ST. MICHAEL’S COLLEGE, VERMONT

 2007 Summer Sessions: 25 June – 13 July 2007

 CHRISTOLOGY AND OTHER RELIGIONS

 

PART 1: CURRENT STATE OF CHRISTOLOGY

 

1)      INTRODUCTION  

a)      Theology: faith seeking experience, understanding and a new Imagination

b)      Christology: dramatic developments in the twentieth century

c)   The parameters of Christology: the Christ event and the universal significance of the Christ event

d)      Different approaches to the study of Christology

 

2)      THEOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE HISTORICAL JESUS

a)   Jesus and the Gospels: 1964 Instruction and 1994 Document

b)      The Quest for the Historical Jesus: old, new and ongoing.  

c)       Jesus of Nazareth: born of the Spirit and baptised by the Spirit, a Jewish teacher of Wisdom, a Prophet in Israel, initiator of a new table-fellowship and proclaimer of the Reign of God 

 

3)      THE HISTORICAL DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

      a)   The death of Jesus on the Cross

      b)   Post-Calvary experiences of Resurrection and their different interpretations.

      c)   The titles of Jesus in the light of the Resurrection-Pentecostal experiences

 
4)   THE HISTORICAL PATH TO CHALCEDON

      a)   Jesus and the Logos: Arius, Nicea (325) and Ephesus (431)
      b)   The Council of Chalcedon (451) and its significance for today.

5)         THE DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNATION

       a)   Jesus: truly human and truly divine (vere Homo et vere Deus).

b)      The unity between Creation and Incarnation and Consummation.

 

PART 2:  INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

 

6)      CHRISTIANITY AND THE WORLD RELIGIONS

a)      The teaching of the Second Vatican Council, John Paul II, and Dominus Iesus (2000)

b)      Moving beyond the standard typology of Exclusivism, Inclusivism and Pluralism.

c)      Rahner’s Contribution to Interreligious dialogue.

 

7)      DEVELOPING A SPIRIT–CHRISTOLOGY IN THE SERVICE OF INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

a)      Recognising the action of the Spirit in Creation, History, Israel and Jesus of Nazareth

b)      Constructing a Spirit-Christology as complementary to a Logos Christology.

c)      Consequences of a Spirit-Christology for Interfaith dialogue.

 

8)      JEWISH – CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE AS A TEST CASE

a)      Jews and Christians in dialogue: recovering the Jewishness of Jesus.

b)      The question of suffering: exploring a possible link between the Cross and the Holocaust?

c)      Recent documents: “We remember”(1998) and the PBC (2002)
 

June 2007                                                                                                      Dermot A. Lane

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

CHRISTOLOGY AND OTHER RELIGIONS

Class Reading Assignment (Required Texts)

 J. Dupuis, Christianity and the Religions, NY:Orbis, 2002

CDF, Dominus Iesus: On the Unicity of Jesus Christ and the Church, 2000 (available on the web or in Origins).

 Reading Assignment to be done before class begins

M. Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, New York: Harper, San Francisco, 1995

OR

D. Lane, The Reality of Jesus: An Essay in Christology, Paulist Press, 1976/1985/2003

 

                            BASIC REFERENCE BOOKS ON CHRISTOLOGY

 

A.Tracy, Dialogue with the Other:Interreligious Dialogue, Louvain: Peeter Press, 1990.

P. Knitter, Jesus and the Other Names, NY:Orbis Books, 1996.

J. A. DiNoia, The Diversity of Religions: A Christian Perspective, Wash.DC: CUA, 1992.

D.A.Lane, The Reality of Jesus: An Essay in Christology, Dublin/New York, 1975

D. A. Lane, Christ at the Centre: Selected Issues in Christology, NY: Paulist Press, 1990.

W. Kasper, Jesus the Christ, London: Burns and Oates, 1976.

E. A. Johnson, Consider Jesus: Waves of Renewal in Christology, NY: Crossroads, 1990.

W. P. Loewe, Introduction to Christology, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1996.

R. Haight, Jesus- Symbol of God, New York: Orbis Books, 1999

R. Haight, The Future of Christology, Continuum, 2005

T. Merrigan (ed.) The Myriad Christ: Plurality and the Quest for Unity in Contemporary Christology, Louvain Press, 2000.

 

D. Edwards, Breath of Life: A Theology of the Creator Spirit, Orbis Books, 2004

 

REFERENCES ON INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

H. Küng, Tracing the Way: Spiritual Dimensions of the World Religions, New York: Continuum, 2002.

J. L. Fredericks, Faith Among Faiths: Christian Theology and Non Christian Religions, New York: Paulist Press, 1999.

P. F. Knitter, Jesus and the Other Names: Christian Mission and Global Responsibility, New York, Orbis Books, 1996.

G. D’Costa (Ed.), Christian Uniqueness Reconsidered: The Myth of a Pluralistic Theology of Religions, New York: Orbis Books, 1990.

