Introductory notes for readers of this thesis - Theses - Flinders ...

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destruction of a sinful human race. Rather, the Incarnation is the reason behind thecreation—God’s eternal plan is the revelation of himself in human form. The Incarnationis not a rescue mission of forensic justification aimed at delivering sinners from the handsof a wrathful God. The Incarnation is the always-intended natural extension of God’slove for others and his desire to reveal himself in relationship. Jesus would still havecome to earth as the real symbol of God’s divinity in humanity whether sin was aproblem or not. In this sense humanity has its anthropological origin in the eternalLogos—God and humanity are forever intrinsically linked through the life, death andresurrection of Jesus of Nazareth 103 .Excursus: real symbolism as an example of creative tension in Rahner’s theologyKaren Kilby’s reflection on Rahner’s construction of Jesus as the real symbol of divinityhighlights the creative tension that is often present in Rahner’s thought. Kilby argues thatthe idea of Jesus as the real symbol of God breaks down when Rahner’s theology ofsymbol is considered against the broader view of Christian theology that God is completein himself and therefore does not need to express himself in real-symbolic form for anyself-actualising purpose. She notes that, in his ‘real symbol’ idea, Rahner argues thatinner thoughts and feelings must be expressed in words and actions so that the individualsexpressing them can experience and fulfil their true reality. Rahner’s ‘real symbol’actually facilitates what it signifies and is completed as a symbol by the reality it bringsto pass. But can this idea really be applied to God who is already fully complete inhimself? ‘Must’ God express himself through the Incarnation to become complete?Would it be truer to say that Jesus is the real symbol of God’s grace? 104Kilby’s questions evoke George Vandervale’s reflection 105 that, in the construction of a‘supernatural existential’, Rahner sets a logical trap for himself by insisting on themystery of God’s universal nearness as an ontological concept. The fact that both Kilbyand Vandervale are sympathetic interpreters highlights that, even amongst his friends,103 Ibid.104 K. Kilby, Karl Rahner (London: Fount, 1997), 43-44.105 See the discussion in our previous chapter on ‘The human experience of mystery’ under the heading‘Critical Reflection on the Mystery of Infinity in Proximity,’ 29.159
Rahner’s dual commitment to received doctrine and transcendental re-interpretation doesnot always result in a thoroughly convincing theological argument.Kilby’s suggestion that Rahner’s ‘real symbolism’ is best ‘improved’ by moving it fromthe realm of an ontology of God to a manifestation of the grace of God raises questionsabout what Rahner really meant when he spoke of grace as not a ‘gift from God’ but the‘gift of God himself in proximity’. If Jesus is to be understood not as the real symbol ofGod in the essence of his being but rather as the real symbol of his economic action ingrace, this raises further questions about the immanent/economic formula.The tensions reflected above tend to point to the Achilles’ heel in Rahner’s theologicalapproach. The weakness, or vulnerability, in Rahner’s thought is not that it lacks spiritual,historical and biblical veracity, but that it attempts to reconcile a creative, intellectualreflection on human experience with the preconception of the absolute correctness ofreceived doctrine. The former commitment allows Rahner to roam broadly and freely inhis re-imagination of the Christian doctrine in light of his understanding of the humancondition and of spiritual theology. The latter commitment; however, means that Rahnermust, to some extent, express his creative reflections in the language of concreteconclusions that must be made to fit within the framework and language of the receiveddoctrine. Thus, as a spiritual reflection, the idea of Jesus as ‘real symbol’ communicatessomething beautiful and inspiring. At the level of academic reflection, however, it may beless than fully satisfying as a systematic Christological concept.The redemptive meaning of the IncarnationRahner was not convinced that the New Testament data supported an exclusiveinterpretation of the primary meaning of the Incarnation as a blood sacrifice offered toGod to appease his wrath against sin.First of all it is obvious that Good Friday does not mean changing the mind of anangry God who is disavowing human beings, but that this redeeming act itselfproceeds from the pure initiative of God’s holy love and is in no way effected byanything outside of God 106 .106 K. Rahner, The great church year, 158.160
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‘A Spirituality of silence’An i
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Chapter 4: The human experience of
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Summary of thesis:This thesis offer
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The particular angle from which thi
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somewhat superseded by more recent
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Rahner: I have nothing against that
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One brief but notable spiritual inf
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dialectic between these two, has le
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odies of knowledge, history and alt
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superiors, having decided that he w
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High School Week, Rahner began his
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Earlier in this chapter, Rahner’s
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These anecdotes testify that Rahner
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As you see, at the top of the carto
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Central to Rahner’s thinking is t
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Kilby notes that in regard to this
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Introduced by Cardinal König to a
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influence will continue to spread a
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We see from Rahner’s pastoral con
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European power 4 , and that he was
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Over a period of days and weeks, th
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The outcome of this encounter: the
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Modras has pointed out that Ignatiu
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Rahner the Ignatian spiritual direc
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facilitate this joyful and liberati
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Rahner’s often-quoted comment tha
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The master of the Exercises in no w
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Endean argues that Rahner is interp
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The Ignatian Exercises—especially
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provision of appropriate spiritual
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their existential encounter, they a
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Chapter 3: Spirituality of silence
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which the spiritual pilgrim finds t
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Lord, to pray my whole life long wi
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Encounters with silence: strictures
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a long highway filled by a column o
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gaze; they prefer to stay safe, ris
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This experience is life’s true es
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Christians can experience the full
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Rahner does not claim for himself t
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example, it would limit God to say,
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will and love of God: then the diam
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Echoes of Ignatius’ Exercises are
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Chapter 4: The human experience of
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proximity, the silence that leads e
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‘listening to the freely proffere
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approach; he is not arguing against
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must occur in history—time, space
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The most obvious criticism of Rahne
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Schleiermacher: seeking to build a
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and his meditations in Encounters w
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theological method, and the importa
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spirit dancing together in apprecia
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choosing to enter into the mystery
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may be described as a ‘mysticism
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possibilities but without a definit
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theologie) in which Rahner’s prim
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• around the concept and meaning
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A glance at table 4 75 (above), Hug
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In the worldview of contemporary Au
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It certainly seems somewhat disinge
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A good starting point for examining
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Christian contemplative-prayer trad
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Of course, a small number of the vi
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For better or for worse, and despit
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energy, intellect, prayer, love and
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Rahner, K. Karl Rahner - Prayers an
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Kelly, G.B. (ed.). Karl Rahner - th
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Van Vorst, B. ‘Kung and Rahner: d
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Harden, J.A. ‘Ignatian Spirituali
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Tyson, P. ‘Contemporary Australia
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