Thursday, June 27, 2019

Truly Speculative Theology

The Incarnation Doesn't End with the Resurrection by James P. Ware


However, David Bentley Hart, in a recent article in this journal (“The Spiritual Was More Substantial than the Material for the Ancients”), argues for a very different reading. For Hart finds in 1 Corinthians 15, and throughout much of the rest of the New Testament, a conception of resurrection—both of Christ and of the faithful—involving the replacement of the corruptible body of flesh with a new “spiritual” or “celestial” body composed of the imperishable substance of spirit (the nature possessed by angels and spirit beings). According to Hart, when Paul, John, and other New Testament authors speak of Jesus or the faithful being “raised” to life, this involves “the transformation of the psychical composite into the spiritual simplex—the metamorphosis of the mortal fleshly body that belongs to soul into the immortal fleshless body that belongs to spirit.” It was, Hart claims, in such a “spiritual” body, “purged of every element of flesh and blood and (perhaps) soul,” that Christ rose.

Is the Latin Intellectual Project Over?

NCReg: Why Philosophy is Crucial to Understanding Theology by Father John P. Cush
Philosophy influences people and culture and shines light on the science of theology

If I had to choose between prioritizing philosophy or scripture study for deacons, I'd choose the latter, so that they could then learn theology properly rather than some version of "scriptural theology" that is really just scholastic theology with scripture proof-texts.

Second, political philosophy is important, especially for helping Latins understand the limits of Roman Catholic social teaching and how it has developed over time, but I can't say who should be the recognized authorities on this topic at this time, since most Latin philosophers and theologians tend to save RC social teaching rather than contest it directly.