T. Merrigan, “Exploring the Frontiers: Jacque Dupuis and The Movement Towards a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism”, Louvain Studies, 23: 338-359.

D. Lane, “Vatican ll, Christology and the World Religions”, Louvain Studies, Summer 1999

D. Lane, “Christian Faith in the Context of a Multicultural World”, The Living Light,  Summer 2004

D. Lane, “ K. Rahner’s Contribution to Interreligious Dialogue”, Christian Identity in a Post-modern Age: Celebrating the Legacies of Rahner and Lonergan, Dublin: Veritas, 2005.

D. Lane, “Expanding the Theological Imagination in the Service of Interfaith Dialogue: Impulses from Vatican II”, International Handbook of Religion, Moral and Spiritual Dimensions in Education, Part Two, Netherlands: Springer, 2006: 905-916.

P. Crowley(ed.), Rahner beyond Rahner: A Great Theologian Encounters the Pacific Rim, Sheed and Ward, 2005

See also articles in Theological Studies, June 2003 and Concilium, 2003/4 – both of these journals have articles dedicated to questions about

Inter-Religious Dialogue

 

 

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

ON

GTH 653:CHRISTOLOGY AND DIALOGUE WITH WORLD RELIGIONS

 

Part 1:  CURRENT STATE OF CHRISTOLOGY

1)      INTRODUCTION TO THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST


Lane, D., “Jesus Christ” Encyclopedia of Catholicism, Edited by R. McBrien.
Harper San Francisco, 1995: 695-705

Johnson, E.A., Waves of Renewal in Christology ,Chts 1 and 2

Haight, R. Jesus – Symbol of God.  Chts. 1 and 2

Lane, D. “Theology in Transition”, Catholic Theology Facing the Future: Historical Perspectives, New York: Paulist Press, 2003

 

 

2)      JESUS AND THE GOSPELS

J.P. Meier “Jesus” N.J.B.C.: 1316-1328

D. Harrington “Jesus: the Wisdom of God”, Church, Summer 1995:  8-14

R. Haight, Jesus – Symbol of God, Cht. 3

M. Borg and N.T.Wright, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, SPCK, 1999

J. Keating, “The Invincible Allure of the Historical Jesus for Systematic Theology”, Irish Theological Quarterly, Autumn 2001:211-226.

E.A. Johnson, “The Word Made Flesh and Dwelt Among us: Jesus Research and Christian Faith” in Jesus: A Colloquium in the Holy Land, ed by D. Donnelly, N.Y: Continuum, 2001.

E.S. Fiorenza, Jesus and the Politics of Interpretation, NY: Continuum, 2000:1-55.

 

3)      THE HISTORICAL DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

W. Kasper, Jesus, the Christ, Chts. V1 and V11

S. Schneiders,”The Resurrection of Jesus and Christian Spirituality”, Christian Resources for Hope, M.Junker-Kenny (ed.)

J. P. Galvin, “Jesus Christ”, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1. Edited by J.P. Galvin & E.S. Fiorenza, Fortress Press, 1991: 297-314.

D. Lane, Keeping Hope Alive: 100-106 and 119-123.

R. Haight, Jesus – Symbol of God, Chts. 8-10

 

4)      THE HISTORICAL PATH TO CHALCEDON

E. Lyons, Jesus: Self Portrait of God, Dublin: Columba, 1994, Cht. 8

R. Butterworth, “Has Chalcedon a Future?”, The Month, April, 1977.

W.P.Loewe, Introduction to Christology, Cht.15.

Carr, Transforming Grace, Cht.8

R. Haight, Jesus – Symbol of God, Cht. 15.

G. O Collins, Christology, Cht.8.

 

5)      THE DOCTRINE OF THE INCARNATION

K. Rahner “Incarnation” Sacramentum Mundi, Vol.3: 114-118

Vatican 11, The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, a.22

E. Lyons, Jesus: Self Portrait of God. Cht.9

G.O. Collins, Christology:  A Biblical, Historical and Systematic Study of Jesus, Oxford University Press, 1995: Cht.10.

