Francis J Caponi, O.S.A. | Villanova University (original) (raw)
Papers by Francis J Caponi, O.S.A.
C. Cimorelli and D. Minch (eds.), One Bread, One Body, One Church (Peeters: Leuven – Paris – Bristol, CT), 2021
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| Historical-critical exegesis of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt 20:1–16) has ... more | Historical-critical exegesis of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt 20:1–16) has yielded multiple, often mutually exclusive interpretations. This variety and conflict generally can be traced to more-or-less evident " optics " that inform the exegete's hermeneutical perspective, for example, existentialist, psychological, socioeconomic, and theological. Among the last, sola fide has been especially prominent in guiding readings of the parable in terms of grace and merit. But does this optic do justice to the parable, and is it theologically coherent? In this article, I pursue these questions by considering Thomas Aquinas's discussion of the parable, in conjunction with his reflections on merit and grace. Materially, I hope to show the utility of Thomas's thought for illuminating the relationship between God's grace and human merit in salvation history. As he interprets it, the Late-come Workers is not about the conflict between unearned grace and merited reward. Instead, it is evidence of how justice and mercy, present in all of God's acts, are visible in the work of salvation. Formally, I want to draw out some of the abiding value of Thomas's method of exegesis, which commends itself, in part, because it combines speculative skill with a thorough knowledge of Scripture , allowing St. Thomas to address the richness of the text more fully and coherently than a number of contemporary accounts. Yet, Thomas's method need not be viewed as locked into a zero-sum game with these approaches; rather, his exegesis is expansive enough to integrate a great deal of historical-critical findings.
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The approaches to the Holy Spirit by two outstanding theologians of the twentieth century are put... more The approaches to the Holy Spirit by two outstanding theologians of the twentieth century are put into dialogue. Their work shows the church and the world that the Spirit's depths demand constant probing.
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The language of beauty—“The Word is to the Father as red is to freshly washed cherries; like a co... more The language of beauty—“The Word is to the Father as red is to freshly washed cherries; like a cobalt dinner plate, or a clean copper pot, or butterflies sipping nectar from sunflowers”—is no different from any speech about God, in that it attempts to approach the divine
by means of the sensible. But Saint Thomas licenses us to say something more when he writes that “the senses are given to man, not only for the purpose of procuring the necessaries of life, for which they are bestowed on other animals, but also for the purpose of knowledge. Hence, whereas the other animals take delight in the objects of the senses only as ordered to food and sex, man alone takes pleasure in the beauty of sensible objects for its own sake.”
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Following a brief overview of some of the scholarly perspectives on the third girone of the seven... more Following a brief overview of some of the scholarly perspectives on the third girone of the seventh circle, I pursue two primary arguments. First, the river of blood whose vapors protect Dante in his crossing of the burning sands is much more than a useful scrobis ex machina, but plays an intricate part in the symbolism of the ring, and a central role in the contrapasso of Brunetto Latini and the other runners. Second, I argue that the prophet Isaiah provides some important perspectives on divine grace and human progeny which, connected as they are with the image of streams in dry land, underscore the traditional view that it is sodomy for which the runners are punished.
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In the final canto of Inferno, Dante confronts Dis, “la creatura ch’ebbe il bel sembiante” (XXXIV... more In the final canto of Inferno, Dante confronts Dis, “la creatura ch’ebbe il bel sembiante” (XXXIV.18). In response, the poet declares: “Io non mori’ e non rimasi vivo; / pensa oggimai
per te, s’hai fior d’ingegno, / qual io divenni, d’uno e d’altro
privo.” (XXXIV.22-27) Beneath this apparently innocuous
proclamation is a metaphysical “event” unique among Western
letters, as the poet arrogates godly power and bestows on the pilgrim the experience of “existence” beyond the divine will. By this gracious gift of non-existence, the Pilgrim surpasses the mere corruption of Satan and his kingdom, and enters into a state of uncreation. Evidence of this unparalleled passage is found in the pilgrim’s absence of fear during his remaining time in hell.
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In this essay, the author examines several understandings of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He plumbs... more In this essay, the author examines several understandings of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He plumbs their theological richness and their value for Christian formation and the life of faith.
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After a brief consideration of the place of beauty in the metaphysics of Aquinas, I examine the c... more After a brief consideration of the place of beauty in the metaphysics of Aquinas, I examine the character of created beauty, its relationship to justice, and the application of both to Thomas’ thinking on hell. Following a consideration of two of the major objections to such a Thomistically inspired “aesthetics of damnation,” I conclude by arguing that Thomas’ own thinking on justice, damnation, and beauty possesses aesthetic characteristics, and by suggesting that such an aesthetically-informed examination of damnation has the virtue of both clarifying and preserving the genuine scandal of hell, neither dissolving the mystery of mortal sin and final impenitence, nor exsanguinating the revulsion that must arise from any serious reflection on the dark doctrine.
