High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
CatholicChristianityandtheMillennium:FrontiersoftheMindinthe21
st
Century
By
FrancisCardinalGeorgeJune
16,1999
Library
of
CongressIntroduction
Itisagreathonortoaddresssuchadistinguishedgatheringofscholars,leadersandthinkers.Thiscolloquiumisdedicatedtotheexplorationofthefrontiersofthemindaswemoveintoanewmillennium.Assuch,itisfitting,Ibelieve,thatarepresentativeoftheChurch,whichtracesitscontinuoushistorybacktoJesusChrist,haveaplaceintheprogram,forthemillenniumisnotaneutralmeasureoftimebutisdeterminedinreferencetoChrist.WewouldnotbeheremarkingthismomentinhistorywereitnotforthedecisiveandmomentousinfluenceofthepersonofJesus.WhatIintendtodointhistalkistoholduptheiconofChristandtoshowtheuniqueunderstandingoftheworldthatflowsfromthispicture.Fromthisvantagepoint,IshallthenexploretherelationshipbetweenanIncamationalmetaphysicsandthepolitical/socialsphere,demonstratinghowtheformeroughttobethepermanent,thoughnon-coercive,structuringelementofthelatter.Inthecourseofthispaper,IwillfavoramoreAugustinianunderstandingofthisrelationshipoverthevariousviewsthathaveflowedfromthecharacteristicallymodernconstrualoftheworld.ThisAugustinianperspectivehasshapednotonlytheCatholiccommunitybutalsomostProtestantandsomeotherChristiangroupsaswell.Ithasbeenacontinuouspoint
of
referenceinthepast1600yearsforanalyzingtherelationshipsbetweenfaithandsocietyandcontinuestobeapointofreferenceinunderstandingtherelationshipbetweenfaithandthemodemnationstate.
IncarnationMetaphysics
AttheheartofChristianityisaprovocativeclaim.InJesusChrist,Godhasbecomeacreature,withoutceasingtobeGodandwithoutcompromisingtheintegrityofthecreaturehebecomes.ManymythsandlegendsspokeofGodorthegods"becoming"creaturely,butsuchincarnationsalwaysresultedinoddmixturesofthedivineandthenon-divine.ThusAchillesandHerculesarequasi-godlyandquasi-mortal,theirdivinitycompromisedbytheirhumanityandviceversa.ButastheGreekandLatintheologiansofthepatristicperiodstruggledtoexpresstheirincamationalfaith,theyconsciouslyabandonedthismythologicalconstrual.TheCouncilofChalcedonin451expressedtheradicalityofChristianbeliefwhenitsaidthatinthedivinepersonofJesusChristtwonatures,divineandhuman,cometogetherinahypostaticunion,withoutmixing,minglingorconfusion.ThismeansthatinJesus,thedivineandthehumanunitewithoutcompetitionorcompromise.Christisnotquasi-divineandquasi-human(infactjustsuchamythologicalreadingwasrejectedin325attheCouncilofNiceaduringthestruggle
1
..
againstArianism);rather,heisfullydivineandfullyhuman,theproximityoftheformerenhancingandnotexcludingtheintegrityofthelatter.ButtheconditionforthepossibilityofsuchaclaimisanewunderstandingofthenatureofGod.Finitethingsexistnecessarilyinasortofmutualexclusivity:thebeingofoneispredicated,atleastinpart,onits
not
beingtheother.Hence,whenonefinitething"becomes"another,itdoessothroughontologicalaggressionandsurrender:thepodiumbecomesapileofashesthroughbeingdestroyedbyfire,andthelionassimilatestheantelopebydevouringit.Competition,mutualexclusivity,over-and-againstnesscharacterizetheplaybetweenconditionalrealities.Therefore,whentheChurchproclaimsthatinJesusChristthedivineandthehumanhavecometogetherwithoutcompetitionandcompromise,sheissayingsomethingofextraordinarynovelty.SheisclaimingthatGodisnotaworldlynature,not
a
being,notonethingalongsideofothers.Godisnotincompetitionwithnature,becauseGoddoesnotbelongtocreatednature;Goddoesnotoverwhelmfinitebeing,becauseGodisnotafinitebeing.
I
WhenChristiantheologians,inspiredbytheirfaithintheIncarnation,attemptedtonameGod,theyaccordinglyreachedforlanguagethatevokedthisdistinctiveness.ThusSt.AnselmsaidthatGodisnotsomuchthesupremebeingas"thatthanwhichnogreatercanbethought,"implying,paradoxically,thatGodplustheworldisnotgreaterthanGod
alone.'
AndwhenThomasAquinasnamedGod,heavoidedtheterm
enssummum
(highestbeing)andoptedfor
ipsumessesubsistens
(thesubsistentactofto-beitselfj'BothofthesetheologiansthoughtofGodasnon-competitivelytranscendenttotherealmoffinitethingsandthereforetotallyimmanenttoallthingsasthecauseoftheirbeing.Godistranscendentcause,andthereforeChristianityisnotaformofpantheismorEmersonianpanentheism;butGodisthecauseofbeingandisthereforeclosertohiscreaturesthantheyaretothemselves.