R. Haight, Jesus – Symbol of God, Cht. 12.

D. Lane, The Reality of Jesus, Cht.9

D. Lane, Christ at the Centre, Cht.6

 

6)      THE ENDURING SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

D. Lane, Christ at the Centre, Cht.3

J.  Moltmann, The Crucified God, London, 1974,Cht.6

C.S., Evans,. “The self-emptying of love: Some Thoughts on Kenotic Christology” in S. Davis. D. Kendal and G. O Collins (eds), The Incarnation, Oxford University Press, 2002:246-272.

D. Lane, Keeping Hope Alive, Cht.8.

S. Davis, D. Kendal and G.O Collins (eds.), The Resurrection: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Resurrection of Jesus, Oxford University Press, 1997.

 

 

PART 2:  INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

 

7)      CHRISTIANITY AND THE WORLD RELIGIONS

Vatican 11: Nostra Aetate 1965, Ad Gentes and Lumen Gentium

 S. Duffy, “Christianity in Dialogue: Jesus at the Circumference or the Center” The Living Light, Winter 1995.

P. Schineller, “Christ and Church: A. Spectrum of Views”, Theological Studies, 37, 1976:545-567.

K. Rahner, “Basic Theological Interpretation of the Second Vatican Council”, Theological Investigations, Vol. xx, 1991:77-89.

T. Tilley, “Christianity and World Religions – A Recent Vatican Statement”, Theological  Studies, June, 1999: 318-337

L. Gilkey, “Plurality and its Theological Implications”, The Myth of Christian Uniqueness, Mary Knoll: Orbis, 1988: 37-40

P. Phan, “Are there other Saviours’ for other people:  A discussion of the Problem of Universal Significance and Uniqueness of Jesus the Christ”, Christianity and the Wider Ecumenism, P. Phan (ed.), New York: Paragon House, 1990: 163-180.

C. Gillis, “Christian Approaches to Inter-Religious Dialogue”
Louvain Studies, 22, 1997: 15-38.

R. Haight, Jesus – Symbol of God, Cht. 14.

CDF, Dominus IesusUSCC, 2000 and responses in America 28 Oct 2000,

Ecumenical Trends, Dec.2000 and Centro Pro Unione, Spring 2001

M. Barnes, Theology and the Dialogue of Religions, Cambridge University Press, 2002: Cht. 2

J. Fredericks, “The Catholic Church and the Other Religions”, Theological Studies, June, 2003.

G. O Collins, “Christ and the Religions”, Gregorianum 84,2(2003) 347-362.

D. Lane, “Vatican ll, Christology and the World Religions”, Louvain Studies, Summer, 1999

 D. Lane, “Christian Faith in the context of a multicultural World” The Living Light, Summer 2004.

D. Lane, “K. Rahner’s contribution to Interreligious Dialogue” Christian Identity in a Post-modern Age:

Celebrating Rahner and Lonergan, Dublin: Veritas, 2005

 

8)      DEVELOPING A SPIRIT CHRISTOLOGY IN SERVICE OF INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

D. Edwards, Breath of Life: A Theology of the Creator Spirit, Orbis Books, 2004.

 B. Hinze and D. Lyle Dabney, Advens of the Spirit: An Introduction to the Current Study of Pneumatology, Marquette University,  2001.

 K. Mc Donnell, The Other Hand of God: The Holy Spirit as the Universal Truth, Liturgical Press, 2003.

 B. Cooke, Power and the Spirit of God: Towards an Experience-based Pneumatology, Oxford University  Press,  2004.

T. Merrigan, “Exploring the Frontiers: J. Dupuis and the Movement Towards a Theology of Religious Pluralism”, Louvain Studies, Winter 1998

 J. Dupuis, “The Truth Will make you Free: The Theology of Religious Pluralism Revisited”, Louvain Studies, Fall, 1999 (Dupuis’ review of his reviewers)

T. Merrigan, “Religious Knowledge in a Pluralist Theology of Religions” Theological Studies, December 1997: 686-707.

J.A. Dinoia, The Diversity of Religions: A Christian Prospective, Washington D.C.: Catholic University of America, 1992: 34-64.

