to soteriology and aesthetics, key theological concepts explored include Christology, the Trinity, anthropology, apophaticism, sin, death, glory, virtue and poverty. 3 Table of Contents Abstract...............................................................................................................3 List of Tables and Illustrations............................................................................7 Abbreviations......................................................................................................9 Statement of Copyright.......................................................................................11 Acknowledgements............................................................................................12 Dedication..........................................................................................................15 I. Yearning in the Dust: Soul, Sources, Summary.............................................................17 1. The Soul of this Project.....................................................................................17 2. Bonaventure’s Theological Aesthetics...............................................................23 2.1. Classic Definitions..............................................................................24 2.2. General Survey of Sources..................................................................27 2.3. Beauty and the Transcendentals..........................................................29 2.4. Sydney McAdams...............................................................................31 2.5. Hans Urs von Balthasar.......................................................................34 2.6. Converging Themes.............................................................................42 2.6.1. Proportionate Expression......................................................42 2.6.2. Light and Being....................................................................43 2.6.3. Vocation................................................................................43 2.6.4. Hiddenness............................................................................44 2.6.5. Virtue.....................................................................................45 2.6.6. The Church............................................................................46 3. Thesis Summary and Outline..............................................................................46 II. Beauty in Expression......................................................................................................51 1. Introduction to the Collationes in hexaemeron (Collations 1-3)........................54 1.1. The Church: Hearers of God’s Word....................................................55 1.2. The Beginning: Christ the Centre.........................................................57 1.2.1. Essence in the Metaphysical Order........................................58 1.2.2. Nature in the Physical Order..................................................59 1.2.3. Distance in the Mathematical Order.......................................59 1.2.4. Doctrine in the Logical Order.................................................61 1.2.5. Moderation in the Ethical Order.............................................61 1.2.6. Justice in the Political Order...................................................62 1.2.7. Concord in the Theological Order..........................................63 1.3. The End: Beautiful Wisdom..................................................................64 2. The Four Visions (Collations 4-23)......................................................................71 2.1. The First Vision: The Light of Natural Reason (Collations 4-7)...........72 2.2. The Second Vision: The Light of Faith (Collations 8-12).....................76 2.2.1. The Firmament of Faith (Collation 8).....................................77 2.2.2. Faith’s Loftiness (Collation 8).................................................78 2.2.3. Faith’s Stability (Collation 9)..................................................80 2.2.4. Faith’s Visibility (Collations 10-12)........................................80 2.3. The Third Vision: The Light of Scripture (Collations 13-19)................82 4 2.4. The Fourth Vision: The Light of Contemplation (Collations 20-23).....87 3. The Soul’s Journey: A Summary...........................................................................89 III. The Broken Centre..........................................................................................................93 1. The Beautiful Whole.............................................................................................95 1.1. The Body................................................................................................98 1.2. The Soul...............................................................................................101 1.3. The Luminous End...............................................................................108 2. Fragmentation.....................................................................................................112 IV. When Truth is Ugly.......................................................................................................119 1. The Meaning of the Incarnation..........................................................................122 2. The Nature of Christ...........................................................................................124 3. The Lignum vitae................................................................................................128 3.1. On the Mystery of His Origin..............................................................133 3.1.1. First Fruit: His Distinguished Origin…................................137 3.1.2. Second Fruit: The Humility of His Mode of Life.................138 3.1.3. Third Fruit: The Loftiness of His Power...............................139 3.1.4. Fourth Fruit: The Plentitude of His Piety..............................141 3.2. On the Mystery of His Passion.............................................................142 3.2.1. Fifth Fruit: His Confidence in Trials.....................................148 3.2.2. Sixth Fruit: His Patience in Maltreatment.............................150 3.2.3. Seventh Fruit: His Constancy Under Torture........................152 3.2.4. Eight Fruit: Victory in the Conflict of Death........................154