Recapitulation (Irenaeus)
Recapitulation is the term used by
Irenaeus in his theory of
atonement to describe the manner in which God interacts with the world towards the final goal in
space and time of man's salvation and redemption. It also describes the balance of Christ's actions opposing Adam's, towards the perfect balance in the world, righting of wrongs, and also Jesus' mother Mary, whose perfect obedience balances Eve's disobedience at the beginning of time.
There are many opposing and complementary translations of Irenaeus' use of the word Recapitulation, including "make a new start" "bring to climax" "to go over again", all of which help to give a fuller understanding of the term, recapitulation. Restoration is a feature, restoration of humanity to the holy state which was enjoyed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Recapitulation is regarded as the fulfilment of humanity when divine and human become one, in Christ. It is suggested that Christ's coming to earth is a movement by God to change and redemy the recalcitrance of Adam in the garden of Eden, their lives being mirrored and Christs' actions, always excellently good, to counterbalance the essence of good and evil in the world. "Christ, the new Adam unites all by his death on the cross "(i) But Christ is incarnate from the beginning, creation and salvation were envisioned in the same act. The hope of redemption comes through correction, in hopes that "if the first error could be corrected, subsequent disaster could be averted." (ii) Irenaeus is the first Christian theologian to compare Eve and Mary in response to the question of salvation. He balances Eve's faithlessness with Mary's complete faithful and unquestioning servitude to the Lord, and in comparison, Christs' obedience in doing His will in sufferance on earth. It is propounded that Christ sanctified all human life in every stage by living it, but this incurs the neccessity of Christs longevity. Some sources agree that Christ was known on earth in his old age but these are dubious and not universal.
Irenaeus describes Humanity and God as coming together in Christ, an eventual restoration of the separted Human into the original divine form. Since the dawn of mans' entrance into the world, God has had a dialogue with humanity through the prophets, through his Divine Word, through rules and guidance, drawing mankind ultimately to the final goal of divinity, the Omega point. In this way, humanity is seen as immature in development, childish, and its maturation is in achieving the divine through the guidance of the Holy Father. Like children, Humanity is destined to stray and distance itself from God, and as the loving father he draws Humankind back to Himself. It is seen that only through moral choices and as such it is described as a pedagogical process, learning through guidance the joy of salvation. "Disobedience, slavery, corruption and alienation are corrected by obedience, liberation, incorruption and reconciliation. The change is reflexive, inclusive and repetitive."(iii) All things in all times, in all places are redempted by Christs' all pervading presence in the world, all wrongs are righted by God through his Son. The incarnation of God as man allows his goodness and purity to osmoze throughout humanity allowing His incarnate immortal greatness to merge with humankind and to reclaim eternal life and purity once again, the gifts which we were granted in the beginning and shall receive again in the ending. This understanding puts Christs' incarnation at the forefront of the cause of salvation rather than the crucifixion, although the two are endemicaly conjoined. Christ acted as "the champion of Humanity"(iv) , bringing his flesh under the same human suffering that mankind knows, devoid of divine strength and immutability, and thus restored the benificence of the creators original gifts of immortality to the recalcitrant race of Humanity. This may not have been the incorrigble destiny of Humankind, to be visited by Christ, but Christ was not always to be our Saviour, rather the fact that man did rebel in disobedience meant his role became Saviour in addition to shepherd.
The neccessity of Christ and God's intervention in the fate of mankind is called into question and answered by the erudite Lawson in his examination of St Irenaeus' 'Recapitulation'. If, he propounds, "he [man] were not to return to life, but were to be wholly abandoned to death, then God would have been defeated...but since God is both invincible and magnaminous...he annihilated death...and man who had been taken captive was set free from the bondage of condemnation"(v)
The concepts of time and space allow us to comprehend the theology of redemption, incarnation and recapitulation in that they allow us to illustrate the all pervading nature of these elements which we can comprehend and the timelessness and all pervadingness of Gods will. Although it can be argued that they are simply ideas which we can use to describe and understand the universe, the notion of spacetime â€" a modern conception that challenges intuitive notions of distance and time by actually merging the two, does provide a magnificent vista in which to understand that all things are happening at all times. The Eucharist is the constant re-enactament of the crucifixion, Christ is risen- not has, or will, but 'is'- ever, constantly. Spacetime describes the history of Humanity outwith the boundaries of history and in the Kingdom of God- as defined by Jesus- since every moment is in the salvation. Not just at the endtime, but at all moments, we realise the potential to realise the imago dei, the divine spark. The omega point, the salvation of Humanity is at the midpoint of space and time: that from which all expands from and contracts to. Humanity has tried to define space and time in so many ways, yet we are incapable of measuring the universe except in mathematical hypotheses. However we are agreed on one factor: "Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space." (vi) Indeed it may be infinite. More helpfully Joubert is quoted as saying "Space is to place as eternity is to time." (vii) thus elucidating Gods' constancy and all knowingness. It could be added to Riceours thought - "We are not capable of producing a concept of time that is at once cosmological, biological, historical and individual." (viii) - that theologically time is infinte and immediate, in despite of Groucho Marx' stipulation that "Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.", (ix) time is not a straight line but a surrounding, encompassing compound of space that has no measure except within the grace of timelessness which God preserves through Anakephaliosis.
To recap and conclude, Recapitulation can be understood in terms of second century Christian theology as "The totality of humanity and the Universe...the whole history of salvation is resumed..sovereignty of Christ over all things is assumed..all things are not merely repaired but are brought to perfection in Christ".(x) In Irenaeus ' terms it is the consummation of Humanity with its maker and all that that entails which I have attempted to describe concisely. It is the teleology [ the study of existence or non-existence of an organizing principle behind natural laws and phenonema(xi)] of human existence through God. References:
(i) Osborne. E, Irenaeus of Lyons p97(ii) ibid, p100(iii) ibid p100(iv) Lawson. J, Biblical Theology of St Irenaeus p145(v) ibid p146(vi) Adams, D. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy(vii) www.wikipedia.com/time/quotes (attributed to Joseph Joubert)(viii) ibid (attributed to Paul Ricoeur)(ix) ibid(x) Lawson. J, Biblical Theology of St Irenaeus p116(xi) www.wikipedia.com/teleology
Bibliography:Irenaeus, Adversus HaeresesTipler, Frank J. The Physics of Immortality Macmillan: London, 1995
Contributed and written by Julie James for HOCWR, Edinburgh University
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Recapitulation