L. Swindler and P. Mojzes (eds.) The Uniqueness of Jesus: A Dialogue with P. Knitter, pp.3-16, 85-93; 94-99.

 

9)      THE JEWISH-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE AS A TEST CASE


Vatican Commission For Religious Relations with Jews, “We Remember: A reflection on the Shoah”, 26 March 1998, Origins.

D. Harrington, “The Jewishness of Jesus as an Approach to Christology”, The Promise of Biblical Theology, J. Reumann (ed.), Fortress Press 1991.

J.H. Charlesworth (ed.), Jesus’ Jewishness: Exploring the Place of Jesus within Early Judaism, New York: Crossroad, 1991/1996.

J. Pawlikowski, “A Faith without Shadows”: liberating Christian faith from anti Semitism”, Theology Digest, Fall, 1996: 203-217.

 J. T. G. Dunn, The Partings of the Way: Between Christianity and Judaism and their significance for the character of Christianity, London: SCM Press, 1991, Chapters 11 and 12. See especially “Preface to Second edition”  and new Appendix of  second edition published in  2006.

J.D.G. Dunne, The theology of Paul the Apostle, Edinburgh: T & T Clarke, 1998: Chapter 19,
Israel (Romans 9-11) .

J.B. Metz, “Facing the Jews: Christian Theology after Auschwitz”, Concilium 1984.

J.Pawlikowski, Jesus and the Theology of
Israel, Delaware: Glazier, 1989.

 Mary Boys, Has God Only One Blessing: Judaism as a Source of Christian Self-Understanding, NY: Paulist Press, 2000.

 W. Kasper, “The Good Olive Tree”, America, 17th September 2001.

 R. Soulen, The God of Israel and Christian Theology, Fortrss Press, 1996

 L.E. Keck, Who is Jesus: History in Perfect Tense, University of S. Carolina, 2000

 PBC, Jews and Christians in Dialogue, Rome 2002

 R. Langer, “Jewish Understanding of the Religious Others”, Theological Studies, June 2002.

 M. Attridge(ed.), Jews and Catholics Together: Celebrating  the Legacy of Nostra Aetate, Canada: Novalis,  2007

 

 Summer 2007.                                                                                     Dermot A. Lane

 

 

CHRISTOLOGICAL POINTS FOR REFLECTION

1)      “A strong connection exists between images of Jesus and images of the Christian life.”  (M. Borg, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, 1941).

2)      “The Church becomes more credible if it speaks less about itself and more and more preaches Christ crucified (cf.1 Cor.2.2) and witnesses to him by its life” (1985 Synod of Bishops, Rome, 1985).

3)      “The mystery of innocent suffering will never cease to deeply challenge all faith in God”, R. Haight, “The Logic of Christian Response to Social Suffering” (The Future of Liberation Theology, M. Ellis and O. Maduro (eds.), 1989: 141).

4)      “The Christian….understanding of God in the light of Jesus’s cross and resurrection leads to a crisis, even a revolution, in the way of seeing God” (W. Kasper, Jesus the Christ, 1976: 168).

5)      “The unresolved questions of ecclesiology can be answered only within a renewed Christology, and only a renewed Christology can enable the Church to regain its universality and catholicity (in the original sense of the word)” W. Kasper, Jesus the Christ, 1976: 16.

6)      “The praxis and vision of Jesus and his movement is best understood as an inner-Jewish renewal movement that presented an alternative option to the dominant patriarchal structure rather than an opposional formation rejecting the values and praxis of Judaism” (E.S.Firoenza, In Memory of Her, 1983).

7)      “The way to … unity is not individual conversion to the Catholic Church but the conversion of everyone to Jesus Christ.  Without personal as well as institutional renewal, there can be no ecumenical unity” (W. Kasper, “The Future of Ecumenism”.  Theological Digest, 49:3 (Fall 2002

8)      Gaudium et Spes, a. 22: In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made Flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear. Christ…. fully reveals humanity to itself…For, by his Incarnation, the Son of God has united himself with each individual…”

 

DL                                                                                                                   Summer  2007

 

NOTES ON THE HISTORICAL JESUS

1. Portraits of the Historical Jesus in the third quest

  1. Jesus the itinerant cynic philosopher (J.Crossan, Burton Mack)
  2.  
  1. Jesus, man of the Spirit (M. Borg, G. Vermes, D. Edwards)
  2.  
  1. Jesus the eschatological prophet (E.P. Sanders)
     
