Engaging the Doctrine of Marriage. Matthew Levering
that the freedom of the Trinity to create is not impeded by the eternity of the divine ideas—namely, by the fact that the eternal God knows what he creates in the Word. Nor is the divine simplicity imperiled by God’s free creative act, because even through the divine will to create is free, it is not a different act from the simple, eternal divine Act. After treating the image of God and the innumerable controversies surrounding how to identify it properly, I turn to the vast profusion of creatures over time and space. Given that the human imago is central, why should God create dinosaurs, black holes, and the like? I argue that this is what we should expect from the infinite ways in which the Trinity can be participated in finite modes. God loves to express his infinite being through the unfathomable riches of the cosmos. At the same time, the cosmos is not eternal and so all creatures, and the cosmos itself, are subject to decay and deficiencies: the cosmos cannot be mistaken for God. Given the rapid rise in human population, I address the view that the Earth now has too many people. I argue further that evolutionary theory does not render otiose the doctrine of the fall of the first human “images” of God. As I show, there is no need to abandon the doctrines of either creation or fall due to the valuable insights of modern science. Lastly, I suggest that the doctrine of creation should instruct us in our reflection upon why God sent his Son to die upon a cross. Creation is a profoundly relational order, and sin (preeminently original sin) wounds this relational order and establishes humans in a state of injustice in which they owe the punishment of death, a punishment that is intrinsic to turning away from the Life-giver. Christ redeems the world by freely bearing this penalty of death out of supreme love for each and every sinner (volume 3).
The present volume, then, continues the trajectory of the first three volumes by arguing that the purpose of creation is the marriage of God and his people. Creation is properly understood in the light of its goal. Marriage has a crucial signifying role in the economy of creation and redemption. I explore the eschatological marriage of the triune God and his people and also the ways in which Christian sacramental marriage even now “is a great mystery . . . in reference to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5:32).
Like Scheeben, I believe that the central source of Catholic theology is Scripture as mediated in Tradition, with a central role for the Fathers and the medieval schoolmen (above all Thomas Aquinas, for various reasons). As Scheeben did, I also engage a wide range of more recent theologians who have contributed in important ways to dogmatic conversations. In my view, Catholic dogmatics now also needs to include the following elements: a fairly extensive engagement with historical-critical biblical exegesis; ecumenical exchange for the purpose of mutual enrichment and critique; and engagements with the natural sciences and the social sciences where they touch upon doctrinal realities. Appreciation for the insights of the great mystical theologians needs also to be present.
While the unfolding of the volumes should follow a defensible rationale, I consider it appropriate to address related topics without waiting for those topics to appear in the dogmatic order of the volumes. For example, I included in Engaging the Doctrine of Revelation a discussion of the Trinitarian missions as the fount of divine revelation. That book also contains discussions of liturgy and ordained priesthood as components of the mediation of divine revelation, although I expect to treat the liturgy and the sacrament of holy order much more fully in later volumes. Likewise, Engaging the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit is largely devoted to Trinitarian theology with a focus on the Holy Spirit, but I also explored aspects of Christology, ecclesiology, and the moral life. Again, Engaging the Doctrine of Creation treated not only creation, but also central aspects of the doctrine of God, as well as original sin and Christ’s cross viewed in light of problems that arise from within the doctrine of creation. The present volume on the doctrine of marriage reengages two issues treated in Engaging the Doctrine of Creation: the image of God and original sin, now explored from the angle of marriage.
In each volume, I make clear that the contemporary context plays a role in framing the engagement I undertake. Engaging the Doctrine of Revelation responds in part to the resurgence of liberal Catholic theology. Engaging the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit responds in part to contemporary anti-Augustinian movements in Trinitarian theology and ecclesiology. Engaging the Doctrine of Creation responds in part to the “new atheists” who attack the Christian doctrines of creation and fall; in addition, I have in view the environmental movement. In the present book on the doctrine of marriage, my task consists partly in responding to current misunderstandings or explicit rejections (not least among Catholics) of the requisite elements of Christian marriage.
One final note: in all the Engaging the Doctrine volumes, chapters may read like extended surveys of other people’s writings. I choose a few particular authors to engage and spend a large amount of space summarizing their work. It may seem that my own voice gets a bit lost. However, there is a method to this approach. In classical dialogues, the opposing viewpoints were presented through the voices of advocates of the distinct positions; and in the work of my teacher Thomas Aquinas, quotations abound. By means of careful selection of texts to explore in each of the chapters, I seek to convey the basic alternatives in the doctrinal debates I am engaging. I strive to develop both the positions I oppose and the positions I support in a manner that avoids the danger of “virtuoso theology”—in which the contribution of a dogmatics is measured by the creativity and rhetorical power of the author. The true theological virtuosos, such as Aquinas, lead us away from such misconceptions by means of ample quotations that instruct us in the sources of our faith and in important ongoing conversations marked by opposing perspectives.
Many thanks to Baker Academic for publishing the first three volumes of this series, and to Cascade for publishing this volume and any other volumes that God enables me to complete.
Acknowledgments
This book arises from gratitude to God for creating marriage in all its dimensions, united by the fact that God creates all things in Christ and for the purpose of everlasting communion. “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God!” (Ps 48:1).13
Two of my chapters—on the image of God and the Cross—began as the Anthony Jordan Lectures at Newman Theological College in March 2018. What a delight it was to give these lectures and to receive such helpful feedback, not least from NTC’s president, Jason West, and dean, Ryan Topping. A version of “Marriage as an Image of the Trinity” appeared in Ressourcement after Vatican II: Essays in Honor of Joseph Fessio, S.J., ed. Nicholas J. Healy, Jr., and Matthew Levering (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2019). Anne Englund Nash’s copyediting significantly improved the essay. I have incorporated her edits into the version that appears as chapter 2 of the present book.
Perry Cahall read the entire manuscript and offered numerous suggestions for improvement. I am greatly in his debt. For readers looking for a rich synthetic account of the Catholic Church’s understanding of marriage (and sexuality), his book The Mystery of Marriage is the book to purchase. My S.T.L. student, Caitlyn Trader, skillfully put together the bibliography. I owe my S.T.D. student Fr. Nick Parker thanks for improving my section on the estimable Catholic philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand. Many thanks also go to Jason C. Paone, a doctoral candidate in systematic theology at the Catholic University of America. He used the Cascade author’s guide to prepare the manuscript for publication, an extensive task, and he also did the index and caught some final typos.
Let me also acknowledge the serendipitous timing of two recent lectures at Mundelein Seminary, one by Helen Alvaré in March and the other by John Cavadini in July. Alvaré’s lecture helped me to tie together chapter 7, and Cavadini’s lecture did the same for chapter 2. For the privilege of teaching at such a congenial place as Mundelein Seminary, let me especially thank my rector, Fr. John Kartje, and my dean, Fr. Thomas Baima, as well as colleagues such as Dr. Melanie Barrett, Fr. Brendan Lupton, Fr. Emery de Gaál, Dr. Paul Hilliard, Fr. Marek Duran, Fr. Larry Hennessey, and many others who have encouraged my projects. The encouragement that I have received from colleagues at the Seminary has been amplified by Jim and Molly Perry, who graciously endowed the chair that I am privileged to hold. Without their support—and now their friendship as well—much of my work would not have been possible.
Dave Nelson generously read the manuscript and, in addition to encouragement, provided the subtitle. The editor who brought this volume—and, if all goes as planned (God willing),