Louisville Process Theology Network

Luke Timothy Johnson identifies A Learning Process I

Sep 02, 2009

Here's another good example of Systematic Theology. This author is a Catholic theology professor. See also the preceding post.

From "Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel" by Luke Timothy Johnson, Page 16 --


?“The symbol ?‘Holy Spirit?’ communicates that aspect of Jesus?’ resurrection life that enables his personal existence to extend beyond the boundaries of his former physical body into the world. Transcendence is a function of the spirit.

The power of humans to reach beyond their physical frames into the minds and hearts of others through knowledge and love is a pale imitation of what Holy Spirit means when used of God, whose transcendence is marked by the capacity to be interior to all existence simultaneously, and present to all that is created without ever being defined by creation, without ever ceasing to be Other to all the sensible round of being.

Because Jesus?’ present existence has just that transcendent quality, the New Testament can use language that in purely physical terms would be impossible. In a single chapter of the Letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of those who are ?‘in Christ Jesus?’ (8:1), talks of ?‘the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus?’ (8:2), says that the ?‘Spirit of God dwells in you?’ (8:9), outlines the consequences for ?‘anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ?’ (8:9) as well as for those who ?‘have Christ in you?’ (8:10), and asserts that ?‘if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus dwells in you, he who raised Jesus will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you?’ (8:11).

Such language of mutual presence and interiority of ?“indwelling?” (to use John?’s language) is possible only in the realm of transcendence, which is the realm of the Spirit.?”


From Page 97 -- The Gospel texts ?“also make it clear that the ?‘learning of Jesus?’ is more than a matter of formal confession. Learning Jesus also means living according to his words and by the measure of his faith. It means continuing to bear witness in the world to the reality of God as Jesus bore witness.

It means walking in the path of suffering for others that he himself followed. The Jesus learned in these compositions is a Jesus who by his resurrection is the source of eternal life and by his suffering and death is the model for obedient faith in God.?”


To continued in the next post.