A Thomistic Study in Christology
thomas joseph white, op
The Catholic University of America Press
Washington, D.C.
The Catholic University of America Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
White, Thomas Joseph, 1971–
The incarnate Lord : a Thomistic study in Christology / Thomas Joseph White, OP.
pages cm. — (Thomistic ressourcement series ; Volume 5)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8132-2745-0 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Jesus Christ—Person and offices. 2. Jesus Christ—History of doctrines—Middle Ages, 600–1500. 3. Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?–1274. I. Title.
bt198.W463 2015
232—dc23 2014043100
thomistic ressourcement series
Volume 5
series editors
Matthew Levering, Mundelein Seminary
Thomas Joseph White, OP, Dominican House of Studies
editorial board
Serge-Thomas Bonino, OP, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas
Lawrence Dewan, OP, Dominican College of Ottawa
Gilles Emery, OP, University of Fribourg
Reinhard Hütter, Duke University
Bruce Marshall, Southern Methodist University
Emmanuel Perrier, OP, Dominican Studium, Toulouse
Richard Schenk, OP, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
Kevin White, The Catholic University of America
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The hint half guessed, the gift half understood,
is Incarnation.
Here the impossible union
Of spheres of evidence is actual,
Here the past and future
Are conquered, and reconciled
T. S. Eliot, The Dry Salvages
If you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish
the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.
Flannery O’Connor, Letter to A., Autumn 1955
I saw, above the many thousand lamps,
a Sun that kindled each and every one
as ours lights up the sights we see above us,
and through that living light poured down
a shining substance. It blazed so bright
into my eyes that I could not sustain it.
O Beatrice, my sweet beloved guide!
To me she said: “What overwhelms you
is a force against which there is no defense.
Here is the Wisdom and the Power that repaired
the roads connecting Heaven and the earth
that had so long been yearned for and desired.”
Dante, Paradiso, XXIII
Abbreviations of Works of St. Thomas Aquinas
Introduction: The Biblical Ontology of Christ
Prolegomenon: Is a Modern Thomistic Christology Possible?
part 1. the mystery of the incarnation
1. The Ontology of the Hypostatic Union
2. The Human Nature and Grace of Christ
3. The Likeness of the Human and Divine Natures
4. Why Christology Presupposes Natural Theology
5. The Necessity of the Beatific Vision in the Earthly Christ
part 2. the mystery of the redemption
7. Did God Abandon Jesus? The Dereliction on the Cross
8. The Death of Christ and the Mystery of the Cross
9. Did Christ Descend into Hell? The Mystery of Holy Saturday...
|
About The Incarnate Lord: A Thomistic Study in ChristologyIn recent years, Thomistic thought has seen a noteworthy revival, especially in the domain of systematic and historical theology. This resurgence of interest in Aquinas’ thought is beginning to significantly affect the shape of academic theology as well as ecumenical theology. Yet there exists no serious study of Thomistic Christology, especially in dialogue with major themes in modern Christology. The Incarnate Lord, then, considers central themes in Christology from a metaphysical perspective. Particular attention is given to the hypostatic union, the two natures of Christ, the knowledge and obedience of Jesus, the passion and death of Christ, his descent into hell, and resurrection. A central concern of the book is to argue for the perennial importance of ontological principles of Christology inherited from patristic and scholastic authors. However, the book also seeks to advance an interpretation of Thomistic Christology in a modern context. The teaching Aquinas, then, is central to the study, but it is placed in conversation with various modern theologians, such as Karl Barth, Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Ultimately the goal of the work is to suggest how traditional Catholic theology might thrive under modern conditions, and also develop fruitfully from engaging in contemporary controversies. The first part of the book, then, examines the ontology of the hypostatic union, the grace and human nature of Christ, the analogical similitude of the human and divine natures of Jesus, and the human knowledge and obedience of Christ. The second part of the book considers the obedient self-offering of Christ, his cry of dereliction,suffering and death, as well as his descent into hell, and physical resurrection. The conclusion of the book provides a systematic reflection on the nature of Christology as a theoretical and historical discipline. |
| Support Info | ncrntlchrstlgy |