Revelation and the Practices of Reception
Journal for Continental Philosophy of Religion May 16, 2024 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1163/25889613-bja10069 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
This essay combines theology and phenomenology to examine how contemplative practices shape the reception of revelation. It starts with Jean-Luc Marion's phenomenological view of revelation and then explores revelation within mystical and liturgical experience. The author argues that the habituated practices of contemplation in monastic and liturgical life are not merely passive but serve as preparatory techniques that increase the capacity to receive revelation, without controlling or determining its occurrence.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Contemplative practices in monastic and liturgical life are preparatory techniques that increase the capacity for receiving revelation without controlling or determining its arrival. |
Abstract
This essay brings theology and phenomenology together in order to explore the role of contemplative practices in the reception of revelation. The essay begins with Jean-Luc Marion’s phenomenological account of revelation and subsequently considers the dynamics of revelation in the context of mystical and liturgical experience. Challenging the understanding of the reception of revelation as a passive event, I argue instead that the habituated practices of contemplation which mark monastic and liturgical life can also be understood to be preparatory techniques to increase the capacity for reception of revelation without, however, controlling or determining its arrival.