Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance

This article critically explores the question of how the image and metaphor of the Trinitarian divine dance could enhance the dialogue between theology and dance. Could this metaphor actually be a source of said dialogue? Does this idea of the Trinitarian dance really do justice either to the divine...

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Main Author: Hikota Riyako Cecilia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2022-02-01
Series:Open Theology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2022-0192
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author Hikota Riyako Cecilia
author_facet Hikota Riyako Cecilia
author_sort Hikota Riyako Cecilia
collection DOAJ
description This article critically explores the question of how the image and metaphor of the Trinitarian divine dance could enhance the dialogue between theology and dance. Could this metaphor actually be a source of said dialogue? Does this idea of the Trinitarian dance really do justice either to the divine mystery of the Trinity or to dance itself? If we would like to go beyond metaphor, what further approach would be necessary? This article examines how different authors (e.g., C. S. Lewis, Paul S. Fiddes, and Catherine M. LaCugna) have used the image or metaphor of dance to describe the perichōrēsis within the Trinity as well as the creation’s perichoretic participation. This article concludes the survey by pointing out that contemporary usages of the Trinitarian dance metaphor are participating in European Christianity’s longstanding bias against dance, no matter how much they appear to appreciate it on the surface. The bias is related to Christianity’s ambivalent attitude toward the human body, despite its foundational belief that the Word became flesh. Therefore, a call to bring the lens of dance into Christian theology should be taken as nothing less than a call to eliminate this bias against the human body itself.
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spelling doaj.art-6f205ff145eb4e338e6a2b3bdd1a45092022-12-22T03:51:06ZengDe GruyterOpen Theology2300-65792022-02-0181506310.1515/opth-2022-0192Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and DanceHikota Riyako Cecilia0Faculty of Theology, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Eichstätt, GermanyThis article critically explores the question of how the image and metaphor of the Trinitarian divine dance could enhance the dialogue between theology and dance. Could this metaphor actually be a source of said dialogue? Does this idea of the Trinitarian dance really do justice either to the divine mystery of the Trinity or to dance itself? If we would like to go beyond metaphor, what further approach would be necessary? This article examines how different authors (e.g., C. S. Lewis, Paul S. Fiddes, and Catherine M. LaCugna) have used the image or metaphor of dance to describe the perichōrēsis within the Trinity as well as the creation’s perichoretic participation. This article concludes the survey by pointing out that contemporary usages of the Trinitarian dance metaphor are participating in European Christianity’s longstanding bias against dance, no matter how much they appear to appreciate it on the surface. The bias is related to Christianity’s ambivalent attitude toward the human body, despite its foundational belief that the Word became flesh. Therefore, a call to bring the lens of dance into Christian theology should be taken as nothing less than a call to eliminate this bias against the human body itself.https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2022-0192trinitydanceperichōrēsisperichoretic participationpanentheism
spellingShingle Hikota Riyako Cecilia
Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance
Open Theology
trinity
dance
perichōrēsis
perichoretic participation
panentheism
title Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance
title_full Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance
title_fullStr Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance
title_full_unstemmed Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance
title_short Beyond Metaphor: The Trinitarian Perichōrēsis and Dance
title_sort beyond metaphor the trinitarian perichoresis and dance
topic trinity
dance
perichōrēsis
perichoretic participation
panentheism
url https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2022-0192
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