Scripture and Metaphysics: Aquinas and the Renewal of Trinitarian Theology

In this major contribution to contemporary theological and philosophical debates, Matthew Levering bridges the gap between scriptural and metaphysical approaches to the triune God. Levering’s argument rests upon St. Thomas Aquinas’s understanding of theology as contemplative wisdom. Taking us through Aquinas’s theology of God as One and Three, he demonstrates that Trinitarian theology should be a spiritual exercise assisting our movement from self– to God–centeredness. Crucial to the spiritual exercise is the contemplative appropriation of biblical revelation, which, Levering argues, has to be joined to a correspondingly rich metaphysical analysis if the “God” who is revealed is to be understood in a non–idolatrous fashion. In chapters that broadly follow the structure of Aquinas’s treatise on God in his Summa Theologiae , Levering engages with a wide range of contemporary theologians, biblical exegetes, and philosophers.

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 Setting the Scene: Theological Ends 12 Chapter 1 Sacra Doctrina: Wisdom, Scripture, and Metaphysics 23 1 Wisdom 28 2 Theologizing as a Wisdom–Exercise 34 3 Isaiah and St. John the Evangelist as Contemplatives 39 Chapter 2 YHWH and Being 47 1 R. Kendall Soulen′s Post–Supersessionist Trinitarian Theology 53 2 Aquinas on Being and YHWH 57 Chapter 3 Scripture and Metaphysics in the Theology of God′s Knowledge and Will 75 1 Jon D. Levenson on the God of Israel 77 2 St. Thomas Aquinas on the Knowledge and Will of God in His Unity 83 Chapter 4 The Paschal Mystery and Sapiential Theology of the Trinity 110 1 N. T. Wright and Richard Bauckham on Jesus and the Identity of God 112 2 Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Cross as Analog for the Trinity 120 3 The Paschal Mystery as Revelatory of the Trinity in Aquinas 132 Chapter 5 Scripture and the Psychological Analogy for the Trinity 144 1 Aquinas and the Psychological Analogy 149 Chapter 6 Biblical Exegesis and Sapiential Naming of the Divine Persons 165 1 The Person of the Father 169 2 The Person of the Son 179 3 The Person of the Holy Spirit 185 Chapter 7 Essence, Persons, and the Question of Trinitarian Metaphysics 197 1 Trinitarian Ontology in Clarke, Zizioulas, and Hütter 202 2 Trinitarian Ontology and Aquinas′s Approach 213 Conclusion 236 Index 242

Matthew Levering is Assistant Professor of Theology at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is the author of Christ’s Fulfilment of Torah and Temple (2002), coauthor of Knowing the Love of Christ: An Introduction to the Theology of St. Thomas Aquinas (2002), and coeditor of Reading John with St. Thomas Aquinas (forthcoming). He is the coeditor of the English edition of Nova et Vetera , and serves on the editorial board of the Catholic University of America’s Thomas Aquinas in Translation series. He has most recently edited and introduced On the Priesthood: Classic and Contemporary Texts (2003).

“Levering’s Introduction did not fail to stimulate my interest. Probably of greatest interest will be interactions with some of the renowned Jewish and Christian exegetes in the chapters to come.” ( AMAIC Philosophy , 8 February 2013) "… lucidly written, thoroughly documented, an astonishing achievement." Fergus Kerr OP, Blackfriars, Oxford   "A substantive contribution to Trinitarian theology, and an exemplification of how theology ought to be done." William T. Cavanaugh, University of St Thomas   "Matthew Levering is not content with merely explaining the genuine teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas but also makes him an active partner in today′s theological debate. With both a critical mind and a deep sense of Christian tradition, Levering offers the most stimulating introduction to Aquinas′s Trinitarian theology available today." Gilles Emery, OP, Professor of Dogmatic Theology, University of Fribourg "...in eloquently and clearly setting Aquinas over against many of the most influential voices in theology today, and showing his relevance by liberating him from stereotypicals dismissals, Scripture and Metaphysics lays a path for further investigation that will be fruitful for those who follow it." Journal of Ecclesiastical History