It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right: Phenomenology, Theology, and Janicaud

In his influential essay, “The Theological Turn of French Phenomenology,” Dominique Janicaud suggests that phenomenology and theology “make two.” On the thirtieth anniversary of that essay, here we consider some of the main lines of response that have been offered to his account. We suggest that there are three general approaches that have been the most prominent: indifferentism, integrationism, and pluralism. The indifferentists implicitly suggest that Janicaud is right about the divide between phenomenology and theology. The integrationists think that Janicaud is wrong about the divide because theology and philosophy are unable to be strictly distinguished. The pluralists suggest that Janicaud is right about the division, but wrong about how it works. For pluralists, philosophy and theology are distinguished due to the immediate evidential authorities that operate in the two discourses. As such, phenomenological theology and phenomenological philosophy of religion are importantly different. Defending pluralism as the best of the three options, we argue that it avoids the potential reductionism that is present in the other two. We conclude by turning to the ways in which, precisely because phenomenological philosophy and phenomenological theology make two, they can both benefit from being put into robust engagement with the other.

Paul Ricœur: traços do religioso numa filosofia sem absoluto

This paper assesses the ways in which Transcendence and the question of God appear in the philosophy of Paul Ricœur. Taking stock of the debate on the theological turn of French phenomenology, the paper aims to show the unique position held by Ricœur among French phenomenology and hermeneutics, in that in spite of his Christian faith, Ricœur strove to put forward a philosophy of limits ‘without absolute’ while, at the same time, developing inquiries in phenomenology and hermeneutics of religion. The paper follows the development of Ricœur’s thought on this matter, from his early phenomenological works, through the hermeneutical turn and until the essay of fundamental anthropology of Oneself as Another, unpacking the Kantian and Hegelian influences, the approach on religion ‘within the limits of reason alone’ and also the way in which the Kantian undertones of hermeneutics as philosophy of finitude at the same time open the space to hope and imagination. Ricœur’s philosophy therefore appears as a rigorous descriptive and interpretive effort that strives not to mix the genres of discourse, while, at the same time, we can still find some ethical and supra-ethical traits in his practical philosophy that do stem from his Christian faith – but whose status is inspirational and therefore does not dent the overall theoretical framework of his philosophy of limits.

Givenness, Saturation, and the Self: A Phenomenology of Christian Initiation

Phenomenology holds great promise yet underdeveloped potential for ritual studies and liturgical theology. As phenomenology has indeed taken a “theological turn” and the contentiousness of such an approach abates, questions remain as to what insights, concepts, and language phenomenology can offer to deepen our understanding of Christian ritual practices. Specifically with respect to rituals of initiation, does phenomenology open new avenues of appreciation for the sacrament of baptism, to enrich and to deepen the faithful’s experience of these rituals? This article considers insights afforded by a phenomenological approach to the sacrament, in particular with regard to adult baptism and the catechumenate in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), the rite of reception and sacramental initiation into the Roman Catholic Church. Considered through such lenses, a phenomenology of baptism promises to open new avenues of ritual understanding, theological appreciation, and depth of prayer. Drawing primarily from the work of Jean-Luc Marion, this article also considers prominent critiques of his work to articulate a phenomenology of baptism as an experience of givenness and reception, of identity formation within and through an ecclesial community, and of prayerful preparation for Christian neophytes.

Dante’s theology and contemporary thought: Recovering transcendence?

This article outlines how Dante’s philosophy and theology turn on issues that are being debated in broader philosophical, theological, and theoretical milieus today. It emphasizes, in particular, how the new horizon opened by certain postmodern—and more specifically post-secular—turns in philosophy shifts the light falling on the interface between the concepts of transcendence and immanence. As a result, Dante’s attempt, in the twilight of the Middle Ages, to renegotiate the relations between the two shows up as acutely relevant and potentially groundbreaking for current philosophical and theological inquiry. The areas of inquiry traversed include realized eschatology as theorized by Agamben; Foucault’s archeological model of knowledge; Patristic and medieval hexameral exegesis; the tension between hermeneutics and deconstruction; political theology; the theological turn in phenomenology; secularism and humanities as crypto-theological forms of thought. All are examined as prefigured in embryo by Dante’s comprehensive, poetic approach to knowing.

JASON ALVIS'S INCONSPICUOUS PHENOMENOLOGY PROJECT IN THE CONTEXT OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

We analyzed the work "The Inconspicuous God: Heidegger, French Phenomenology, and the Theological Turn", Jason W. Alvis, Indiana University Press, 2018, as well as reviews of it by Daniel Cox, Joerie Shrivers, Bernard Prusak. J. Alvis takes as a basis Heidegger's concept of eine phänomenologie des Unscheinbaren, which he tried to apply to the phenomenological study of religion and religious experience. Thus, synthesizing the concept of Martin Heidegger with the legacy of French philosophers, J. Alvis develops his own idea of inconspicuous phenomenology. The presented project by J. Alvis differs significantly from the context in which the analytical tradition today examines religious experience. Taking into account the novelty of the book, one can speak not only about the significant significance of this project in the continental philosophy of religion, but also about a new step in phenomenology, research on the developments of M. Heidegger and research on the concepts of religious experience. In the article, we analyzed how the approach of J. Alvis is connected with reduction, as well as with the era of entertainment, which the author so often mentions. Although J. Alvis himself does not mention the problem of God-forsakenness and secularized society, nevertheless his project can be successfully considered in the context of these problems of the 21st century. The work of J. Alvis that we have chosen, as well as the reviews of it, have not been translated into either Ukrainian or Russian, so this article can be perceived as an impetus for a dialogue between modern researchers of phenomenology and religious experience. Overcoming the stages of argumentation for his own project of imperceptible phenomenology, J. Alvis raises the ever-actual topic of dialectical perception and, in the end, calls for abandoning the outdated metaphysical dialectics. Quite a provocative thesis, but this is exactly how the researcher proposes to come up with a statement that the "phenomenology of religion" is not an oxymoron.

From Idolatry to Revelation

In this interview, Jean-Luc Marion recalls the intellectual world of Paris in 1970s, reflecting on how his engagement with the ubiquitous “death of God” question led to the sketches of God without Being first presented at this 1979 Colloquium, and discusses the criticism it provoked not only from Heideggerians but also from Thomists. He discusses the reception history of phenomenology in France the reasons for the particular power it gained among thinkers of his generation. Finally, he recounts how his work has led from the 1979 Colloquium through the “Theological Turn” and up to his forthcoming D’ ailleurs, la révélation (Grasset, 2020), which he briefly previews here. Marion closes with words on originality, criticism, and the particular challenges of the contemporary world that await philosophical thinking today.