Thomas Plant | Rikkyo University (original) (raw)
Thesis Chapters by Thomas Plant
Theurgy as consummation of theology: a reading of Ecclesiastical Hierarchy 3.5
Somewhat belatedly and perhaps datedly, as it was examined ten years ago, this thesis explores th... more Somewhat belatedly and perhaps datedly, as it was examined ten years ago, this thesis explores the effects of twentieth century controversies around the theology of nature and grace on Hans Urs von Balthasar and Karl Rahner’s theology of religions, and attempts to mediate between the two theologians’ seemingly contrary positions. It suggests that Balthasar’s theology lends itself better to the possibility of an “anonymous Christendom” than to Rahner’s idea of individual “anonymous Christians”, despite his rejection of the former and grudging acceptance of the latter.
Chapter 1 explores integralist responses to the Neo-scholastic extrinsicist model of nature and grace, arguing that Rahner’s notion of pure nature perpetuates the problems it proposes to solve. Chapter 2 considers Balthasar’s reconciliation of Karl Barth’s theology with de Lubac’s integralist model of nature and grace. Chapter 3 critically considers the implications of Balthasar’s aesthetic epistemology on his theology of religions. In chapter 4, we argue that imbalances in Balthasar’s theology can be righted by certain Rahnerian insights, leading in chapter 5 to the argument that the working of God’s grace outside the Church is necessary for the eschatological fulfilment of the Kingdom. The thesis finally suggests the possibility of an ‘anonymous Christendom’ outside the visible Church.
Chapter 6 tests the thesis of ‘anonymous Christendom’ against the examples first of a Hindu sati, and then of Buddhist maitri as presented in de Lubac’s Aspects du Bouddhisme, suggesting that each can, in de Lubac’s terms, form ‘building blocks’ in the Kingdom.
It is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collabo... more It is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated in the text. Word Count excluding bibliography: 85869, not exceeding the word limit of 87000 set by the Degree Committee.
Drafts by Thomas Plant
This paper argues that the salvation Dionysius teaches is not achieved by an individual's spiritu... more This paper argues that the salvation Dionysius teaches is not achieved by an individual's spiritual exercises, but by theurgy as practised by the Church in Communion, focussing on chapter 3.5 of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and particularly on the motif: Ἔστι τῆς θεολογίας ἡ θεουργία συγκεφαλαίωσις, EH 3.5, 432B, 'theurgy is the consummation of theology.'
Book Reviews by Thomas Plant
Japan Mission Journal, 2023
These two books on the recent resurgence of Shinto-influenced nationalism in Japan help to highli... more These two books on the recent resurgence of Shinto-influenced nationalism in Japan help to highlight the problems which arise when the assumptions of modern Western secularism, itself dependent (however unwittingly) on its Christian heritage, are imposed on a culture which has never historically been Christian.
Talks by Thomas Plant
An introduction to the theology of Dionysius and its value in resisting the excesses of secular m... more An introduction to the theology of Dionysius and its value in resisting the excesses of secular modernity. Delivered to Towers of Faith, 1 July 2020.
Pope Benedict XVI generally acclaimed Pseudo-Dionysius a mediator of Western and Eastern apophati... more Pope Benedict XVI generally acclaimed Pseudo-Dionysius a mediator of Western and Eastern apophatic philosophy, but the Areopagite’s specific framing of his theology in theurgic and hymnic terms offers the opportunities for more precise application in inter-faith metaphysical dialogue. A talk given to the Tabah Foundation, 29 November 2020.
Teaching Documents by Thomas Plant
Koinonia, 2020
A lockdown meditation on online worship. The spiritual edification of the laos will not be effect... more A lockdown meditation on online worship. The spiritual edification of the laos will not be effected by the denigration of matter, and while it is true that the Church is made up of people, bread and stones have their proper place in the cosmic liturgy.
Papers by Thomas Plant
Japan Mission Journal, 2023
Expository Times, Aug 9, 2017
The Journal of Religion, 2012
Japan Mission Journal, 2023
"Faith" understood in the context of a sacramental metaphysics characteristic of pre-Reformation ... more "Faith" understood in the context of a sacramental metaphysics characteristic of pre-Reformation Christianity offers more fertile ground for comparison with Pure Land Buddhism's Shinjin than the modern commonsense notion of the word, which is formed under largely Protestant and Enlightenment assumptions.
