Divine Action Research Articles

Contested Paternity and Contested Readings: Jesus’ Conception in Matthew 1.18-25

Some recent readings of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ conception have questioned whether it would have been originally understood in the way it has traditionally been interpreted, namely, as a miraculous divine act in which there was no human male agency. This article presents their case in regard to how the language of ‘begotten by the holy Spirit’ (1.18, 20) would have been understood in a Jewish context, whether Matthew changes the force of παρθένος in his citation of LXX Isa. 7.14 (1.23) and what the reference to Joseph’s abstinence from intercourse with Mary until after the birth (1.25) might signify. It asks whether the traditional or revised reading fits better in its Matthean context and what light might be shed on each by Matthew’s use of tradition. It revisits the use of LXX Isa. 7.14 and the interpretation of ‘begotten by the holy Spirit’ in a Jewish context, before assessing the rival readings in the light of ancient views of procreation and conception and of the story’s apparent apologetic features. Finally, the article provides brief reflection on how this contest of readings might be adjudicated.

Emergence and Evidentialism: A Consideration of Thomas Tracy's Special Divine Action and Theodicy

Thomas Tracy has written such a wonderful and engaging paper, that my response could easily just be an encomium of its merits. Tempting as that may be, I have instead decided to engage two largely ...

Toward a Comprehensive Theology of Divine Action

Responding to Thomas Tracy's illuminating discussion of divine action in the world, this article begins with highlighting the inextricable unity between two distinct dimensions of a single divine p...

Beyond Justification in Paul: The Thesis of the Deliverance of God

Let me begin by observing that many Pauline interpreters share with me a fundamentally participatory view of Paul's gospel, understanding salvation as a pneumatological incorporation into Christ's death and resurrection. This is arguably an irreducibly proto-trinitarian account as well, so recently Michael Gorman has rightly emphasised theosis within its description. This view holds further that the only effective ethic for a sinful humanity is generated by divine action, essentially in terms of inaugurated eschatology; humanity must be transformed in Christ in order to act well. Hence Douglas Moo clearly shares this articulation. Indeed, I do not know of an Evangelical who does not affirm everything that has just been said; but it tends to be arranged under the rubric of ‘sanctification’, and hence treated in second position in any account of Paul's gospel. And this brings us to the nub of the problem, and to the solution, that I articulate in my book The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul.

On the possibility of special divine action in a deterministic world

AbstractIs it possible for God both to create a deterministic world and to act specially, to realize his particular purposes within it? And if there can be such ‘particular providence’ or ‘special divine action’ (SDA) in a deterministic world, what form can it take? In this article I consider these questions, exploring a number of different models of SDA and discussing their consistency with the proposition that the world is deterministic; I also consider how the various consequences of each model accord with traditional theistic assumptions about God's action in the world. I argue that, although SDAispossible in a deterministic world, none of the models that have been offered are entirely unproblematic, but accepting any of them commits one to certain consequences that may be found objectionable; thus the potential benefits of each model of SDA must be weighed against the costs of accepting such consequences.

Against Physicalism-plus-God

It is often assumed that contemporary physics is more hospitable to divine action (and human freedom) than classical mechanics. The article criticizes this assumption on the grounds of both physics and theology. Most currently discussed models do not challenge the physicalist assumption that physics provides a true and complete description of nature's causal web. Thus they resemble physicalism-plus-God. Taking up suggestions from Michael Polanyi, Herman Dooyeweerd and Henri Blocher, I propose an alternative framework for divine action in the world. It takes creation as the starting-point to understand the world and leads to a non-reductionist, multidimensional picture of reality. 1. Divine action in the contemporary science-and-theology literature

How God Acts: Creation, Redemption, and Special Divine Action – By Denis Edwards

How God Acts: Creation, Redemption, and Special Divine Action – By Denis Edwards

The Creation of Language and Language without Time: Metaphysics and Metapragmatics in Genesis