  1. Jesus the prophet of social change (G. Theissen, R. Horseley)
     
  1. Jesus the sage—the wisdom of God (E.Schussler Fiorenza, B. Witherington)
     
  1. Jesus the marginal Jew or Jewish messiah (J. P. Meier, J.D.G. Dunn, N.T. Wright)

An elaboration of these categories can be found in:

B. Witherington, The Third Quest: The Third Quest for the Jew of Nazareth, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1995
 

2. Broadly speaking there are 2 schools of thought in the Third Quest for the Historical Jesus:

a. Those who use the NT. as their primary source (J. Meier, Sanders, and NT Wright)

b. Those who follow evidence outside the NT, that is non-canonical sources ,as well as the NT (Crossan, Borg, E. Schussler Fiorenza)
 

3. It is possible to detect 3 distinct approaches to the quest for the historical Jesus:

a.       History alone (many members of the US Jesus Seminar seem to opt for this)

b.      Faith alone (found in literal approaches to the NT.)

c.       History and Faith in a mutually critical relationship.
 

4. There is a need to avoid two extremes in the quest for Jesus as the Christ: historical positivism and theological positivism.

 

 

Summer  2007                                                                                            D.Lane


 

THE PRESENCE OF THE REIGN OF GOD AND ESCHATOLOGY IN

THE LIFE OF JESUS

1.      The different Quests of the Historical Jesus are concerned, directly or indirectly with the issue of eschatology.

2.      The Reign of God, or as some prefer to call it God’s will for the world, is at the centre of the mission and ministry of Jesus:

   Jesus proclaims a Kingdom as already present when he informs the disciples of John the Baptist that the blind can see, the lame can walk, the deaf can hear etc. (Mt 11/2-19), talks about casting out demons (Mt. 12/28:Lu. 11/20), states the Kingdom is in your midst (Lu.17/20-21).  The Kingdom is also implied as present in Jesus’ saying about commending those who see what disciples see and his rejection of voluntary fasting whilst he is with them (Mk. 2/18-20).

   Jesus also proclaims a Future Kingdom in the Lord’s Prayer (Mk. 6/10; Lu. 11/2), in his reference to “Drinking Wine in the Kingdom of God” at the last supper (Mk. 14/25), in his talk about reclining at the table with Abraham in the Kingdom (Mt. 8/11-12; Lu. 13/28-29).
 

3.      The Reign of God, therefore, is like the seed planted in the ground, it is already coming into being (Mt.13: 31-32; like the leaven in the dough, it is already at work.

4.      The Reign of God is about God’s concern for the flourishing of humanity.  It entails establishing right relationships between rich and poor, men and women, insiders and outsiders, humans and the earth, people and God.  The Kingdom of God is a multi-layered symbol and cannot be summed up in any one particular way.  Some of the qualities of the Reign of God are inclusivity, solidarity, communal identity and celebration.

5.      Perspectives on Kingdom of God are closely connected to Jesus’ experience of God as Abba: the non-patriarchal Fatherhood of God (eg. as found in the parable of the prodigal son) is the basis of the unity of Humanity, existing as one family, belonging in fellowship as Gods’ people.

6.      To try to eliminate eschatology from the life of Jesus, as some members of the Jesus Seminar do, goes against the Jewish background of the life of Jesus, the close association of Jesus with John the Baptist who proclaimed an eschatology, the announcement by Jesus of the coming Reign of God, the invocation by Jesus of the twelve Tribes of Israel and the alignment by Jesus of his life with the Son of Man traditions and the presence of the banquet/table fellowship theme in the teaching of Jesus.

7.      According to N.T. Wright there is no evidence in the Gospels “for an early non-apocalyptic, largely non-Jewish, non-prophetic form of Christianity”(Jesus and the Victory of God, 43)
 

8.      “At the very least, in some vague sense Jesus was seen by others and himself as an eschatological prophet, perhaps the eschatological prophet, that is, the last divinely inspired messenger sent by God to his people of Israel in the last days”(J. P. Meier, “The Jewishness of Jesus, November, 1993”, No Religion is an Island: The Nostra Aetate Dialogues, Ed. by E Bristow, New York: Fordham University Press, 1998:28)

9.      “Take the implied self understanding of his role in terms of the eschatological prophet away, and the whole ministry falls into a series of unrelated, if not meaningless fragments”, (R.G. Fuller, The Foundations of NT Christology, London: Lutterworth Press, 1965:130.

 

DL                                                                                                                               June 2007

 

GRADUATE THEOLOGY AND PASTORAL MINISTRY