Radical Revelation

by Balázs M. Mezei, Balázs M. Mezei (Editor), Francesca Aran Murphy (Editor)

Overview

This volume offers a practical and innovative interpretation of divine revelation, from a philosophical-theological perspective. Balázs M. Mezei outlines the most important presuppositions of our notion of divine revelation in a historic and semantic setting, as well as elaborating upon the methodology of model analysis. He then introduces and analyses the notion of self-revelation as the most important modern understanding of divine revelation; and presents the notion of "apocalyptic personhood+? as a corollary of radical personhood, which is further developed into apocalyptic phenomenology.

Mezei further examines the remarkable development of some of the most important notions in the history of Christianity, along with the homogenous infrastructure of these notions in the very essence of the religion: the doctrine of Trinity. Covering aspects of revelation from semantics to historical and cognitive origins, and engaging with a wide variety of texts - including Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Joseph Ratzinger - Mezei makes a strong and clear statement when explaining what the radical revelation is, how it can be understood and its overall importance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567688781
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/30/2019
Series:	Illuminating Modernity
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Balázs M. Mezei is Professor of Philosophy at Péter Pázmány Catholic University, Hungary. He has widely published on the philosophy of religion, phenomenology, and literary criticism.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword
1. General Introduction
2. Structure and Content

Chapter One: What is Revelation?

1. Preliminaries
2. The Presuppositions of Revelation
3. The Semantics of Revelation
4. The Historical Origins of Revelation
5. The Cognitive Origins of Revelation
6. The Fact of Revelation
7. Theories of Revelation
8. A Radical Philosophical Theology
9. Sources of Revelation

Chapter Two: Models of Revelation

1. Preliminaries
2. Kinds, Types, and Models
3. Forms of Revelation
4. From Forms to Models
5. Systems of Models
6. An Example: The Liturgy
7. A Concluding Remark

Chapter Three: Self-Revelation

1. Preliminaries
2. The Grammar of Self-Revelation
3. The History of Self-Revelation
4. The Model of Self-Revelation
5. Self and Unity
6. Self and Persons
7. Radical Personhood
8. Radical Personhood as kenosis
9. Self-Revelation as Radical Personhood

Chapter Four: Radical Revelation

1. Preliminaries
2. Self-revelation and Radical Revelation
3. Radical Revelation as the Fact of Freedom
4. The Eight Gestures of Freedom a) Birth b) Growth c) Entry d) Healing e) Radiance f) Transfiguration g) Kenosis h) Overcoming
5. Radical Re-velation
6. Radical Revelation as apokalypsis

Chapter Five: The Revelation of Apocalyptic Personhood

1. Preliminaries
2. The Last Judgment of Michelangelo
3. Aspects of Apocalyptic Personhood a) The Kingdom of God b) The Son of Man c) Resurrection d) Pentecost e) Conversion f) Stoning g) The Lamb of God
4. Trinitarian Relations

Chapter Six: Apocalyptic Phenomenology

1. Preliminaries
2. From Openness to Newness
3. Newness as Personhood
4. A Phenomenology of Disclosure
5. The Principle of Refusivum Sui
6. Models of Disclosure a) Augustine's Confessional Apocalypse b) An Apocalypse of Contrasts c) A Faustian Apocalypse d) The Visage as Apocalypse
7. The Musical Genius

Chapter Seven: The Catholicity of Revelation

1. On Overtures
2. Architectonics
3. Catholicity
4. Faith
5. Hope
6. Love
7. Prospects

Conclusion

Appendix I: The Concentric Model of Revelation

Appendix II: The Ramifications of Revelation

Appendix III: Aspects of Catholicity

Appendix IV: An Outline of the Study of Apocalyptics

Bibliography

Index of Names

Index of Biblical Passages

Index of Art Works

Editorial Reviews

The great strength of Radical Revelation is its breadth of enquiry ... [Mezei] deftly bridges arbitrary academic divides, such as those between analytical and continental forms of philosophy, while consistently making use of a wide range of artistic, musical, architectural and literary works as sources with which to illustrate his account of revelation.
Theology

This book utilizes what is best in phenomenology, hermeneutics and cultural-political modes of philosophy, while showing familiarity with analytic philosophy. Undoubtedly erudite, unquestionably methodologically sophisticated to the nth degree, in the end the book is entirely original and offers a breath taking synthetic performance, opening up an extraordinarily hospitable relation between philosophy and theology.
Cyril O'Regan, University of Notre Dame, USA

This is an excellent philosophical exploration of revelation, in dialogue with traditional theological sources as well as continuing perplexities that have been posed in recent centuries. It ranges widely in a manner that is philosophically and theologically engaging. It is very helpful is articulating the question(s) of revelation in their modern and contemporary forms. In a constructive spirit it offers a non-standard radical philosophical theology which approaches revelation as a rich or paradigmatic fact, one which has been and continues to be a living source of reflection. The writing is lucid in its offering of well-considered arguments that draw the reader into continuing engagement with the theme. While neither in the phenomenological nor the analytical traditions, it is significantly conversant with both, yet it develops its own distinctive philosophical account of revelation. An admirable work whose impressive scholarship and thoughtfulness is warmly recommended.
William Desmond, Villanova University, USA

From the Publisher