AbstractThis essay makes two related arguments regarding the relation of the performative language of creation in Genesis 1 to temporality and to existence. The first explores how Biblical Hebrew constructs atemporal language in order to designate divine action that does not presuppose temporality through an under-researched device known as grammatical aspect. The second offers a new explanation of why language was the instrument of creation ex nihilo to begin with. It argues that fiat lux should be understood as the instant of the metalinguistic creation of language itself. Together these claims suggest that standard readings of the biblical creation narrative, especially when relying on translations that presuppose temporal categories in their grammatical forms and thus in their metaphysical commitments (as Germanic languages, such as English, do), fail to express the radical nature of the creation narrative —placing divine creation in time and telling, in essence, a flawed story. While offering primarily a linguistic argument, this essay also adds to the discussion of the relations between language and the metaphysical commitments of mimesis in general.

God and the Market: Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand

The invisible hand image is at the centre of contemporary debates about capacities of markets, on which discussion of many other topics in business ethics rests. However, its meaning in Adam Smith’s writings remains obscure, particularly the religious associations that were obvious to early readers. He drew on Isaac Newton’s theories of divine action and providence, mediated through the moderate Calvinism of the eighteenth century Scottish circles in which he moved. I argue within the context of Smith’s general providential account of markets, the invisible hand operates restrain inequality and capital flight, thereby stabilizing the market system. Such an understanding of the invisible hand raises questions for contemporary religious and secular discussions of the capacities of markets in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Islam's quantum question: reconciling Muslim tradition and modern science

In secular Europe the veracity of modern science is almost always taken for granted. Whether they think of the evolutionary proofs of Darwin or of spectacular investigation into the boundaries of physics conducted by CERN's Large Hadron Collider, most people assume that scientific enquiry goes to the heart of fundamental truths about the universe. Yet elsewhere, science is under siege. In the USA, Christian fundamentalists contest whether evolution should be taught in schools at all. And in Muslim countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia, a mere 15 per cent of those recently surveyed believed Darwin's theory to be 'true' or 'probably true'. This thoughtful and passionately argued book contends absolutely to the contrary: not only that evolutionary theory does not contradict core Muslim beliefs, but that many scholars, from Islam's golden age to the present, adopted a worldview that accepted evolution as a given. Guessoum suggests that the Islamic world, just like the Christian, needs to take scientific questions - 'quantum questions' - with the utmost seriousness if it is to recover its true heritage and integrity. In its application of a specifically Muslim perspective to important topics like cosmology, divine action and evolution, the book makes a vital contribution to debate in the disputed field of 'science and religion'.

Do the Results of Divine Action Have Preceding Causes?

If God brings about an event in the universe, does it have a preceding cause? For example, if the universe began with the Big Bang and if God brought it about, did the Big Bang then have a preceding cause? The standard answer is: yes, it was caused by a divine willing. I propose an alternative view: God’s actions, unlike human actions, are not initiated by willings, undertakings, or volitions, but God brings about the intended event directly. Presenting a solution to the dilemma of free will I explain what ‘bringing about directly’ means and show that the question of what an action begins with is distinct from the question whether it is a basic action.

Thomas Aquinas Holds Fast: Objections to Aquinas within Today's Debate on Divine Action

Various authors within the contemporary debate on divine action in nature and contemporary science argue both for and against a Thomistic account of divine action through the notions of primary and secondary causes. In this paper I argue that those who support a Thomistic account of divine action often fail to explain Aquinas' doctrine in full, while those who argue against it base their objections on an incomplete knowledge of this doctrine, or identify it with Austin Farrer's doctrine of double agency – again failing to do Aquinas justice. I analyse these objections, indicating how they do not address Aquinas' doctrine by offering a brief but full account of the latter.

