Brandon R Peterson | University of Utah (original) (raw)

Books by Brandon R Peterson

Fortress Press, 2017

Précis: Karl Rahner’s theory of how Jesus saves has garnered criticism. Some detractors have desc... more Précis: Karl Rahner’s theory of how Jesus saves has garnered criticism. Some detractors have described Rahner’s Jesus as merely notifying the world of God’s salvific will, while others have doubted whether Rahner’s Jesus “causes” salvation at all. These critiques – and even some of Rahner’s apologists – fail to do justice to his theology of representation. On this theory, Jesus is not primarily a redemptive agent who accomplishes human salvation simply through an act, and even less is he a mere exemplar or notification. Rather than “earning” human salvation, this Jesus is the locus of salvation itself. Being Salvation uncovers this dimension within Rahner’s theology, relating it to other historical examples of representative soteriology (e.g. Irenaeus’s theory of recapitulation) and to Rahner’s more familiar sacramental soteriological categories. It gives special attention to Rahner’s intense focus on the church fathers early in his career, including Rahner’s untranslated theology dissertation, E latere Christi (“From the Side of Christ”).

Papers by Brandon R Peterson

Journal of Analytic Theology, 2024

Is the hypostatic union—the union of divinity and humanity in the person of Jesus—indissoluble? O... more Is the hypostatic union—the union of divinity and humanity in the person of Jesus—indissoluble? Or did it undergo a temporary suspension during Jesus’ entombment? Although most theologians and philosophers considering the question have opted for the former, this article explores the latter possibility as a way to maintain (i) Thomas Aquinas’s“subsistence” theory of the incarnation, (ii) the widespread judgment that the entombed Christ is not a human, and (iii) the traditional definition of the hypostatic union. Such a position, this article argues, neither runs afoul of Chalcedon’s teaching that Christ’s two natures were united “without separation” nor imperils human salvation.

Philosophy & Theology, 2021

Classically, Christians have professed the saving efficacy of the cross. Does Karl Rahner? Recent... more Classically, Christians have professed the saving efficacy of the cross. Does Karl Rahner? Recent commentary on Foundations of Christian Faith has described Rahner as conflating “atonement” generally with penal substitutionary theories of a changing God, as ruling out the redemptive significance of Christ’s death, and as denigrating the normativity of Scripture in order to do so. This article responds to these claims, unfolding Rahner’s soteriology and arguing that he advances a theology of the cross which affirms its saving efficacy, including in the last decade of his work.

Journal of Ancient Philosophy, 2021

How does a living body come to be? What happens when it passes away? Questions like these captiva... more How does a living body come to be? What happens when it passes away? Questions like these captivated both Aristotle and St. Paul, despite their significantly different times and cultures. While it does not make any claim that Paul explicitly relied on Aristotle, this article does argue that each of them faced down parallel dilemmas and responded with the same conceptual move. Writing on animal generation, Aristotle rejected theories which overemphasize continuity through the developmental process or so stress the intelligibility of discrete stages that the process itself disintegrates without coherence. Likewise, Paul, writing on the plausibility of bodily resurrection, exhorts the Christian community in Corinth to reject overly continuous caricatures of resurrection while also urging them not to abandon hope for the bodies of those who have died-"what you sow," he tells them, "come[s] to life." Both Paul and Aristotle point their readers toward accounts of bodily development which refuse to collapse into either identity with the past or discontinuity between past and future-Paul and Aristotle insist on both. Such insistence is plausible on each of their accounts because they advance a shared conceptual shift away from prioritizing the temporal order of bodily change and toward a teleological order which privileges a greater whole. Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. (1 Corinthians 16.51-52) 1 Every realm of nature is marvellous: and as Heraclitus, when the strangers who came to visit him found him warming himself at the furnace in the kitchen and hesitated to go in, is reported to have bidden them not to be afraid to enter, as even in that kitchen divinities were present, so we should venture on the study of every kind of animal. (Aristotle, Parts of Animals 1.5, 17-22) 2 1 Quotations from the Bible are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation. Michael D. Coogan (ed.

