God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking
From the beginning, Levinas’ thought was received not only by philosophers but also by theologians. But his thought is very radical and represents both a challenge and an inspiration for theology. The article aims to see where the challenge and inspiration might lie. Levinas’s basic question is how...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Open Theology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2020-0189 |
| _version_ | 1811252830324916224 |
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| author | Sirovátka Jakub |
| author_facet | Sirovátka Jakub |
| author_sort | Sirovátka Jakub |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From the beginning, Levinas’ thought was received not only by philosophers but also by theologians. But his thought is very radical and represents both a challenge and an inspiration for theology. The article aims to see where the challenge and inspiration might lie. Levinas’s basic question is how finite thought can think an infinite and transcendent God. Levinas develops the phenomenology of the Idea of the Infinite and interprets Descartes’ idea of God as a practical desire. For Levinas, the relation to God is intrinsically linked to the relation to the Other. It is an attempt to characterize an autonomous ethical subjectivity whose autonomy, however, does not begin with the subject but in the Other, in whom the presence of God is always already manifest. This description of the subject corresponds to the human being as understood in Christian theology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:40:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ac075d2e9a8f4f86bd4e2d568c9b53f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-6579 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T16:40:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Theology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ac075d2e9a8f4f86bd4e2d568c9b53f12022-12-22T03:24:47ZengDe GruyterOpen Theology2300-65792022-02-0181283710.1515/opth-2020-0189God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological ThinkingSirovátka Jakub0Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech RepublicFrom the beginning, Levinas’ thought was received not only by philosophers but also by theologians. But his thought is very radical and represents both a challenge and an inspiration for theology. The article aims to see where the challenge and inspiration might lie. Levinas’s basic question is how finite thought can think an infinite and transcendent God. Levinas develops the phenomenology of the Idea of the Infinite and interprets Descartes’ idea of God as a practical desire. For Levinas, the relation to God is intrinsically linked to the relation to the Other. It is an attempt to characterize an autonomous ethical subjectivity whose autonomy, however, does not begin with the subject but in the Other, in whom the presence of God is always already manifest. This description of the subject corresponds to the human being as understood in Christian theology.https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2020-0189emmanuel levinasphenomenology of the idea of godinfinitymetaphysical ethicsethical metaphysicsreligion for adultsautonomyheteronomy |
| spellingShingle | Sirovátka Jakub God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking Open Theology emmanuel levinas phenomenology of the idea of god infinity metaphysical ethics ethical metaphysics religion for adults autonomy heteronomy |
| title | God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking |
| title_full | God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking |
| title_fullStr | God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking |
| title_full_unstemmed | God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking |
| title_short | God Who Comes to Mind: Emmanuel Levinas as Inspiration and Challenge for Theological Thinking |
| title_sort | god who comes to mind emmanuel levinas as inspiration and challenge for theological thinking |
| topic | emmanuel levinas phenomenology of the idea of god infinity metaphysical ethics ethical metaphysics religion for adults autonomy heteronomy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2020-0189 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sirovatkajakub godwhocomestomindemmanuellevinasasinspirationandchallengefortheologicalthinking |