medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Note that Irenaeus is careful to say that the Devil "unjustly,"
unnaturallly, held sway over man--the Devil estranges man from God,
which state is against human nature but the very real, factual
situation. By contrast God acts "justly," rightly.
This is not the "Devil's Rights" theology that Anselm later will be
arguing against. That man voluntarily gave himself into the Devil's
_power_ does not mean the Devil _rightly_ holds man captive.
I believe it is the sense that nature, justice etc. are used here that
one ought to read Anselm's use of words like justice and nature; if it
can be shown that he does not, then one rightly could lay at his feet an
innovation. The mere use of "justice," "rightness" etc. by itself does
not mean "legalism"--if so, then the Fathers themselves are guilty of
legalism. It will be important to isolate the point at which "justitia"
language becomes legalistic if the claim that the Western trajectory
takes this path is to be sustained.
I'm sure the Supple Doctor will later cover the rise of "Devil's Rights"
theology, but I could not pass up the opportunity to emphasize a very
important distinction present at this early stage.
Dennis Martin
>>> [log in to unmask] 05/13/04 4:14 PM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
Atonement (3)
A little later than
Ignatius, Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130 - c. 200 AD) write this interesting
passage in the "Adversus omnes haereses":
"...The powerful Word, and true man, redeeming us by his own blood in a
reasonable way, gave himself as a ransom for those who have been led
into captivity. And since the Apostasy [i.e. the Devil] ___unjustly___
held
sway over us, and though we were by nature [the possession] of Almighty
God, estranged us against nature, making us his own disciples;
therefore the Word of God, mighty in all things and not lacking in his
own justice, acted justly even in the encounter with the Apostasy
itself, ransoming from it that which was his own, not by force, in the
way in which it secured the sway over us at the beginning, snatching
insatiably what was not its own; but by persuasion, as it became God to
receive what he wished; by persuasion, not by the use of force, that
the principles of justice might not be infringed, and, at the same
time, that God's original creation might not perish."
More tomorrow.
Bill.
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