Theological Studies, 2020

How does Jesus bring about salvation in the world? Throughout his career, Karl Rahner expressed d... more How does Jesus bring about salvation in the world? Throughout his career, Karl Rahner expressed deep suspicion of answers that had Christ “stepping in” for humans [Stellvertretung] and performing a great redemptive act in their stead. For Rahner, grace does not substitute or replace; it transforms and capacitates. Such an answer provoked great protest from Hans Urs von Balthasar, for whom Stellvertretung was indispensable. This article examines their exchange, considering Rahner’s closely related distinction between mere “signs” (Vertretungssymbole) and real symbols, as well as his favored alternative for Stellvertretung, the notion of Repräsentation, which he adopted from his early patristic studies.

Church Life Journal, 2019

Taking the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church as its starting point, this essay explores ... more Taking the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church as its starting point, this essay explores the eccelsiological theme of sinfulness in the church, drawing on both Vatican II's _Lumen Gentium_ as well as the writings of Karl Rahner. The paper advocates for an ecclesiology that pairs the themes of the church's holiness and sinfulness.

Church Life Journal, 2018

Can Catholic teaching change? This essay argues that it can, particularly in the mode of "reform.... more Can Catholic teaching change? This essay argues that it can, particularly in the mode of "reform." Reform occurs in the modes of development, retrieval, and updating, which all involve both genuine continuity and discontinuity. This essay also addresses levels of authoritative teaching and a case study which considers the Catholic Church's massive shift on its teaching about God's covenantal relationship with the Jewish people.

Angelicum, Dec 2016

Anselm’s “satisfaction” theory of atonement posits that Christ’s death on the cross functioned as... more Anselm’s “satisfaction” theory of atonement posits that Christ’s death on the cross functioned as a gift to God on behalf of humanity to restore the order of justice subverted by sin. Especially in recent years, the theory has been criticized for obscuring God’s mercy. If God’s forgiveness is only available after such a sacrifice has been offered, Anselm’s critics argue, it is not forgiveness at all. While this criticism is a compelling objection, it does not seem to apply to Anselm’s own thought as expressed in Cur Deus Homo. While many “Anselmian” theories posit Christ’s death as transforming God by way of propitiation, Anselm himself envisions satisfaction in the opposite way, as an act by which a changeless God mercifully transforms humanity to conform to creation’s proper order. But even if the criticisms of a merciless God are misplaced, the corresponding calls for considering alternative theories of atonement have warrant. Not only is “satisfaction” an ambiguous symbol, given such widespread (albeit unfair) associations, but Anselm himself seems to grant little soteriological value to Christ’s life, ministry, and resurrection. The most promising remedy is to situate satisfaction theory within a larger, “person-centered” framework for thinking about atonement, an underappreciated move made by Thomas Aquinas which remains worthy of our attention today.

America, Dec 7, 2015

What sort of documents are Gaudium et Spes and the papal encyclicals on Catholic Social Teaching ... more What sort of documents are Gaudium et Spes and the papal encyclicals on Catholic Social Teaching and what kind of doctrinal weight do they carry? Karl Rahner argued that they qualify as “instructions,” an important category located between absolute, binding norms and personal opinions. This essay argues that even 50 years after Gaudium et Spes, many Catholics fail to appreciate these authoritative “instructions,” which, as Rahner argued, are critical for the church to successfully teach and shepherd today.

Philosophy & Theology, 2015

A great amount of scholarly attention has been devoted to Karl Rahner’s early philosophical writi... more A great amount of scholarly attention has been devoted to Karl Rahner’s early philosophical writings, but his theological work from the same time period remains only marginally known. While his dissertation in philosophy, Spirit in the World, has been published in multiple editions and in many languages, his dissertation in theology, E latere Christi, was only available in archives until it was published in the third volume (1999) of his collected works, Sämtliche Werke. Exploring the content of this third volume which contains Rahner’s early writing on the spirituality and theology of the Church Fathers, this article illuminates a neglected part of Rahner’s career: his fascination with patristic thought during his early, formative years. It also identifies themes in these early writings which reappear in his more well known mature writings on the theology of das Symbol, soteriology, mystery, and the importance of historical theology for the activity of today’s theologian.

