Authors

Glenn J. Morrison, University of Notre Dame AustraliaFollow

The (im)possibilities of Levinas for Christian Theology: the search for a language of alterity

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

The paper aims to show how Levinas’ philosophy opens up a style of thinking and suggests a vocabulary of expression that can serve Christian theology, especially by opening the possibility of a language of alterity, or radical “otherness”, in theology. At the very risk of falling into the language of onto-theology, the paper will make use of a number of Levinasian notions to enhance Hans Urs von Balthasar’s theological reading of John 20:19-23 and his analogy of the transcendentals. The sense of the non-phenomenality of Christ’s otherness will be pivotal to our inquiry and our hope to unite theological language and ethical transcendence together.

ISBN: 978-90-429-2119-1

Comments

Due to copyright restrictions the published version of this chapter is unavailable for download.

The author's pre-published version of this chapter is available for download.

Staff and Students of the University of Notre Dame Australia may access Responsibility, God and Society: Theological Ethics in Dialogue: Festschrift Roger Burggraeve from St Teresa's Library, Fremantle (241 RES 2008)

Responsibility, God and Society: Theological Ethics in Dialogue: Festschrift Roger Burggraeve may be accessed from the publisher here

Responsibility, God and Society: Theological Ethics in Dialogue: Festschrift Roger Burggraeve may be accessed from the National Library of Australia here

Recommended Citation

Morrison, G. J. (2008). The (im)possibilities of Levinas for Christian theology: The search for a language of alterity. In J. De Tavernier, J. A. Selling, J. Verstraeten, & P. Schotsmans (eds.), Responsibility, God and society: Theological ethics in dialogue: Festschrift Roger Burggraeve (pp. 103-122), Leuven: Peeters Publishing.