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The claim of this essay is two-fold. First, when Lewis speaks of salvation and heaven, as he so o... more The claim of this essay is two-fold. First, when Lewis speaks of salvation and heaven, as he so often does, not only does he figure it as redemption, perfect happiness, "union with God," and many other oft-used images, but also as divinization, being made a god, the "blessed participation in [God's] Life by a created spirit," and other traditional though far less common metaphors. These images represent a crucial part of a real doctrine in Lewis's works, rather than stray bursts of poetic enthusiasm. Second, Lewis presents friendship as an important means to becoming “those gods that we are described as being in Scripture."
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Following St. Thomas Aquinas, Rahner employs the concept of participation in both a philosophical... more Following St. Thomas Aquinas, Rahner employs the concept of participation in both a philosophical and a theological sense in order to distinguish between God's efficient presence in all created things, and his "quasi-formal" presence as grace in humanity; this latter mode of divine presence takes place through the church, the sacraments, and the theological virtues, in all of which God's self-communication is actualized in the human person as a creature of history and transcendence. This article focuses on Rahner's philosophical understanding of creation as metaphysical participation, his theological understanding of grace as divinizing participation, and his anthropological-ecclesiological understanding of human life as sharing in the divine life of the Triune God.
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In Christian tradition, accounts of religious language have commonly centered on analogical predi... more In Christian tradition, accounts of religious language have commonly centered on analogical predication arising from a created world that reflects its Creator. Recent decades have witnessed a change: metaphor has gone into ascendance while analogy has suffered an eclipse. This essay critiques four trends in contemporary accounts of religious language: the ascription of universal range to metaphor; inadequate accounts of the nature of metaphor; insufficient attention given to the nature of literal speech; and the consequent deficient understandings of the relationship of metaphor and analogy. I then draw on Thomas Aquinas for an account of religious
speech that defends the cognitive indispensability of metaphor while arguing for the logical primacy of analogy.
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The thesis of this essay is that the central argument Karl Rahner makes in the development of hi... more The thesis of this essay is that the central argument Karl Rahner makes in the development of his post-Kantian anthropological metaphysics, viz. that the conscious but unthematic affirmation of the Absolutely Real is a condition of the possibility of knowing finite reality, is dependent upon St. Thomas Aquinas’ metaphysics of participation, which Rahner develops as an intrinsic part of his metaphysics of knowledge. From this perspective, Rahner’s forceful advocacy of the thorough-going analogy of the concept of being can be upheld in the face of criticism that his metaphysics depends upon a univocal understanding of existence.
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International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2007
The theological and pastoral goals of Karl Rahner's work require an accounting of the capacity of... more The theological and pastoral goals of Karl Rahner's work require an accounting of the capacity of human language to speak meaningfully about God. This article argues that in his reflections on dogma, poetry, mysticism and ‘anonymous faith’, Rahner presents two conflicting perspectives on religious language: an ‘incarnational’ approach in which language is a necessary and constitutive dimension of revelation; and an ‘optional’ approach in which language is the subsequent and ultimately unnecessary embodiment of the ‘transcendental revelation’ of God. A way forward for Rahner's theology is proposed through a rejection of his identification of grace and revelation.
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Drafts by Francis J Caponi, O.S.A.
Journal of Religion, 2018
The persuasive proclamation of God’s justice and mercy must contend with questions whic... more The persuasive proclamation of God’s justice and mercy must contend with questions which demand more than the mere repetition of revealed images and words. How can the works of God, who is bound by no law but acts in accordance with his own will alone (Eph 1:11) and is no man’s debtor (1 Cor 4:7), be called “just” (Ps 111:7)? What sense does it make to claim that the immaterial God experience emotions such as sorrow (Gen 6:7), wrath (Ps 2:11), and love (Ps 103:8)? How can it be true both that “judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment” (Jas 2:13), and also that “The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings” (Ps 145:17)? And, of course, how can the declaration that some “will go away into eternal punishment” (Matt 25:46) be squared with the divine desire that all be saved (1 Tim 2:4)?