The Expository Times, 2016
2 Albert Nolan, God in South Africa (London: CIIR, 1988), 215. Such is the work of a prophet, not... more 2 Albert Nolan, God in South Africa (London: CIIR, 1988), 215. Such is the work of a prophet, not the pop astrologer of the future, but the analyst of the deep present, with a particular turn to the workings of God. So today’s reading from Jeremiah underscores the breadth and power of the role “over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down”, and that there is no excuse for age, no option for refusal. The alternative from Isaiah is clearer about the rewards promised to those who help the marginalised: they will be like a watered garden, a restored ruin. Isaiah also emphasises the holiness of the Sabbath, but in a way which might even prefigure Jesus’ interpretation. Holiness is about not serving one’s own interests or affairs, so the well-being of others (human and creature) is not excluded; indeed, that benevolence might well make the Sabbath more honourable and delightful for God. Jesus is not a prophet, although mistaken for one, or perhaps much more than a prophet: he is the inaugurator of a new kingdom, or what the author of the Letter to the Hebrews calls Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. I read this image of the kingdom of God as a future promise, an eschatological hope. If we are then living in the in-between times— Jesus has already come given birth to this kingdom but it is not yet fully grown or completed—we have the possibility now, or perhaps the obligation, to interpret our own ‘signs of the times’ in the light of Jesus’ words and teaching. Returning to Luke’s gospel passage, I would suggest developing two paths to travel. The first is to see today’s church as a ‘site of struggle’ as Judaism was for Jesus.2 Without any sense of personal vilification, it means to examine the distance between the Good News, which Jesus preached with particular communities and the way in which the institutional church translates that preaching. It is a kind of ‘mind the gap’ exercise, or rather identify and close the gap. It is to ask the extent to which the system of the church is directed towards its own preservation or to the well-being and kingdom presence of others. When we talk of those included and those excluded, we are also talking the language of mission. The second is to take the image of the woman bent double either through physical or psychological pain (or both), and magnify that to the level of our local neighbourhoods or national society. What do our bodies say now to the local GP or to Jesus in terms of communal or societal healing? I think they would see men, women, and young people who were tired and rather down-trodden; they would see fear and a lot of anger; on a bigger scale they would note the tension between the epidemic of obesity in the developed world and the slow to heal epidemic of hunger in the developing world and parts of the Middle East. I’m not certain what the doctor would say, but Jesus would tell us that we are unbound from these kinds of infirmity, and that Mount Zion and the kingdom are ours when we are open to and hopeful for their new possibilities.
The Expository Times, 2017
The Expository Times, 2017
The Expository Times, 2015
The Journal of Religion, 2012
The Journal of Religion Vol. 92, No. 1 (January 2012), pp. 58-83 (26 pages), 2012
In his extensive study of Buddhism, Henri de Lubac indirectly pursues topics in Roman Catholic th... more In his extensive study of Buddhism, Henri de Lubac indirectly pursues topics in Roman Catholic theology. The Pure Land Buddhism on which he focuses is the variety of Buddhism most conducive to Catholic theology, due not least to its personalism. Parallels may be identified between de Lubac’s discussions of Cajetan and Jansenius, and Hōnen and Shinran, on the grace–nature relation and human corruption. Nevertheless, he finds the doctrine of birth into the Pure Land ultimately incompatible with Christian incarnation and eschatology. Moreover, the negative way that Buddhism offers is challenged by christology, despite parallels in some mystical theology. For the Catholic, although Pure Land Buddhism cannot be regarded as itself a way to salvation, the virtues and disciplines it inculcates might contribute to the salvation of practitioners. This is because humanity in Christ is collective, and its salvation will therefore ultimately be universal.
Theurgy as consummation of theology: a reading of Ecclesiastical Hierarchy 3.5
Somewhat belatedly and perhaps datedly, as it was examined ten years ago, this thesis explores th... more Somewhat belatedly and perhaps datedly, as it was examined ten years ago, this thesis explores the effects of twentieth century controversies around the theology of nature and grace on Hans Urs von Balthasar and Karl Rahner’s theology of religions, and attempts to mediate between the two theologians’ seemingly contrary positions. It suggests that Balthasar’s theology lends itself better to the possibility of an “anonymous Christendom” than to Rahner’s idea of individual “anonymous Christians”, despite his rejection of the former and grudging acceptance of the latter.
Chapter 1 explores integralist responses to the Neo-scholastic extrinsicist model of nature and grace, arguing that Rahner’s notion of pure nature perpetuates the problems it proposes to solve. Chapter 2 considers Balthasar’s reconciliation of Karl Barth’s theology with de Lubac’s integralist model of nature and grace. Chapter 3 critically considers the implications of Balthasar’s aesthetic epistemology on his theology of religions. In chapter 4, we argue that imbalances in Balthasar’s theology can be righted by certain Rahnerian insights, leading in chapter 5 to the argument that the working of God’s grace outside the Church is necessary for the eschatological fulfilment of the Kingdom. The thesis finally suggests the possibility of an ‘anonymous Christendom’ outside the visible Church.
