Willemien Otten: Medieval Wisdom for Contemporary Theology
Aug 31, 2023
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Dr. Willemien Otten, professor of theology and history of Christianity, discusses the importance of studying the period between Augustine and Aquinas, the evolution of celibacy practices in the Middle Ages, the shifting understanding of creation and nature in the medieval church, the relationship between Barth and Schleiermacher in the context of natural theology, and the role of tradition in contemporary theological reflection.
Medieval thinkers like Aquinas and Bonaventure presented contrasting approaches to the relationship between creation and nature, with Aquinas emphasizing reason and Bonaventure integrating faith and reason more organically.
Medieval perspectives on creation and nature evolved over time, with the transition from allegorical interpretations of scripture to the integration of Aristotelian thought in Aquinas, highlighting the complex interplay between theology, philosophy, scripture, and nature.
Recognizing the interplay between nature and tradition is crucial in contemporary theological reflection, allowing theologians to establish connections with audiences, speak to contemporary concerns, and avoid narrow-mindedness.
The concept of the 'book of experience' invites understanding one's own experiences as expressions of nature, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans with the natural world and challenging dualistic approaches.
Deep dives
Aquinas and Bonaventure: Unfolding Creation into Nature
Aquinas and Bonaventure present contrasting approaches to understanding the relationship between creation and nature in the medieval period. Aquinas unfolds creation into nature, engaging with Aristotle's philosophy and setting the stage for modernity. This approach emphasizes reason and sets up a division between faith and reason, with certain aspects of creation being beyond the grasp of human intellect. On the other hand, Bonaventure adheres more closely to the earlier Anselmian tradition, integrating faith and reason in a more organic manner. He sees vestiges of the divine in creation and emphasizes a more integrated knowledge of faith and reason.
Eriugena's Perspective on Nature and Thinking
Eriugena's work reflects a unique perspective on nature as the pulsating whole of reality, wherein God is interior. He explores the idea that nature is not merely an object of reflection, but rather the driving structure of thought itself. Eriugena seeks to collapse the subject-object distinction and overcome the bifurcation between selfhood and nature. He emphasizes thinking as encounter, where selfhood is engaged with the encompassing nature, providing a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of God, self, and nature.
The Significance of Thinking in the Context of Nature
Thinking in the medieval period holds great significance as an avenue for encountering nature and understanding the self. By emphasizing encounter over instrumentalization and mastery, the medieval thinkers recognize thinking as the most free act of engaging with the world. This perspective challenges the reductionist approach that views nature as a separate object to be controlled, inviting a more intimate and interconnected relationship between the self and nature. Engaging in thoughtful contemplation enables a deeper appreciation of the pulsating wholeness and profound beauty inherent in the natural world.
Evolving Perspectives on Creation and Nature
Medieval perspectives on creation and nature demonstrate a dynamic evolution over time. The transition from the earlier emphasis on allegorical interpretations of scripture to the integration of Aristotelian thought in Aquinas represents a significant shift. Bonaventure's perspective, rooted in the Franciscan tradition and characterized by the recognition of divine immanence in creation, offers a counterpoint to Aquinas. This evolution highlights the complex interplay between theology, philosophy, scripture, and nature, providing insight into the diverse and nuanced medieval perspectives on creation and the natural world.
The Importance of Understanding Nature and Tradition
In this podcast episode, the speaker emphasizes the significance of recognizing the interplay between nature and tradition in contemporary theological reflection. He argues that having a broad view of the tradition and understanding where one comes from is crucial. Recognizing the role of tradition helps theologians establish connections with audiences, speak to contemporary concerns, and avoid narrow-mindedness. The speaker suggests that while it is important to explore unknown traditions, deepening one's own tradition can also be valuable. Additionally, he highlights the need to be open-minded and willing to give up the traditional view if necessary. This perspective allows for a more nuanced engagement with the tradition and enables theologians to speak creatively and adaptively in the public sphere.