Aquinas’ pursuit of these questions is centered upon his insistent assertion of a genuine distinction between the divine works of justice and mercy. Specifically, Aquinas understands mercy as establishing, healing, and perfecting the order of justice. His exposition of this view depends upon the analogical character of justice, the doctrines of creatio ex nihilo and beatific vision, and the crucial distinction between nature and grace.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
C. Cimorelli and D. Minch (eds.), One Bread, One Body, One Church (Peeters: Leuven – Paris – Bristol, CT), 2021
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
| Historical-critical exegesis of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt 20:1–16) has ... more | Historical-critical exegesis of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt 20:1–16) has yielded multiple, often mutually exclusive interpretations. This variety and conflict generally can be traced to more-or-less evident " optics " that inform the exegete's hermeneutical perspective, for example, existentialist, psychological, socioeconomic, and theological. Among the last, sola fide has been especially prominent in guiding readings of the parable in terms of grace and merit. But does this optic do justice to the parable, and is it theologically coherent? In this article, I pursue these questions by considering Thomas Aquinas's discussion of the parable, in conjunction with his reflections on merit and grace. Materially, I hope to show the utility of Thomas's thought for illuminating the relationship between God's grace and human merit in salvation history. As he interprets it, the Late-come Workers is not about the conflict between unearned grace and merited reward. Instead, it is evidence of how justice and mercy, present in all of God's acts, are visible in the work of salvation. Formally, I want to draw out some of the abiding value of Thomas's method of exegesis, which commends itself, in part, because it combines speculative skill with a thorough knowledge of Scripture , allowing St. Thomas to address the richness of the text more fully and coherently than a number of contemporary accounts. Yet, Thomas's method need not be viewed as locked into a zero-sum game with these approaches; rather, his exegesis is expansive enough to integrate a great deal of historical-critical findings.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The approaches to the Holy Spirit by two outstanding theologians of the twentieth century are put... more The approaches to the Holy Spirit by two outstanding theologians of the twentieth century are put into dialogue. Their work shows the church and the world that the Spirit's depths demand constant probing.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The language of beauty—“The Word is to the Father as red is to freshly washed cherries; like a co... more The language of beauty—“The Word is to the Father as red is to freshly washed cherries; like a cobalt dinner plate, or a clean copper pot, or butterflies sipping nectar from sunflowers”—is no different from any speech about God, in that it attempts to approach the divine
by means of the sensible. But Saint Thomas licenses us to say something more when he writes that “the senses are given to man, not only for the purpose of procuring the necessaries of life, for which they are bestowed on other animals, but also for the purpose of knowledge. Hence, whereas the other animals take delight in the objects of the senses only as ordered to food and sex, man alone takes pleasure in the beauty of sensible objects for its own sake.”
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Following a brief overview of some of the scholarly perspectives on the third girone of the seven... more Following a brief overview of some of the scholarly perspectives on the third girone of the seventh circle, I pursue two primary arguments. First, the river of blood whose vapors protect Dante in his crossing of the burning sands is much more than a useful scrobis ex machina, but plays an intricate part in the symbolism of the ring, and a central role in the contrapasso of Brunetto Latini and the other runners. Second, I argue that the prophet Isaiah provides some important perspectives on divine grace and human progeny which, connected as they are with the image of streams in dry land, underscore the traditional view that it is sodomy for which the runners are punished.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
In the final canto of Inferno, Dante confronts Dis, “la creatura ch’ebbe il bel sembiante” (XXXIV... more In the final canto of Inferno, Dante confronts Dis, “la creatura ch’ebbe il bel sembiante” (XXXIV.18). In response, the poet declares: “Io non mori’ e non rimasi vivo; / pensa oggimai
per te, s’hai fior d’ingegno, / qual io divenni, d’uno e d’altro
privo.” (XXXIV.22-27) Beneath this apparently innocuous
proclamation is a metaphysical “event” unique among Western
letters, as the poet arrogates godly power and bestows on the pilgrim the experience of “existence” beyond the divine will. By this gracious gift of non-existence, the Pilgrim surpasses the mere corruption of Satan and his kingdom, and enters into a state of uncreation. Evidence of this unparalleled passage is found in the pilgrim’s absence of fear during his remaining time in hell.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
In this essay, the author examines several understandings of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He plumbs... more In this essay, the author examines several understandings of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. He plumbs their theological richness and their value for Christian formation and the life of faith.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
After a brief consideration of the place of beauty in the metaphysics of Aquinas, I examine the c... more After a brief consideration of the place of beauty in the metaphysics of Aquinas, I examine the character of created beauty, its relationship to justice, and the application of both to Thomas’ thinking on hell. Following a consideration of two of the major objections to such a Thomistically inspired “aesthetics of damnation,” I conclude by arguing that Thomas’ own thinking on justice, damnation, and beauty possesses aesthetic characteristics, and by suggesting that such an aesthetically-informed examination of damnation has the virtue of both clarifying and preserving the genuine scandal of hell, neither dissolving the mystery of mortal sin and final impenitence, nor exsanguinating the revulsion that must arise from any serious reflection on the dark doctrine.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The claim of this essay is two-fold. First, when Lewis speaks of salvation and heaven, as he so o... more The claim of this essay is two-fold. First, when Lewis speaks of salvation and heaven, as he so often does, not only does he figure it as redemption, perfect happiness, "union with God," and many other oft-used images, but also as divinization, being made a god, the "blessed participation in [God's] Life by a created spirit," and other traditional though far less common metaphors. These images represent a crucial part of a real doctrine in Lewis's works, rather than stray bursts of poetic enthusiasm. Second, Lewis presents friendship as an important means to becoming “those gods that we are described as being in Scripture."