Modern Theology, 2015

International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2013

This article explores the soteriology of Thomas Aquinas. In particular, it considers recent deba... more This article explores the soteriology of Thomas Aquinas. In particular, it considers recent debates over whether Thomas altered Anselm’s satisfaction theory in a way which opened the door to the later theory of penal substitution. The article argues that Thomas did indeed alter Anselm’s atonement theory in this way insofar as he incorporates punishment within his concept of satisfaction; however, it further contends that his use of “placation” or “appeasement” language does not contribute to such an alteration.

Dissertation by Brandon R Peterson

While Christ’s salvific role as “primal Sacrament” is a widely documented part of Karl Rahner’s s... more While Christ’s salvific role as “primal Sacrament” is a widely documented part of Karl Rahner’s soteriology, another major and yet underappreciated part is Christ’s identity as “Representative” (both our representative before God and God’s before us). The dissertation uncovers this identity within Rahner’s theology, situating it in relation to other historical examples of representative soteriology (e.g. Irenaeus of Lyons) and to Rahner’s more familiar sacramental soteriological categories. It gives special attention to Rahner’s early studies of and writings on the Church Fathers, particularly Rahner’s own untranslated and recently published dissertation, 'E latere Christi.'

Talks by Brandon R Peterson

“The Catholic Church’s teaching doesn’t change.” Especially with the explosion of online resource... more “The Catholic Church’s teaching doesn’t change.” Especially with the explosion of online resources and Catholic blogs, the idea of unchanging teaching is seemingly everywhere. We contend that this trend is lamentable. We do so not out of a love for chaos or to suggest that any and all Catholic teachings are up for grabs, but out of both theological and philosophical concern: the supporting framework which often lies behind claims of immutable teaching usually conceives of “change” in problematic ways. Moreover, the denial of change in church teaching is concerning for practical reasons, namely, that it leaves Catholic students ill-equipped to deal with the consequences of studying doctrinal history. We propose that Catholics should both (i.) openly acknowledge changes in church teaching and (ii.) explain that change is best understood as “reform,” a category which, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has explained, draws on both continuities and discontinuities.

College Theology Society Annual Convention, 2020

Today I'll outline two seemingly unrelated problems and then propose that they share a common sol... more Today I'll outline two seemingly unrelated problems and then propose that they share a common solution. The first problem concerns an increasingly frequent move toward incarnational soteriologies, in which the entire human family is salvifically summed up in Jesus. What place does the singular event of the cross have for such person-centered accounts of atonement? The second problem emerges out of an old medieval debate: Is it proper to call Jesus a "man" during the triduum mortis, the period between his death and resurrection? The theological consensus, including the opinion of Thomas Aquinas, settled on a negative answer: a dead human is not, properly speaking, a human at all. What implications does such an answer have for the hypostatic union, the unity of divine and human natures in the person of Jesus? St. James of the Marches taught that the hypostatic union was, strictly speaking, temporarily dissolved during Jesus' death. Despite the blowback he received, James has a point. If, as is widely agreed, the entombed Jesus is not a human, then there can be no human nature during the triduum mortis. But without a human nature, there can be no hypostatic union of two natures in one person. What are the soteriological implications of such a hiatus? Does it jeopardize human salvation? I think not. In my final section, I'll argue that a temporarily suspended hypostatic union can carry positive soteriological weight. Taking Hans Urs von Balthasar’s suggestion of Jesus as the “Covenant personified” as a starting point, we can see how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus recapitulate and finalize an ongoing history of covenantal breakage and renewal. But this time, with Jesus as the Covenant, that breakage impacts the hypostatic union itself, rendering the cross the ultimate challenge to – and victory for – God’s covenantal designs. This story, I suggest, also provides a new way for appreciating the cross from a person-centered perspective.

