THE UNIQUENESS OF ALOYSIUS PIERIS’ COVENANT CHRISTOLOGY IN LIGHT OF THE LATIN AMERICAN CHRISTOLOGICAL MODEL
Keywords:
Covenant Christology, Context, Latin American Christology, Poor, ReligionsAbstract
Aloysius Pieris SJ through “Covenant Christology” constructs a new Christological paradigm that expresses a unique contextually liberational understanding of Jesus’ life, message, ministry, His death and Resurrection (Christ-event). “Covenant Christology” not only exposes a fresh search for a contextually liberational image of Jesus Christ in Asia, but also serves as a ‘unique trend-setter’ to do Christology in context. Pieris’ liberational hermeneutics on Semitic biblical categories couched in panoramic realities provide a promising methodology to do Christology. This paper explores the uniqueness of Pierisian Christological model in critical conversation with the Latin American Christological model. It also suggests that how Pieris rethinks of a contextual Christological model which is biblically faithful, anthropologically reconcilable, linguistically meaningful and contextually expressible.
References
Juan Luis Segundo, The Historical Jesus of the Synoptics, translated by John Drury, Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1985.
Carlos Raimundo Piar, “Jesus and Liberation: A Critical Analysis of the Christology of Latin American Liberation Theology with Special Emphasis on Leonardo Boff, Jon Sobrino, and Juan L. Segundo” (unpublished doctoral dissertation, Faculty of The Graduate School, University of Southern California, 1991).
Aloysius Pieris SJ, God’s Reign for God’s Poor: A Return to Jesus Formula, Kelaniya: Thulana Research Center, 1998.
Georg Evers, “A Self Portrait of Aloysius Pieris,” in Encounters with the Word: A Festschrift Honouring Aloysius Pieris s.j., ed. Crusz, Robert, Marshal Fernando, Asanga Tillakaratne, Colombo: EISD, 2004.
Aloysius Peiris, “Christ Beyond Dogma: Doing Christology in the Context of the Religions and the Poor,” Louvain Studies 25 (2000).
Aloysius Pieris SJ, An Asian Theology of Liberation, Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1988.
Aloysius Pieris, Fire and Water: Basic Issues in Asian Buddhism and Christianity, Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1995.
Aloysius Pieris, “Universality of Christianity,” Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection 57 (1993).
Aloysius Pieris SJ, The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation: An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologizing in Asia, Kelaniya: Thulana Research Center Publications, 2013.
Michael Fuss, Buddhavaccana and Dei Verbum: A Phenomenological and Theological Comparison of Scriptural Inspiration in the Saddharmapundarika Sūtra and in the Christian Tradition, Leiden: E.J. Brill Indological Library, 1991.
Stephen B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology (Revised and expanded version), Maryknoll, New York, Orbis Books, 2002.
Tina Beattie, The New Atheists: The Twilight of Reason and War on Religion, London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2007.
Aloysius Pieris, “Jon Sobrino and Liberation Theology,” VJTR 17/8R, (August 2007).
Benedito Ferraro, “Jesus Christ Liberator: Christology in Latin America and the Caribbean,” in Getting the Poor down from the Cross: Christology of Liberation, International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians EATWOT, Second Digital Edition (Version 2.0) 2007.
David Carey Dixon, A Critical Analysis of Liberationist Christology in the Writings of Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, and Jon Sobrino, Ann Arbor: UMI, 1988.
Jon Sobrino, Christology at the Crossroads: A Latin American Approach, Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1978.
Arthur F. McGovern, Liberation Theology and Its Critics: Toward an Assessment, Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1989.
Kristien Justaert, “Cartographies of Experience: Rethinking the Method of Liberation Theology,” Horizons 42, 02 (12/2015).
Michael Lee, An Introduction to Liberation Theology, 13 https://s3.amazonaws.com/NowYou KnowMedia/StudyGuides/Introduction_to_Liberation_Theology.pdf, [accessed July 20, 2017].
John XXIII, Mater et Magistra, 1961.
Paul VI, A Call to Action, 1971.
https://thetablet.org/see-judge-act/ [accessed May 15, 2017].
Leonardo Boff (English translation by Rebel Girl), “The Magna Carta of Integral Ecology: Cry of the Earth - Cry of the Poor: An analysis of Pope Francis’ Encyclical,” Jornal do Brasil (em português) June 18, 2015.
http://iglesiadescalza.blogspot.be/2015/06/the-magna-carta-of-integral-ecologycry.html. [accessed May 15, 2017].
Robert Lauder, “See, Judge, Act,” July 30, 2015. The Tablet. https://thetablet.org/see-judge-act/ [accessed May 15, 2017].
Clodovis Boff, “Epistemology and Method of the Theology of Liberation,” trans. Robert R. Barr, in Ellacuría and Sobrino, Mysterium liberationis: Fundamental Concepts of Liberation Theology, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993.
Donald E. Waltermire, The Liberation Christologies of Leonardo Boff and Jon Sobrino: Latin American Contributions to Contemporary Christology, Maryland: University Press of America,1994.
John Milbank, “Liberation Theology,” Encyclopedia of Christian Theology 2, New York: Routledge, 2005.
B.T. Adeney, “Liberation theology,” Dictionary of Christianity in America, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1990.
Andrew Bradstock, “Liberation Theology,” The Routledge Companion to Modern Christian Thought, Routledge: Taylor & Francis, 2013.
Aloysius Pieris, Prophetic Humor in Buddhism and Christianity: Doing InterReligious Studies in the Reverential Mode, Colombo: EISD, 2005.
People’s Liberation Front (JVP), Our Vision: Policy Framework Adopted at the 7th National Convention of the JVP, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka: Niyamuwa Publications, 2014.
José Comblin, “Reflections on the Notification Sent to Jon Sobrino,” in Getting the Poor down from the Cross: Christology of Liberation International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians EATWOT (Second Digital Edition) (Version 2.0) 2007.
Víctor Codina, “The Poor, the Church and Theology,” in Getting the Poor down from the Cross: Christology of Liberation International Theological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians EATWOT (Second Digital Edition) (Version 2.0) 2007.
Gustave Gutiérrez “Pobres y opción fundamental,” in Mysterium Liberationis. Conceptos fundamentales de la teología de la liberación, tomo I, San Salvador: UCA Editores, 1991.
David Cavanagh, “Latin American Liberation Theology and the Attempt to Develop a Genuinely Contextual Christology,” Academia ©2017, 1. http://www.academia.edu/11566201/Latin_American_Liberation_Theology_and_t he_Development_of_a_genuinely_contextual_Christology. [accessed July 10, 2017].
Michael L. Cook, “Jesus from the Other Side of History: Christology in Latin America,” Theological Studies 44, 2 (1983).
José Míguez Bonino, “La piedad popular en América latina,” Trans. by Michael L. Cook in “Jesus from the Other Side,” Concilium 96 (1974).
Jacques Haers, “Contextual Theologian and the Signs of the Times,” Class lecture notes, Faculty of Theology, KU Leuven, October 27, 2016.