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Following St. Thomas Aquinas, Rahner employs the concept of participation in both a philosophical... more Following St. Thomas Aquinas, Rahner employs the concept of participation in both a philosophical and a theological sense in order to distinguish between God's efficient presence in all created things, and his "quasi-formal" presence as grace in humanity; this latter mode of divine presence takes place through the church, the sacraments, and the theological virtues, in all of which God's self-communication is actualized in the human person as a creature of history and transcendence. This article focuses on Rahner's philosophical understanding of creation as metaphysical participation, his theological understanding of grace as divinizing participation, and his anthropological-ecclesiological understanding of human life as sharing in the divine life of the Triune God.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
In Christian tradition, accounts of religious language have commonly centered on analogical predi... more In Christian tradition, accounts of religious language have commonly centered on analogical predication arising from a created world that reflects its Creator. Recent decades have witnessed a change: metaphor has gone into ascendance while analogy has suffered an eclipse. This essay critiques four trends in contemporary accounts of religious language: the ascription of universal range to metaphor; inadequate accounts of the nature of metaphor; insufficient attention given to the nature of literal speech; and the consequent deficient understandings of the relationship of metaphor and analogy. I then draw on Thomas Aquinas for an account of religious
speech that defends the cognitive indispensability of metaphor while arguing for the logical primacy of analogy.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
The thesis of this essay is that the central argument Karl Rahner makes in the development of hi... more The thesis of this essay is that the central argument Karl Rahner makes in the development of his post-Kantian anthropological metaphysics, viz. that the conscious but unthematic affirmation of the Absolutely Real is a condition of the possibility of knowing finite reality, is dependent upon St. Thomas Aquinas’ metaphysics of participation, which Rahner develops as an intrinsic part of his metaphysics of knowledge. From this perspective, Rahner’s forceful advocacy of the thorough-going analogy of the concept of being can be upheld in the face of criticism that his metaphysics depends upon a univocal understanding of existence.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
International Journal of Systematic Theology, 2007
The theological and pastoral goals of Karl Rahner's work require an accounting of the capacity of... more The theological and pastoral goals of Karl Rahner's work require an accounting of the capacity of human language to speak meaningfully about God. This article argues that in his reflections on dogma, poetry, mysticism and ‘anonymous faith’, Rahner presents two conflicting perspectives on religious language: an ‘incarnational’ approach in which language is a necessary and constitutive dimension of revelation; and an ‘optional’ approach in which language is the subsequent and ultimately unnecessary embodiment of the ‘transcendental revelation’ of God. A way forward for Rahner's theology is proposed through a rejection of his identification of grace and revelation.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Journal of Religion, 2018
The persuasive proclamation of God’s justice and mercy must contend with questions whic... more The persuasive proclamation of God’s justice and mercy must contend with questions which demand more than the mere repetition of revealed images and words. How can the works of God, who is bound by no law but acts in accordance with his own will alone (Eph 1:11) and is no man’s debtor (1 Cor 4:7), be called “just” (Ps 111:7)? What sense does it make to claim that the immaterial God experience emotions such as sorrow (Gen 6:7), wrath (Ps 2:11), and love (Ps 103:8)? How can it be true both that “judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment” (Jas 2:13), and also that “The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings” (Ps 145:17)? And, of course, how can the declaration that some “will go away into eternal punishment” (Matt 25:46) be squared with the divine desire that all be saved (1 Tim 2:4)?
Aquinas’ pursuit of these questions is centered upon his insistent assertion of a genuine distinction between the divine works of justice and mercy. Specifically, Aquinas understands mercy as establishing, healing, and perfecting the order of justice. His exposition of this view depends upon the analogical character of justice, the doctrines of creatio ex nihilo and beatific vision, and the crucial distinction between nature and grace.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact