Composition models of the incarnation: unity and unifying relations (original) (raw)
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Modeling the Metaphysics of the Incarnation
Philosophy and Theology, Vol 20, 2009
What metaphysics can plausibly back up the claim that God became incarnate? In this essay we investigate the main kinds of models of incarnation that have been historically proposed. We highlight the philosophical assumptions in each model, and on this basis offer novel ways of grouping them as metaphysical rather than doctrinal positions. We examine strengths and weakness of the models, and argue that the so called ‘composition models’ offer the most promising way forward to account for the pivotal Christian belief that, in Christ, true divinity and true humanity meet in a genuine union.
On the Metaphysics of the Incarnation
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2023
This article aims to provide an elucidation of the doctrine of the Incarnation. A new 'reduplication strategy' and 'compositional model' is formulated through the utilisation of certain concepts and theses from contemporary metaphysics, which will enable the doctrine of the Incarnation to be explicated in a clear and consistent manner, and the oft-raised objections against it being fully dealt with.
Introduction - The Metaphysics of Incarnation
The Metaphysics of Incarnation - ed. Anna Marmodoro and Jonathan Hill, 2011
Incarnation is a central doctrine to Christianity: believers hold that Jesus was, in some way, identical with God whilst also being fully human. This doctrine raises a number of philosophical problems. This chapter gives an overview of some of these problems and the different ways in which Christian thinkers have sought to overcome them.
Traditional accounts of the incarnation, which maintain the true divinity and true humanity of Christ, have faced numerous criticisms across the history of the church, criticisms that have never entirely been resolved. What if the problem is not the claim of dual "natures" but rather the philosophical paradigm within which "nature" has been interpreted? In this paper, it is argued that significant issues caused by the traditional dual-nature paradigm can be resolved through a conceptualist account of "nature," that is, ontological identity or similitude with like things. After introducing the classic paradigm and the problems associated with it, conceptualism is proposed as an adequate solution to the problems of natural and personal continuity and, as a result, a strong framework within which to tackle the classic problems associated with the incarnation. Keywords: ontology, Hellenistic philosophy, conceptualism, essentialism, incarnation, Christology.
A (Cross-Count) Compositional Christology
Heythrop Journal, 2023
This article aims to provide a new philosophical explication of the doctrine of the Incarnation. A compositional model of the doctrine is formulated within the Dispositional Personhood account of Lynne Rudder Baker and the Composition as Identity framework of Donald L.M. Baxter. Formulating the doctrine of the Incarnation within this account and framework will enable it to be explicated in a clear and consistent manner, and the oft-raised objections against this type of model can be answered.
The Metaphysics of the Incarnation in Contemporary Analytic Philosophy of Religion
Verbum Vitae, 2021
The paper presents the latest achievements of analytic philosophers of religion in Christology. My goal is to defend the literal/metaphysical reading of the Chalcedonian dogma of the hypostatic union. Some of the contemporary Christian thinkers claim that the doctrine of Jesus Christ as both perfectly divine and perfectly human is self-contradictory (I present this point of view on the example of John Hick) and, therefore, it should be understood metaphorically. In order to defend the consistency of the conciliar theology, I refer to the work of, among others, Eleonore Stump, William Hasker, Peter Geach and Kevin Sharpe. As a result, I conclude that recent findings in analytic metaphysics provide an ontological scaffolding that explains away the objection of the incompatibility of the doctrine of the hypostatic union. In order to confirm this conclusion such metaphysical topics as properties attribution (what it means for an object to have a property), relation of identity (what it means for an object x to be identical with object y), and essentialism and kind membership (what it means for an object to belong necessarily to a kind) are scrutinized in detail.
Peter Abelard's metaphysics of the incarnation
Philosophy and Theology 22, 1-2, 2011
In this paper, we examine Abelard’s model of the incarnation and place it within the wider context of his views in metaphysics and logic. In particular, we consider whether Abelard has the resources to solve the major difficulties faced by the so-called “compositional models” of the incarnation, such as his own. These difficulties include: the requirement to account for Christ’s unity as a single person, despite being composed of two concrete particulars; the requirement to allow that Christ is identical with the pre-existent Son, despite the fact that the pre-existent Son is a (proper) part of the incarnate Christ; and finally the requirement to avoid Nestorianism, i.e., the position that Christ’s proper parts are persons in their own right. We argue that Abelard does have adequate solutions to these problems. In particular, we show that his theories of relations and predication can be put to use in defence of a compositional account of the incarnation.
Reframing the Problem of the Incarnation: Towards a Conceptualist Christology (Draft)
2024
Traditional accounts of the incarnation, accounts which maintain true divine nature and true human nature of Christ, have faced numerous criticisms across the history of the church, criticisms that have never entirely been resolved. What if the problem is not the claim of dual "natures" but rather the philosophical paradigm within which "nature" has been interpreted? In this paper, it is argued that significant issues caused by the traditional dual-nature paradigm can be resolved through a conceptualist account of "nature," that is, ontological identity or similitude with like things. After introducing the classic paradigm and the problems associated with it, conceptualism is proposed as a plausible solution to the problems of natural and personal identity and, as a result, a strong framework within which to tackle the classic problems associated with the incarnation. At the very least, the plausibility of conceptualism as an answer to pressing issues in the doctrine of the Incarnation suggests that the problems are found not in the God-man claim but in a particular construal of the meaning of that claim.