Professional paper
Rahner’s understanding of the Incarnate Logos in the context of the theology of Thomas Aquinas
Ivan Antunović
; Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus in Zagreb
Jadranka Adžić
; Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus in Zagreb
Abstract
The notion of “symbol” plays an important role in Karl
Rahner’s philosophical and theological thought. Although theology
as a science does not considerably point up the meaning of
symbol, the fact is that it is difficult to understand its message
unless symbolism is at least implicitly in its use. This particularly
refers to the doctrine of the Trinity and Christology. The theology of
the Logos is in the most eminent sense the theology of the symbol
in the true sense of the word. The Logos is the Father’s “word”, his
perfect “image”, the reflection of his essence, his expression. In that
sense, the Logos is the Father’s “symbol”, consubstantial with him,
and at the same time different from the reality that it symbolizes.
In it the Father’s symbolized existence is self-possessed “ad intra”
and expressed “ad extra”.
Therefore the theological symbolic dimension can be perfectly
applied to Christology. The Incarnate Logos is the absolute
God’s symbol in the world in which the reality that it symbolizes
is intensively present. It is at the same time the presence and
revelation of what God is in itself and the expression of what God
wants to be in the world, and to be infinitely and irrevocably. It
is in a special way expressed in the “theology of the Incarnation”. Thanks to this historical event, Christ’s humanness cannot be
seen as an “officer uniform”, or as a mask, or merely a sign that
God uses to mark out only a little of what his Incarnate Word
contains. Contrary to this, just in Christ’s humanness Logos
expresses what was impossible to express in such a perfect way,
i.e. that it is the same substance as the Father at the level of
essence yet different from him at the level of nature, on the one
hand, and on the other hand, it is the same substance as Man at
the level of nature yet different from him at the level of essence.
In addition, the Incarnate Logos realizes the salvation that Father
has always wanted to give the man so as to make him a participant
in his Trinitarian life.
Keywords
God’s self-giving and genesis; Jesus as the existence of the Logos in the world; immanent Trinity and Trinity in the economy of salvation; God’s “self-interpretation” (Selbstauslegung) in the history of salvation; Rahner’s understanding of the notions of eternity and time; Christ’s Incarnation as the “sacrament-symbol” of God’s love in the world
Hrčak ID:
72142
URI
Publication date:
10.10.2011.
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