Conversations about religion can be uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes even hostile. Why are t... more Conversations about religion can be uncomfortable, awkward, and sometimes even hostile. Why are they conversations that we should have? Moreover, what place do they have at a secular, public university like the U? Should they be confined to religious institutions? What place do students' own religious and non-religious experiences and commitments have in the classroom? I've grappled with these questions as I've taught religious topics at Utah over the past five years. I'm convinced that studying religion remains more important than ever for two reasons. First, religious literacy allows us to understand the values systems according to which so many people operate around the world. Second, religious misunderstandings abound and they have nasty consequences that occur far too frequently, even on our own campus. Let me address each of these reasons in more detail and close with some thoughts about how religion can most effectively be studied in a public university setting by attending to several ground rules.

How does Jesus work in the world to redeem humans? Throughout his career, Karl Rahner expressed d... more How does Jesus work in the world to redeem humans? Throughout his career, Karl Rahner expressed deep suspicion of answers which had Christ “standing in” for humans [Stellvertretung] and performing a great redemptive act in their stead. For Rahner, grace does not substitute or replace; it transforms and capacitates. Such an answer provoked great protest from Hans Urs von Balthasar, for whom Stellvertretung was indispensable. This presentation traces their exchange, considering Rahner’s closely related distinction between mere “signs” (Vertretungssymbole) and real symbols, as well as his favored alternative for Stellvertretung, the notion of Repräsentation which he adopted from his early patristic studies.

At the center of classic conciliar Christology is the belief that the incarnation is salvific. At... more At the center of classic conciliar Christology is the belief that the incarnation is salvific. At Nicaea, the council fathers proclaimed that “for our salvation,” the Son “was incarnated and became human.” The Council of Chalcedon elaborated, formulating the incarnation as the hypostatic union, a joining of divine and human natures in one person (hypostasis), without confusion and without separation. What, however, does “without separation” mean? Specifically, is it within the bounds of conciliar teaching to entertain the notion of the hypostatic union being temporarily dissolved or suspended?

Given Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent entombment on Holy Saturday, this question isn’t purely hypothetical. St. Thomas Aquinas and many others have stated that to call Christ a “man” (rather than something like a “corpse”) during this period is erroneous. Such a judgment raises the question: If there is no “human being” in the tomb, what of the “human nature” which stands as a basic constituent of the hypostatic union? In this article, I will argue (contra Ludwig Ott and more recent scholars) that the Holy Saturday interim coincides with the suspension of the hypostatic union, strictly speaking. Second, by considering the motivations of the council fathers, I will argue that this hiatus can be reconciled with the “inseparable” language used at Chalcedon. Finally, I will consider the soteriological implications of a ruptured and reestablished hypostatic union. Given the salvific import of the incarnation expressed in Christian thought, it may seem that a broken hypostatic union jeopardizes human salvation. On the contrary, I will argue that on a “person-centered” understanding of atonement, a broken and restored hypostatic union is in fact a necessary, culminating moment in one biblically grounded account of salvation history.

Anselm’s God, whose honor requires satisfaction if sinners aren’t to be eternally damned, has bee... more Anselm’s God, whose honor requires satisfaction if sinners aren’t to be eternally damned, has been criticized as unmerciful. Did the father of the prodigal son, critics ask, demand any such payment? Although popular presentations of Anselm’s theory are guilty of this charge, Anselm’s theory of satisfaction itself does not propose the cross as a kind of divine mollification, but rather styles God as mercifully excluding punishment through a gracious transformation of the created order, an order in which his just God constantly delights. The question remains, however, of whether this theory best communicates God’s mercy in today’s contexts.

Fortress Press, 2017

Journal of Analytic Theology, 2024

Philosophy & Theology, 2021

Journal of Ancient Philosophy, 2021

Theological Studies, 2020

Church Life Journal, 2019

Church Life Journal, 2018

Angelicum, Dec 2016

America, Dec 7, 2015

Philosophy & Theology, 2015

Modern Theology, 2015

International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2013

College Theology Society Annual Convention, 2020

As he reviewed the drafts of Schema XIII, which would be promulgated as Gaudium et Spes, Karl Rah... more As he reviewed the drafts of Schema XIII, which would be promulgated as Gaudium et Spes, Karl Rahner voiced several serious concerns about the document. One significant qualm that he expressed repeatedly in the months leading up to the fourth session was, to use Rahner’s term, “gnoseological”: What sort of document is a “Pastoral Constitution” and how should its readers understand the authority of its contents? If this question is left unanswered, Rahner warned, the Pastoral Constitution runs the danger of being misunderstood or even ignored.
Although Rahner’s “gnoseological” comment was noted in the Council’s fourth session, the promulgated version of Gaudium et Spes did not include an extended account of its own genre, or at least not one sufficiently thorough for Rahner. Accordingly, Rahner composed and published his own “theological gnoseology” within two years, “On the Theological Problems Entailed in a Pastoral Constitution.” In this essay, Rahner argues that the contents of a Pastoral Constitution are neither universally binding moral norms nor the expression of mere opinions which can be simply ignored. Rather, he suggests, they occupy a middle-ground which he calls “instructions.” To exercise its authority effectively in the contemporary world, the Church must make use of this genre of non-dogmatic, yet truly authoritative teaching.
If this last judgment is correct, the Church presently has a significant authority crisis. Even fifty years after Gaudium et Spes, such “instructions” have yet to be fully recognized and appreciated as a genuine genre of authoritative teaching. This state of affairs is particularly apparent in contemporary conversations on the Church’s moral and social teaching, which is interpreted at times through the lens of “creeping infallibility” and at others as safely non-binding, especially by American Catholics.

During the time of the Second Vatican Council, two buzzwords were often used to describe new mode... more During the time of the Second Vatican Council, two buzzwords were often used to describe new modes of doing Catholic theology. The first was ressourcement, an originally French movement “back to the sources” (typically understood to be the Bible and the early Church Fathers). Among those typically identified as ressourcement theologians are Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, Jean Daniélou, and Henri de Lubac, all of whom are strongly (though not exclusively) associated with patristic theology. The second term was aggiornamento, an Italian word for “updating” which described a movement to bring the Church and its theology up to date with the concerns and frameworks of thought which characterized modern life. Theologians often described as advancing projects of aggiornamento include Karl Rahner, J.B. Metz, Gustavo Gutierrez, and Edward Schillebeeckx, scholars who have sought to give expression to Catholic theology in light of modern phenomena, whether transcendental philosophy, politics, poverty in Latin America, or historical biblical criticism.

In this talk, I will argue that although the dominant understanding of Karl Rahner’s theology as one of aggiornamento is accurate, Rahner can also legitimately be considered a ressourcement theologian. Although it is rarely recognized, Karl Rahner, like Balthasar and Ratzinger, drew upon and was formatively influenced by the theology of the Church Fathers, especially in their writings on the Bible. Rahner’s early work from the 1930s, which was steeped in patristic studies, remains widely unknown, especially in the English-speaking world. Yet precisely this work, in particular his theology dissertation E latere Christi, fundamentally shaped the direction of his theology early on. As Karl Neufeld has written, these interests continued to influence Rahner’s theology as a kind of underlying “substratum” supporting his mature work, even if that work refrained from explicitly citing patristic sources with as much regularity.

I will proceed by first offering a short biography which fills in certain gaps characteristic of standard overviews of Rahner’s early life, overviews which focus almost entirely on his philosophically-related work (i.e. Spirit in the World, Hearer of the Word). I will then turn to his theology dissertation E latere Christi, summarizing its central theme and argument. I will give special attention to the ideas of salvation and symbol present in the dissertation, ideas which would be central to Rahner’s later thinking and which have roots in this early ressourcement project. I will close by considering some of Rahner’s remarks about his methodology from his later years.