The Book of Experience and the Integration of Nature and Humanity
The podcast episode delves into the concept of the 'book of experience' mentioned by Bernard of Clairvaux. Although Bernard only briefly refers to it, the speaker interprets it as an invitation to understand one's own experiences as an expression of nature. This understanding goes beyond individualized notions of experience and emphasizes the interconnectedness of humans with the natural world. The speaker draws connections to the ideas of William James and Heidegger, highlighting the importance of recognizing the unity between human consciousness and nature. This perspective challenges a dualistic approach and encourages a piety rooted in an ecstatic naturalism, aligning with the insights of Bonaventure.
Navigating the Challenges of Traditionalism and Post-Modernity
The speaker explores the tension between traditionalism and post-modernity in theology. He emphasizes the need to move beyond narrow confessional boundaries and engage with a broader view of the tradition. Additionally, he critiques the notion of the 'archive' as an all-encompassing repository of knowledge, suggesting that the working desk of the scholar offers a more grounded and personal approach. The speaker advocates for a responsible approach to theological education, acknowledging the impossibility of mastering all traditions while maintaining an awareness of the larger theological landscape. He also highlights the role of constructive theologians in making tradition come alive by rearranging and reinterpreting it for contemporary contexts.
Dr. Willemien Otten is the Dorothy Grant Maclear Professor of Theology and the History of Christianity at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
In this conversation we discuss:
How Dr Otten became a medievalist
What is missed by skipping church history between Augustine, Aquinas, to Luther
What Augustine gets right about sex and bodies
How it took to the 12th century before Priests were really celibate
The role of scripture in Medieval culture
The origin of the doctrine of Creation out of Nothing
How the revival of Bonaventure and the Franciscan tradition is generating a more lively account of nature
How theology changes when the doctrine of nature is more than the canvas of salvation history
Why Dr. Otten finds the Barthian rejection of natural theology unconvincing
The role of nature for theological reflection in a secular age
The problem of Protestantism doctrine of stewardship
How to talk about books you havent read and become a strategic non-reader
Returning to Schleiermacher without Barthian blinders
The unique gift of the American philosophical tradition and its religious naturalism
Why more theologians need to read Emerson
Whats the role of the received tradition for contemporary constructive theology?
Willemien Otten studies the history of Christianity and Christian thought with a focus on the medieval and the early Christian intellectual tradition, especially in the West, and an emphasis on the continuity of Platonic themes. She analyzes (early) medieval thought and theology as an amalgam of biblical, classical, and patristic influences which, woven together, constitute their own intellectual matrix. Within this matrix the place and role of nature and humanity interest her most. She has worked on the Carolingian thinker Johannes Scottus Eriugena, on twelfth-century humanistic thinkers including Peter Abelard and, most recently, has ventured into the thought of R.W. Emerson and William James.
Her co-edited volume Religion and Memory (Fordham, 2013; with Burcht Pranger and Babette Hellemans) addresses how best to conceive the pastness of religion. Her co-edited volume Eriugena and Creation(Turnhout: Brepols, 2014; with Michael I. Allen), brings together selected papers on medieval nature. Besides her medieval work Otten maintains an active interest in Tertullian, Augustine, and the broader patristic tradition. With Editor-in Chief Karla Pollmann, she edited the three-volume Oxford Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine (Oxford, 2013) and with Susan Schreiner she co-edited Augustine Our Contemporary. Examining the Self in Past and Present (Notre Dame, 2018).
Reflecting her interest in natural theology beyond the medieval period, Ottens latest study Thinking Nature and the Nature of Thinking: From Eriugena to Emerson (Stanford, 2020) approaches ideas of nature and human selfhood across a wide array of thinkers, from Augustine to William James and from Maximus the Confessor to Schleiermacher. Deconstructing the notion of pantheism in the Western religious tradition, Otten draws attention to a more elusive idea of nature in which nature is an ally and co-worker of the divine