It
isfromthisunderstandingofGod,rootedinbutdevelopedfromJewishfaith,thatthepeculiarlyChristiansenseofcreationflows.BecauseGodisnotonebeingamongothersbutratherthesheerenergyofto-beitself,Goddoesnotmaketheworldthroughmanipulation,changeorviolence,asthegodsofphilosophyandmythologydo.SincethereisliterallynothingoutsideofGod,hemakestheentiretyofthefiniterealm
exnihilo,
throughanactofpurestandgentlestgenerosity."God'sisanon-possessivelove.AndsinceGodistheactofto-be,allcreaturelythingsexistinandthroughGod,"participating"inthepowerofhisbeingandthegraciousnessofhislove.Andwecandrawafinalimplication:becauseallcreatedthingsareparticipantsinthedivinegenerosity,theyareallrelatedtooneanotherbybondsofontologicalintimacy.WhenSt.FrancisofAssisispokeof"brothersunandsistermoon,"hewasnotengaginginfancifulpoeticspeech;onthecontrary,hewasmakingasoberandmetaphysicallyrealisticremark.Allthingsinthecosmosexistina
communio
withoneanotherpreciselybecausetheyarerootedinamoreprimordial
communio
withthecreatorGod.Thisviewofreality
1
RobertSokolowski,
TheGodofFaithandReason(NotreDame:UniversityofNotreDamePress,1982),
41-43.
2
AnselmofCanterbury,
Proslogion
in
St.Anselm:BasicWritings
(LaSalle,III.:OpenCourtPress,1962),7.
3
ThomasAquinas,
Summatheologiae
Ia,q.4,art.2.
4
ThomasAquinas,
Depotentia
q.3,art.
I.
2
•
asadensely-texturedcommunionbasedonloveisthe
Weltanschauung
thatproceedsfromtheIncarnation.Augustine'sTwoCitiesWhateverChristianssayaboutthesocial,politicalandeconomicrealmmustflowfromthisgroundingmetaphysicalvision.Orbetterput,thereis
3.1'1
unavoidablysocialdimensiontotheChristianontology
of
communio
andparticipation.ThiscanbediscernedclearlyinoneofthemostremarkableandinfluentialpresentationsoftheChristianworldvieweverwritten:the
CivitasDei
ofAugustine.WhatstrikesthemodemreaderofthistextperhapsmostimmediatelyisAugustine'SadamantrefusaltodialoguewiththerepresentativesofthepolityofRomewhohadchallengedthelegitimacyofChristianity.HeisinterestedinneitheraccommodatingnorcompromisingwiththeRomansystemwhichheseesasfallen;rather,heboldlyproposestheChristianwayasbeing,inallregards,preferable.HedoesnottumtoRometofindasocialtheoryorpoliticalarrangementcompatiblewithaprivatizedandinteriorizedChristianspirituality;onthecontrary,heexcoriatesRomeasanunjustsocietyandholdsupChristianityitselfastheonlyvalidbasisforajustformofsocialarrangement.
5
Augustine'shermeneuticalkeyiswellknown.HedistinguishessharplybetweentheCityofMan(acollectivitybaseduponself-love)andtheCityofGod(acollectivitywhosefoundationisthesharedloveofGod).Theformerisnotsomuchaninadequatesociety;itisratherlikeagroupofthievesormaraudersmasqueradingasabodypolitic.Muchofthefirstpartofthe
CivitasDei
isaspiriteddemonstrationthatwhatlookslikeaparagonofjustice-theRomanEmpire-isinfactamanifestationoftheCityofMan.Augustine'sargumenthasa"theological"anda"political"phase.First,heshows,overhundredsofpages,thatthemultiplegodsofRomeareinfactdemonsbecausetheyengageinandencouragevariousformsofimmorality,includingandespeciallyrivalry,jealousyandwarfare.
6
Thenhepaintsavividpictureofthepoliticallifethathasfollowedfromtheworshipofsuchgods.WhathascharacterizedRomefromitsfoundinginthefratricidalstrugglebetweenRomulusandRemustothechaosofAugustine'sdayisanunremittingviolence.ThedoorofJanus,supposedtobeclosedduringtimesofpeace,hasremainedstubbornlyopenforalmosttheentiretyofRomanhistory.TheregnantspiritofRomeiswhatAugustinereferstoasthe
libidodominandi,
thelustformastery,anditisthisspiritthathassentconqueringarmiesaroundtheworld.AttheheartofAugustine'sanalysisofRomeisthecorrelationbetweenafaultymetaphysics(theworshipoffiniteandself-assertivegods)andafaultypolityofviolenceanddomination.Adenialofametaphysicofparticipationand
communio
leadstotheimitationofjusticeintheCityofMan.ButChristiansbelieveintheGodwhoisFatherofJesusChrist,aGodofnon-violentandcreativelovewhobringsthewholeoftheworldintobeingfromnothing.SuchaGod,unlikethefalsegodsofRome,entersintocompetitiverelationwithno-one
5
JOhIl
Milbank,
TheologyandSocialTheory:BeyondSecularReason,(Oxford:BlackwellPublishing,1990),389-390.
6
St.Augustine,
TheCityofGodAgainstthePagans
(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,1998),Books1through10.
3
Add a Comment