Cosmic Christology in the Thought of Zachary Hayes

Abstract

Cosmic Christology in the Thought of Zachary Hayes The emergence of the new science in the twentieth century has radically shifted our understanding of the universe from a closed, fixed system to an open and dynamic one. While theology has traditionally taken its cue from cosmology, the exponential rate of scientific progress has largely relegated theology to a snail’s pace through the course of history. Slowly emerging from the confines of scholastic thought, however, theologians have begun to reconsider theological doctrine in light of the new science. Some principal areas of study include the doctrine of God, divine action, the role of suffering and evil in creation, and the nature of the human person. While these areas have received considerable attention over the last thirty years, less attention has been devoted to the significance of Christ, particularly in light of evolution. The Jesuit paleontologist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, developed a spirituality of Christogenesis based on a unique synthesis of science and mystical insight which has had contemporary significance because of its originality and relevance; however, Teilhard’s doctrine lacks a theological metaphysics. It is not clear, for example, how Teilhard’s centrality of Christ relates to the Trinity or how the immanent Trinity relates to the economic Trinity vis-à-vis evolution. In the late 1960s Ewert Cousins introduced Bonaventure as a dialogue partner with Teilhard, seeing in Bonaventure’s doctrine of exemplarism a more reasonable theological basis for Teilhard’s Christogenic universe. Shortly afterwards, Zachary Hayes published several articles on Bonaventure ’s metaphysics, disclosing a theological relationship between Incarna- This essay was first presented March 11, 2006, at Saint Louis University during a symposium in honor of Zachary Hayes, OFM. See, for example, Ewert Cousins, “Christ and the Cosmos: Teilhard de Chardin and Bonaventure,” The Cord 16 (1966) 99-105; Ewert Cousins, “The Evolving Cosmos: Teilhard de Chardin and Bonaventure,” The Cord 16 (1966) 131-36; Ewert Cousins, “Teilhard de Chardin et Saint Bonaventure,” Études Franciscaines 19 (1969) 175-86. 107 Franciscan Studies 65 (2007) 06.Delio.indd 107 12/5/07 17:48:40 Ilia Delio 108 tion and creation that, when held up against the background of Teilhard’s Christology, could provide the metaphysical basis for understanding the significance of Christ in an evolutionary world. Although Hayes did not develop Bonaventure’s metaphysics in view of Teilhard, what he describes in this medieval doctor is a rich cosmic Christology that provides a theological framework for understanding the relationship between Christ and creation. My thesis is that Bonaventure’s cosmic Christology, developed by Hayes, offers a rich theological lens to explore the significance of Christ in an evolutionary universe. To examine this thesis, I will discuss several principal ideas: 1) Bonaventure’s development of a theological metaphysics , 2) the centrality of Christ as goal and perfection of the universe, and 3) the relationship between the human person and the cosmic Christ. I will conclude by suggesting future areas of study inspired by the writings of Zachary Hayes. Incarnation and Creation: Towards a Theological Metaphysics Anyone who has read the works of Zachary Hayes knows him as a clear thinker and methodical writer, whose writings betray his vested interest in cosmology and metaphysics. Indeed, most of his articles on Bonaventure’s Christology, apart from his commentaries on the scholastic works, show a dialogue between Bonaventure and contemporary scientific thought. Hayes explored the relationship between Bonaventure’s Christology and metaphysics beginning in the 1970’s, following the lead of the philosopher, A.N. Whitehead who described Christianity as a “religion seeking a metaphysics .” Hayes saw in Bonaventure one whose theology of Christ provided the basic clues for metaphysical inquiry. “Metaphysics,” Bonaventure wrote, “begins with consideration of the principles that govern particular, created substances, moving from that level to the consideration of the universal and uncreated. Thus, it considers reality under the aspect of principle, means and end.” In his Hexaemeron Bonaventure claimed that Christ is the center of reality, and it is from this center that one should begin the inquiry Zachary Hayes, “Incarnation and Creation in the Theology of St. Bonaventure ,” in Studies Honoring Ignatius Brady, Friar Minor, ed. Romano Stephen Almagno and Conrad Harkins (St. Bonaventure, NY: The...