Liturgy, Theurgy, and Active Participation: On Theurgic Participation in God
Ebook
Providing a metaphysical grounding for liturgical participation, this book argues that "active participation" in the liturgy must be understood principally as our participation in God's act, particularly in the act of Christ, and only secondarily as our ritual involvement. Utilizing Neoplatonist philosophy, Kjetil Kringlebotten proposes that this should be understood in terms of theurgy, which is the human participation in divine action, which finds its consummation in the incarnation of Christ. Without the incarnation all acts will remain extrinsic and imposed but acts can become real and intrinsic precisely because the incarnation makes possible true union with the divine, a metaphysical union-in-distinction, without confusion, because this union is not extrinsic. Through union with Christ, as the one common focus of the divine-human relation, we can have true union with God and may offer true worship. In order to make sense of active participation, then, we need to understand theology in theurgic terms, where theurgy is understood not as a mechanical "coercion" of God but as a participation in His act, in creation and through Christ as the true theurgist, the "master theurgist," Whose work transforms our act and the liturgy.
“The metaphysics of participation, rooted in Christian Platonism, claims that creation exists not in itself, but by receiving a share in the divine life. Kjetil Kringlebotten argues that participation is fundamentally liturgical. It finds its source and end in Christ, the master theurgist. Christ calls down the Holy Spirit to gather all people to Himself, that we might rise with Him in glory. This is a bold and inspiring contribution to theological and liturgical scholarship.”
—Simon Oliver, professor of divinity, Durham University
“Kjetil Kringlebotten works skillfully between doctrine, history, prayer and worship, and the life of the church, all with an infectious enthusiasm. His book is wonderfully ecumenical and, indeed, also an excellent example of one of the church’s first, crucial interfaith exchanges with Neoplatonism. I heartily recommend Liturgy, Theurgy, and Active Participation to anyone wanting to explore the relation between liturgy and philosophical theology.”
—Andrew Davison, Starbridge associate professor in theology and natural sciences, University of Cambridge
“This is a striking, important, and original book. It makes the case that the liturgy is a divine work and not a human action. ‘Participation’ in the liturgy should be construed as a participation in the divine work, rather than in a more sociological and congregational sense of ‘being practically involved.’ This leads to an understanding of metaphysics as the original source of practices. The thesis of the book is bold and distinctive and is presented with great clarity and charity.”
—Christopher Insole, professor of philosophical theology and ethics, Durham University
- Title: Liturgy, Theurgy, and Active Participation: On Theurgic Participation in God
- Author: Kjetil Kringlebotten
- Publisher: Cascade Books
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666771275, 9781666771251, 1666771252, 9781666771268, 1666771260, 1666771279
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666771275
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-09-12T20:44:30Z
Kjetil Kringlebotten (Ph.D.) is a parish priest in the Church of Norway who earned his PhD in systematic theology from Durham University.