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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Primacy of Christ: A Theological Foundation

Wood, Eric
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=athe1490281954783496

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Arts in Theology, Athenaeum of Ohio, School of Theology.
One of the questions that Catholic theologians have debated for centuries pertains to the true meaning behind St. Paul’s statement, “that in all things, he [Christ] may have the first place [primacy]” (Colossians 1:18). The beginning stages of the debate presented it as a counter-factual claim concerning whether the God-man would have come had Adam and Eve not sinned. One position suggested that the Incarnation was directed toward redemption and gave a negative answer; the opposing position stated that Christ’s primacy spoken of by St. Paul was not dependent on anything outside of God’s will, and gave a positive answer. This thesis seeks to examine the work of the major contributors to both sides of the debate, starting with St. Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo and closing with the work of Bl. John Duns Scotus. In doing this, it will examine in what ways the question developed throughout the Church’s history, what the major contributors to the question truly sought to answer in engaging the question, and why it became such a central and foundational question for the major theologians involved in the debate. What will be seen through this method is that, though the question began as a hypothetical concerning an alternate economy of salvation, theologians like St. Bonaventure and Bl. John Duns Scotus moved it beyond its hypothetical formulation by recognizing that it actually concerned two opposing theological viewpoints on the Incarnation and created universe. The conclusions of this thesis will further show how, at this point, the hypothetical can only obscure the true nature of the question since it does not recognize how fundamentally it affects our understanding of the economy of salvation. It will also show that method has played a role in how the question is approached and answered throughout the Church’s history.
Anthony Brausch, Ph.L. (Advisor)
72 p.
Theology
Catholic theology; John Duns Scotus; Incarnation; Atonement; History of doctrine; Christology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wood, E. (2015). The Primacy of Christ: A Theological Foundation [Master's thesis, Athenaeum of Ohio]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=athe1490281954783496

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wood, Eric. The Primacy of Christ: A Theological Foundation. 2015. Athenaeum of Ohio, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=athe1490281954783496.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wood, Eric. "The Primacy of Christ: A Theological Foundation." Master's thesis, Athenaeum of Ohio, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=athe1490281954783496

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

athe1490281954783496
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This open access ETD is published by Athenaeum of Ohio and OhioLINK.