Chapter 6 tests the thesis of ‘anonymous Christendom’ against the examples first of a Hindu sati, and then of Buddhist maitri as presented in de Lubac’s Aspects du Bouddhisme, suggesting that each can, in de Lubac’s terms, form ‘building blocks’ in the Kingdom.
It is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collabo... more It is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except where specifically indicated in the text. Word Count excluding bibliography: 85869, not exceeding the word limit of 87000 set by the Degree Committee.
This paper argues that the salvation Dionysius teaches is not achieved by an individual's spiritu... more This paper argues that the salvation Dionysius teaches is not achieved by an individual's spiritual exercises, but by theurgy as practised by the Church in Communion, focussing on chapter 3.5 of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, and particularly on the motif: Ἔστι τῆς θεολογίας ἡ θεουργία συγκεφαλαίωσις, EH 3.5, 432B, 'theurgy is the consummation of theology.'
Japan Mission Journal, 2023
These two books on the recent resurgence of Shinto-influenced nationalism in Japan help to highli... more These two books on the recent resurgence of Shinto-influenced nationalism in Japan help to highlight the problems which arise when the assumptions of modern Western secularism, itself dependent (however unwittingly) on its Christian heritage, are imposed on a culture which has never historically been Christian.
An introduction to the theology of Dionysius and its value in resisting the excesses of secular m... more An introduction to the theology of Dionysius and its value in resisting the excesses of secular modernity. Delivered to Towers of Faith, 1 July 2020.
Pope Benedict XVI generally acclaimed Pseudo-Dionysius a mediator of Western and Eastern apophati... more Pope Benedict XVI generally acclaimed Pseudo-Dionysius a mediator of Western and Eastern apophatic philosophy, but the Areopagite’s specific framing of his theology in theurgic and hymnic terms offers the opportunities for more precise application in inter-faith metaphysical dialogue. A talk given to the Tabah Foundation, 29 November 2020.
Koinonia, 2020
A lockdown meditation on online worship. The spiritual edification of the laos will not be effect... more A lockdown meditation on online worship. The spiritual edification of the laos will not be effected by the denigration of matter, and while it is true that the Church is made up of people, bread and stones have their proper place in the cosmic liturgy.
Japan Mission Journal, 2023
Expository Times, Aug 9, 2017
The Journal of Religion, 2012
Japan Mission Journal, 2023
"Faith" understood in the context of a sacramental metaphysics characteristic of pre-Reformation ... more "Faith" understood in the context of a sacramental metaphysics characteristic of pre-Reformation Christianity offers more fertile ground for comparison with Pure Land Buddhism's Shinjin than the modern commonsense notion of the word, which is formed under largely Protestant and Enlightenment assumptions.
The Expository Times, 2016
2 Albert Nolan, God in South Africa (London: CIIR, 1988), 215. Such is the work of a prophet, not... more 2 Albert Nolan, God in South Africa (London: CIIR, 1988), 215. Such is the work of a prophet, not the pop astrologer of the future, but the analyst of the deep present, with a particular turn to the workings of God. So today’s reading from Jeremiah underscores the breadth and power of the role “over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down”, and that there is no excuse for age, no option for refusal. The alternative from Isaiah is clearer about the rewards promised to those who help the marginalised: they will be like a watered garden, a restored ruin. Isaiah also emphasises the holiness of the Sabbath, but in a way which might even prefigure Jesus’ interpretation. Holiness is about not serving one’s own interests or affairs, so the well-being of others (human and creature) is not excluded; indeed, that benevolence might well make the Sabbath more honourable and delightful for God. Jesus is not a prophet, although mistaken for one, or perhaps much more than a prophet: he is the inaugurator of a new kingdom, or what the author of the Letter to the Hebrews calls Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. I read this image of the kingdom of God as a future promise, an eschatological hope. If we are then living in the in-between times— Jesus has already come given birth to this kingdom but it is not yet fully grown or completed—we have the possibility now, or perhaps the obligation, to interpret our own ‘signs of the times’ in the light of Jesus’ words and teaching. Returning to Luke’s gospel passage, I would suggest developing two paths to travel. The first is to see today’s church as a ‘site of struggle’ as Judaism was for Jesus.2 Without any sense of personal vilification, it means to examine the distance between the Good News, which Jesus preached with particular communities and the way in which the institutional church translates that preaching. It is a kind of ‘mind the gap’ exercise, or rather identify and close the gap. It is to ask the extent to which the system of the church is directed towards its own preservation or to the well-being and kingdom presence of others. When we talk of those included and those excluded, we are also talking the language of mission. The second is to take the image of the woman bent double either through physical or psychological pain (or both), and magnify that to the level of our local neighbourhoods or national society. What do our bodies say now to the local GP or to Jesus in terms of communal or societal healing? I think they would see men, women, and young people who were tired and rather down-trodden; they would see fear and a lot of anger; on a bigger scale they would note the tension between the epidemic of obesity in the developed world and the slow to heal epidemic of hunger in the developing world and parts of the Middle East. I’m not certain what the doctor would say, but Jesus would tell us that we are unbound from these kinds of infirmity, and that Mount Zion and the kingdom are ours when we are open to and hopeful for their new possibilities.
