Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians—The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi’s Threefold Truth, Volume 2
Commentary on Ephesians 1:3–23
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
This is volume 2 of a wide-ranging interfaith reading of the Letter to the Ephesians--a New Testament text whose words have inspired and enhanced Christian spiritual life and liturgy over the centuries. Unfortunately, at the same time, Ephesians has provided apparent scriptural support to those who would defend slavery, patriarchy, misogyny, and the physical power of Christ over the cosmos. How on earth are today's Christians to receive and understand such a text as this? Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians: The Universe, Trinity, and Zhiyi's Threefold Truth draws upon a broad array of scientific, theological, and philosophical thinkers who enable us both to marvel at today's ever-expanding knowledge of our vast cosmos and to appreciate the importance of the Ephesian letter in the canon of our Christian scriptures, even while we acknowledge the archaic geocentric cosmology that underlies its claims about the cosmic Christ and reject its accommodation to the patriarchal, misogynistic, and slaveholding norms of its first-century culture. Throughout this reading of Ephesians, we look to Chinese Buddhist master Zhiyi and his "threefold truth" to enhance our understanding of trinity and the nascent trinitarian themes within this letter. As a whole, this work constitutes a new appreciation for Ephesians as well as a twenty-first century apologetic for doctrinal humility and for theologizing within a global theological commons.
Endorsements (2)
“In this second volume of his commentary on the Letter to the Ephesians, John P. Keenan explores how the letter’s rich teaching on the Cosmic Christ and the Trinitarian God can be better understood by using the Chinese Buddhist master Zhiyi’s concept of ‘threefold truth.’ I most enthusiastically recommend Earthing the Cosmic Christ of Ephesians to all who search for interreligious understanding.”
“In this anticipated second volume, John P. Keenan, with his usual skill and erudition, delivers on his goal of bringing the ‘cosmic Christ of Ephesians back to earth.’ Reading closely and overcoming numerous potential stumbling blocks for modern readers, Keenan uses Zhiyi’s Buddhist framework to help us develop an interpretation of Ephesians that works for our times, our scientific outlook, our social norms, and our situation within the ‘global theological commons.’”
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