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Ausgabe: | September/2023 |
Spalte: | 861-863 |
Kategorie: | Systematische Theologie: Dogmatik |
Autor/Hrsg.: | Jones, Paul Dafydd |
Titel/Untertitel: | Patience – A Theological Exploration. Part One: From Creation to Christ. |
Verlag: | London u. a.: Bloomsbury T&T Clark 2022. 632 S. Kart. £ 23,97. ISBN 9780567694386. |
Rezensent: | Samuel Welbaum |
The book is a unique work for four notable reasons. First and foremost, the literature on the theology of patience is surprisingly small. It is not nonexistent however, and Paul Dafydd Jones is careful to pull not merely from the history of theology, but also from the few contemporary works on the topic as well, as he builds his argument. Second, this work is one which is waiting for a sequel. Jones notes multiple times throughout this work that this is a multi-volume work, and apologizes multiple times as well that the conclusions reached at the end of this volume are not fully realized as they are a step toward a final conclusion in a forthcoming work. Third, Jones makes use of Barth’s style of writing in which some of the text is a smaller font than the bulk of the text. This variance is not a typographical error, but rather is Jones’ way of dividing the main text from more academic notes that are not quite footnotes, but are unnecessary for understanding his argument. This can be initially distracting but is incredibly helpful overall.
The fourth unique feature of this book is that while it is the first volume of a series, it actually reads like it is the first two volumes of this series. By this I mean that, as Jones notes in his preparatory pages, the six chapters of this book are clearly divided at its midpoint, and both halves serve very different functions. The first three chapters of the book are focused on the doctrine of patience as it has been considered by various thinkers throughout the history of the church, and the latter three chapters focused on constructing his argument proper. The division between these two sections is so sharp that, at almost 550 pages worth of text, it seems that releasing it as two smaller volumes would have made sense. Jones himself even indicates that the two parts can be read independent of one another. That said, the key strength of releasing it as one volume is that the second half of the book makes frequent reference to the works of some of the lesser-known thinkers mentioned in the first half of the book, in particular Julian of Norwich, and having them ready at hand is helpful.
The first half of the book is divided into three chapters, each focused on an epoch in church history. Various thinkers in these epochs are discussed, however, in each of the three there is one thinker who becomes the focal point, and indeed is the thinker from that epoch most prominent in the second half of the book. The first chapter covers the patristic period through the Medieval, with Julian of Norwich becoming central. The second chapter focuses on the Reformation, with Calvin receiving the greatest attention, and the third chapter covers the 20th century through the present, with Barth as the central focus. These three chapters are very helpful in understanding a history of the doctrine of patience, but from an even more broad approach, could be helpful for students and academically minded lay people who have minimal knowledge of church history, or the historical development of doctrine.
The constructive portion of this volume begins in chapter four. The thrust of this work’s argument is not patience in general, or patience as an attribute of human experience, but rather patience as an attribute of God. This is the end, the fourth chapter focuses on God as creator, while the two subsequent chapters focus on God as provider, locating the discussion on providence, and steadfastness, respectively. The central thread in chapter four is that God creates the world and finite creatures out of nothing, and then creates in cooperation with the nonhuman creations toward the end of creating humanity. Even at this early stage of Jones’ argument we see the twin ideas that will serve as the backbone of his entire constructive work in this volume: »letting be« and »letting happen«.
As Jones discusses God as creator, God as providential provider, and God as steadfast provider, »letting be« and »letting happen« appear a plethora of times. The general idea is that God’s patience is seen in the fact that God creates particular things, though Godself could have created things in perhaps more ideal ways. God then allows those things to grow, and progress, and mature, and act in particular ways which God could speed up, or stop, or redirect, but instead allows to be as they are, and happen as they do. This posi- tion of the divine to the world does not undercut God’s control of the world, but rather displays clearly the patience that God displays in acting with the world. Chapter four ends with a practical application of sorts as Jones applies his discussion thus far to environmental issues, and what it might mean that God is patient in regards to humanity’s effect on the »nonhuman world« and the implications that might have for humans today.
Chapters five and six can be taken together as they serve as a prolonged discussion related to the concept of providence. At many times throughout these chapters the topic of patience almost seems to take a backseat as the nuances and issues related to God as an omnipotent sovereign, and humans as finite creatures with morally culpable freewill, take center stage. These issues have been discussed at great length throughout the history of the church, and have been a heavy area of focus in the Reformed tradition starting with Calvin and proceeding through Barth. Jones’ displayed an incredible familiarity with, and adept skill at, handling the sheer volume, and density, of the work on this matter, but it does lead to some sections be laden with some heavy theological term for which there are no simpler alternatives (supralapsarianism as an example).
Patience seeming to take a backseat to this prolonged discussion of providence can, at least at first, seem somewhat disappointing, however, by the end of these sections it becomes clear that providence works in relation with »letting be« and »letting happen« in understanding the manner in which God creates, sustains, and cares for God’s creation. In particular it brings forth the question of patience as permission, and the relationship with between God and those who sin, or experience »waywardness« as Jones calls it. Here, the book does an admirable job discussing the relation of sin to God, and presents it as something that God endures, and out of love patiently allows to »let be« and »let happen«. This section allows Jones to connect various thinkers, in particular Julian and Barth, as he discusses the nature of divine grief and sadness. It also allows for further contemporary discussion related to social issues facing the world in the present day. These chapters, and this volume ends more with a pause than a conclusion. Jones emphasizes the idea that patience is the very nature of God, but then asks how that might be expanded upon, noting that the next volume will discuss this idea is relation to God’s triune existence.
The book also includes a short appendix discussing the history and etymology of the word »patience« which is interesting and helpful, and works well as an appendix to the work. The bibliography is extensive and an excellent resource for future study. Overall, the book sets the stage for a larger project addressing a theology of patience, and as such is very modest with its goals. However, the book does meet those goals and presents a helpful framework to beginning thinking about God’s »letting be« and »letting happen« as the reader awaits Jones’ next volume.