The Expository Times, 2017
The Expository Times, 2017
The Expository Times, 2015
The Journal of Religion, 2012
The Journal of Religion Vol. 92, No. 1 (January 2012), pp. 58-83 (26 pages), 2012
In his extensive study of Buddhism, Henri de Lubac indirectly pursues topics in Roman Catholic th... more In his extensive study of Buddhism, Henri de Lubac indirectly pursues topics in Roman Catholic theology. The Pure Land Buddhism on which he focuses is the variety of Buddhism most conducive to Catholic theology, due not least to its personalism. Parallels may be identified between de Lubac’s discussions of Cajetan and Jansenius, and Hōnen and Shinran, on the grace–nature relation and human corruption. Nevertheless, he finds the doctrine of birth into the Pure Land ultimately incompatible with Christian incarnation and eschatology. Moreover, the negative way that Buddhism offers is challenged by christology, despite parallels in some mystical theology. For the Catholic, although Pure Land Buddhism cannot be regarded as itself a way to salvation, the virtues and disciplines it inculcates might contribute to the salvation of practitioners. This is because humanity in Christ is collective, and its salvation will therefore ultimately be universal.
The Lost Way to the Good, 2021
“Thomas Plant has written a timely, profound, and trenchant work. He writes with admirable verve,... more “Thomas Plant has written a timely, profound, and trenchant work. He writes with admirable verve, eloquence, and scholarly precision: this is an important book.”—DOUGLAS HEDLEY, Director of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism
Disoriented by postmodern relativism and critical theory, many seek refuge in the old certainties of religious or political traditions, from Tridentine Catholicism to Enlightenment Liberalism. But these paths are only recent forks off a wider, older road: a way which belongs as much to the East as to the West, and can unite Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and more in pursuit of the truly common Good.
This Way is the nondualistic philosophy of Eastern or “theurgic” Platonism. Claiming Indian and Egyptian roots, it entered mediaeval European universities through the works of Dionysius the Areopagite. Overshadowed in the West, it continued to thrive in Eastern Christian and Sufi spiritual teachings that spread along the Silk Road, giving a basis for creative dialogue with Taoists and Buddhists.
The Lost Way to the Good is a guidebook for a spiritual and metaphysical journey with Dionysius from Athens to Kyoto and the True Pure Land Buddhism of Shinran Shonin. Find out where the West deviated from the track, and how even radically different religious traditions can unite to resist the divisive forces of Western secular modernity.
Buy it at Amazon here: mybook.to/TheLostWaytotheGood
“Reading Tom Plant’s The Lost Way to the Good is like drinking from a stream: fresh, clear, thirst-quenching.”—STEPHEN J. BLACKWOOD, founder of Ralston College
“The Lost Way to the Good is a profound reflection on one of the greatest mystics of the Eastern Church, undertaken in light of insights offered by the largest school of Buddhism in Japan. Yet this is no ordinary study in comparative religion…This important, compelling work forges new possibilities for living authentically in the face of modernity’s relentless assault on the sacred.”—JOHN PARASKEVOPOULOS, author of Immeasurable Life: The Essence of Shin Buddhism
“‘The West will rediscover its identity and its tradition only in him [Jesus Christ], but will rediscover him only by walking the road we used to share with the East,’ declares Fr Tom Plant in this robust, wide-ranging, stimulating call for the retrieval and reinvigoration of the paths of metaphysical exploration broadly described as ‘Platonist.’ … For any caught in the post-truth relativism and fragmentation of contemporary Western culture, Tom Plant will prove an engaging, learned, and persuasive companion and guide.”—RT REVD DR MICHAEL IPGRAVE, Bishop of Lichfield