The Father's Will: Christ's Crucifixion and the Goodness of God

283 Pages·2014·1.23 MB·English

by  Nicholas E. Lombardo

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THE FATHER S WILL
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The Father s Will
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Christ s Cruci xion and the Goodness of God
NICHOLAS E. LOMBARDO, O.P.
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To my father, Gaetano Lombardo
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Christ’s passion, like a key, has opened for us the understanding of sacred
scripture.
—StephenLangton,CommentaryonMicah
Jonah is a type of Christ. The ship is the synagogue of the Jews; the captain is
Moses; the sailors are the prophets; the sea is the suffering that we all must
undergo;thelotisthewilloftheFather,accordingtowhichChristwasthrown
intotheseaofsufferingsandenteredthebellyofthegreatseamonsterofdeath.
Thereheremainedforthreedays.
—HesychiusofJerusalem,CommentaryontheMinorProphets
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Preface
WhenChristianshearthestoryofJesusinthegardenofGethsemane,asking
for his cup to pass from him, but then surrendering to the Father’s will,
they often think of their own lives, and their own suffering. They know
instinctively that the Father’s will for Jesus sheds light on the Father’s will
forthem.TheyknowthatJesus’sufferingilluminatestheirsuffering,andthat
the reason Jesus takes up his cross somehow relates to the reason they must
take up theirs. Accordingly, theologies of redemption do not simply offer
solutionstoatheologicalpuzzle.Theyanswernumerousexistentialquestions.
Ofthese,thequestionthatmattersmostisfairlysimple:isGodtheFatherwith
me as I take up my cross, or is he orchestrating my crucifixion? This book
works towards a theology of redemption that can safeguard the goodness of
Godagainstanyappearanceof divineinjustice,andthusaffirmthatGodthe
Fatherisalwayswithus,alwaysonourside.
The best way forward, this book argues, lies in the recovery of the ancient
theological category of ransom. According to the early Christians, Christ’s
crucifixion was a ransom that liberated us from the powers of evil, sin, and
death.Thetheologicalcategoryofransomhaslongsincebeeneclipsed,butit
is the preferred category of the New Testament for interpreting the specific
event of the crucifixion; it also lies at the etymological origins of the word
“redemption” (in Latin, the word for ransom is redemptio). The category of
ransom has many advantages. It frames the drama of salvation as a straight-
forwardstoryofgoodtriumphingoverevilanddeath.Itmakesthegoodness
ofGodmoreevident.ItalsomakesiteasiertoseeGodtheFatherastheauthor
ofoursalvation,ratherthanasternjudgewhomustbeplacated.Andsincethe
categoryofransomtracesbacktoJesus’sayingintheGospelsaboutgivinghis
life “as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Matt 20:28), it has great claim to
interpretthecrucifixioninthewayJesushimselfinterpretedit.
ByapproachingthecrucifixionfromtheperspectiveoftheFather’swill,this
book also addresses the place of God the Father in Christian theology and
culture.ManytheologiesofredemptioninadvertentlyputGodtheFatherina
negativelight.ThesetheologiesmakeitmoredifficulttorelatetohimasJesus
relates to him in the Gospels. They also contribute to the ambivalence that
some Christians feel about addressing God as Father. This book offers a
corrective to such theologies. It takes as its point of departure Jesus’ words
to Philip: “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). There is
no mercy visible in the Son that was not present first in the Father, and
any theology that would give the slightest impression otherwise must be
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viii Preface
rejected—charitably, but firmly. What is at stake is nothing less than
being able to hear the Father’s words at Jesus’ baptism spoken also to us,
as they in fact are, through our baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with
you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).
* * *
Thisbookisthefruitofmanyconversations,anditisaprivilegeandapleasure
to offer my thanks and appreciation to all those who through their words
and support have helped bring it to completion. Above all, I would like to
thank Janet Martin Soskice, under whose supervision this book began as a
doctoralthesisattheUniversityofCambridge,forherencouragement,insight,
and guidance. I would also like to thank John Proctor, who supervised
my work on the initial drafts of the scripture chapters with great generosity,
and David Ford and Karen Kilby, my examiners, for their comments and
suggestions. I am also grateful to the Dominican community of Blackfriars,
Cambridge, for their warm welcome, and for making my stay in England
thoroughlyenjoyable.
Alongthewaymanyreaddraftsorportionsofthemanuscript,andIwould
like to express my great appreciation to all those who shared with me their
comments, criticisms, and suggestions. While the flaws of this book remain
entirelymyown,theirgenerosityhassparedbothmyreadersandmyselffrom
many errors, and their thoughtful comments significantly inspired and clari-
fied mythinking.Iamparticularlygrateful toNicholasIngham,O.P., forhis
detailed comments on the manuscript at multiple stages. I am also very
grateful to Margaret Atkins, O.S.A., Amanda Perreau-Saussine Ezcurra (who
sadlydiedlastyear),KevinFlannery,S.J.,FergusKerr,O.P.,WilliamMattison,
FrancescaAranMurphy,BenedictViviano,O.P.,BruceWilliams,O.P.,andan
anonymousreaderforOxfordUniversityPress.
Many others read various sections and chapters, and for their comments,
suggestions,andquestionsIwouldalsoliketothankRosemaryBoyle,Clem-
entBurns,O.P.,RomanusCessario,O.P.,MarkClark,SarahCoakley,Barna-
basDavis,O.P.,PhilipDevine,HughVincentDyer,O.P.,GillesEmery,O.P.,
Boniface Endorf, O.P., John Ford, C.S.C., Ky Heinze, Andrew Hofer, O.P.,
AidanNichols,O.P.,BrianKennedy,MatthewLevering,WilliamLoewe,Peter
Martens, MicheleRansil,C.D.P.,StephenRyan,O.P.,Eleonore Stump,Cath-
erine Tkacz, Robert Sokolowski, Justin Taylor, S.M., Tarmo Toom, Joseph
Vnuk, O.P., Susan Wessel, Thomas Joseph White, O.P., and Celia Wolf-
Devine. Parts of this manuscript were presented in papers and lectures, and
I am grateful for the questions and comments received afterward. Special
thanks are also owed to Michele Ransil, C.D.P., for her exceptional (and
exceptionally speedy) proofreading, and the late Louis Bataillon, O.P., who,
immediately after hearing me describe the topic of my research, shared with
methequotationfromStephenLangtonthatservesasthefirstofitsepigraphs.
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Preface ix
As mentioned above, this book is the fruit of many conversations. In a
specialway,itisthefruitofconversationswithmyfather.WhatIhavelearned
from him has made everything else possible. This book is dedicated to him
withgratitudeandadmiration.
NicholasE.Lombardo,O.P.
TheCatholicUniversityofAmerica
Washington,D.C.
May2013