In Mysterious Ways: On petitionary prayer and subtle forms of supernatural causation

The psychology of prayer and supernatural causation has received surprisingly little attention from empirical researchers. This paper discusses implicit belief patterns about the causal mechanisms by which God effects changes in the world. The authors offer a psychological account of belief in supernatural causation based on the existing empirical literature on petitionary prayer, incorporating mechanisms of psychological self-correction and rationalisation, confirmation bias and folk physics. They propose that religious believers ‘prefer’ modes of divine action that are subtle and indistinguishable from the natural course of events: given that the causal structure of our world is partly inscrutable, beliefs in subtle and unascertainable modes of supernatural causation will be compelling and cognitively appealing because they are more susceptible to occasional confirmation and less vulnerable to repeated disconfirmation. In other words, believers who request supernatural interventions that are subtle and indistinguishable from the natural course of events will have a better chance of finding themselves in a situation in which they can attribute the events in question to God answering their prayers. The authors argue that such individual psychological factors play a role in the cultural transmission of prayer practices as well, leading to culturally widespread beliefs in subtle forms of supernatural causation.

Tradition and Interpretation in Gen 1:1–2:4a

In the beginning of the 20th century several scholars (B. Stade, F. Schwally, J. Morgenstern) argued that Gen 1:1–2:4a consists of two different layers: one containing a “Tatbericht” (account of the divine act) and the other consisting of a “Wortbericht” (account of the creative divine word). This view became dominant in scholarship. However, the detailed study of O.H. Steck (1975) arguing for the literary unity of the story marked an important turning-point, the impact of which continues to be felt strongly today. This article critically examines the arguments of Steck, especially his interpretation of the “ ויהי כן -formula” ("and it was so"). This is followed by observations of important differences of specific motifs and particularities of language between the "divine-word"-statements and "divine-act"-statements. For example, in the "word-account" God collaborates with other entities such as the firmament, sea, earth, but the "act-account" attributes creative activity to God alone. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the "word-account" represents the older “skeleton” of Gen 1, while the "act-layer" consists of later additions that refine the earlier account with their own theological accents. Since the vocabulary and the theological view of the later "act-statements" can be associated with the priestly document (Pg), the early "divine word account" should be taken as another sign (in addition to, for instance, Gen 5)that P is based on – at least to some extent – identifiable sources.

THE UNIFORMITY OF NATURAL LAWS IN VICTORIAN BRITAIN: NATURALISM, THEISM, AND SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE

Abstract. A historical perspective allows for a different view on the compatibility of theistic views with a crucial foundation of modern scientific practice: the uniformity of nature, which states that the laws of nature are unbroken through time and space. Uniformity is generally understood to be part of a worldview called “scientific naturalism,” in which there is no room for divine forces or a spiritual realm. This association comes from the Victorian era, but a historical examination of scientists from that period shows that uniformity was an important part of both theistic and naturalistic worldviews. Victorian efforts to maintain the viability of miracles and divine action within a universe ruled by natural laws receives special attention. The methodological practices of theistic and naturalistic scientists in the nineteenth century were effectively indistinguishable despite each group's argument that uniformity was closely dependent on their worldview. This similarity is used to reexamine both the reasons for the decline of the role of religion within the scientific community and claims made by the intelligent design movement about the relationship of science and religion.

Philosophy, Science and Divine Action edited by F. LeRon Shults, Nancey Murphy, and Robert John Russell

<i>Philosophy, Science and Divine Action</i> edited by F. LeRon Shults, Nancey Murphy, and Robert John Russell

Tramas de Afrodite e Eros: sedução e capitulação na mélica grega arcaica

This article presents a study of Aphrodite’s and Eros’s images in archaic Greek melic poetry, in some fragments where the “I”, as a result of their divine action, becomes a helpless victim of the power of erotic desire and/or a seducer/seductress in pursuit of the beloved one. These are the melic poets and fragments herein commented: Alcman (Fr. 59(a) Dav.), Sappho (Frs. 1, 102 Voigt), Ibycus (Frs. 286, 288, 287 Dav.).

Book Review: Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship

Book Review: Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion, and Authorship

Book Review: How God Acts: Creation, Redemption, and Special Divine Action

Book Review: How God Acts: Creation, Redemption, and Special Divine Action

Divine Action, Resurrection, and the Transformation of the Universe

Divine Action, Resurrection, and the Transformation of the Universe