In order to better understand the divide which occurred within the “progressive majority” at Vati... more In order to better understand the divide which occurred within the “progressive majority” at Vatican II as “Schema XIII” (eventually Gaudium et Spes) was under discussion, this essay considers the contributions and objections of Karl Rahner and Joseph Ratzinger, two of the document’s most salient critics. After offering a brief history of Schema XIII, I demonstrate that both theologians reacted to it with very similar concerns which centered upon the issue of “nature and grace.” However, their proposed remedies for the schema’s shortcomings differed significantly. Unlike other of its critics, Rahner did not call for jettisoning the schema’s “outside-in” methodology, which began on common ground and culminated in the person of Christ, but rather sought to imbue that methodology with robust supernatural orientation. Rahner’s (often-overlooked) complex relationship to Schema XIII and his own vision for an ideal version (which was fulfilled in many, though not all, ways in the promulgated version) offers a particularly helpful way forward as we read Gaudium et Spes today.

Among the many issues over which tempers flare between Christians of differing theological and de... more Among the many issues over which tempers flare between Christians of differing theological and denominational commitments is that of atonement theory. Large numbers of diverse Christians regularly affirm that Christ "takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29), that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8), and that the Son came "not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). While such affirmations are themselves shared, explanations of them often are embroiled in bitter controversy.

One such theory is known as penal substitution. Proponents of this theory, which is commonly associated with the Reformers, hold that atonement is accomplished by Christ's functioning as a proxy who bears the sum total of the punishments required by the Father for human sin. That is, we are spared the execution of God's retributive justice since Jesus was, in our stead, the object of it. Recent decades have witnessed a mounting aversion among many theologians to this account of redemption, which is accused of portraying God as vindictive, juridical, and even blood-thirsty. In his Christology (1995) and again in Jesus Our Redeemer (2007), Gerald O'Collins connects this embattled theory with none other than Thomas Aquinas. Though O'Collins does not accuse Thomas of holding this theory, he suggests that some of Thomas's innovations, particularly modifications which Thomas made to Anselm's "satisfaction theory" (a theory which differs from penal substitution in several important respects), paved the way for the emergence of penal substitution proper. In response, Rik van Nieuwenhove has rejected O'Collins's genealogy, arguing that it egregiously misreads Thomas's project.
In this presentation, I explore and assess O'Collins's charge and van Nieuwenhove's rebuttal in three parts. First, I examine the specific elements of O'Collins's criticism of Thomas and determine how (and whether) van Nieuwenhove addresses them. The main issues that emerge from this examination concern Thomas's use of "appeasement" or "placation" language (and the corresponding issue of propitiation vs. expiation), the introduction of "penal" elements into the concept of satisfaction, and the place of "incorporation" as a safeguard against purely objective and transactional substitution. Second, in the more substantive part of the presentation, I treat each of these topics by turning to Thomas's own writings, especially sections from the Secunda secundae and the Tertia pars of his Summa Theologiae. In doing so, I contend that although Thomas's use of appeasement language is more a linguistic issue for modern Anglophones than a perilous theological development, he does indeed import a significant penal dimension into Anselm's category of satisfaction. This move, I argue, places him (unwittingly) within a genealogy of development toward penal substitution theory.

Deseret News, 2022

Published August 18, 2022

KUTV, 2018

Aired on Dec. 7, 2018

Salt Lake Tribune, 2018

Published Dec 11, 2018

KTVX, 2018

Aired on Aug. 2, 2018

KUTV, 2018

Aired April 20, 2018

KSL Radio, 2017

Originally aired: Saturday, September 30, 2017 Headlines and studies point to declining numbers i... more Originally aired: Saturday, September 30, 2017
Headlines and studies point to declining numbers in congregations, especially millennials, but not everyone agrees. Even if it is true, no one knows why they're leaving. Over the last month, KSL Newsradio's Brianna Bodily has investigated - pouring over studies, reading articles, gathering people's personal stories and interviewing both religious leaders and experts. Click the link to join in her investigation and see if you can figure out why so many people are discarding religion in this modern age.