Catherine LaCugna
Encyclopedia
Catherine Mowry LaCugna was a feminist Catholic
theologian
and author of God For Us. LaCugna's passion was to make the doctrine of the Trinity
relevant to the everyday life of modern Christians
.
LaCugna earned her Bachelor's degree at Seattle University
, her Masters and Doctorate at Fordham University
, and joined the faculty at University of Notre Dame
in 1981. There, she taught systematic theology to graduate and undergraduate students, eventually holding the Nancy Reeves Dreux Chair of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
Catherine LaCugna died at the age of 44, of cancer, and is buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery on the Notre Dame campus.
. She rejected modern individualist notions of personhood and emphasised the self-communication of God.
Building on the work of Karl Rahner
, LaCugna argued that the "demise of the doctrine of the Trinity" started when early church theologians had to respond to the teachings of Arius
, arch-heretic of the Christian church. Arius' doctrine required a response, and the Church Fathers' response began the theological trek into speculation on the inner, hidden life of God, commonly referred to as the immanent Trinity. Whereas before, theologians had concentrated on the nature of God as revealed in God's actions in history (commonly called the economic Trinity).
According to LaCugna, the church father Augustine
furthered this divide between economic and immanent Trinity with his psychological model of the Trinity, which described the inner life of God as being like a human's memory, intellect, and will. The real culprit in this matter, though, was Thomas Aquinas
, whose scholastic theology took theological speculation to a whole new level.
Against Rahner and Karl Barth
(in Church Dogmatics I/1, §9), LaCugna wished to retain the use of the word persons in relation to the three persons of the Trinity. Rahner's manners of subsisting and Barth's modes (or ways) of being she saw as too easily adopting the modern notion of individualistic personhood, instead of a relational and interdependent model.
LaCugna says that God is known ontologically only through God's self-revelation in the economy of salvation, and that "Theories about what God is apart from God's self-communication in salvation history remain unverifiable and ultimately untheological."God for Us p231 She says faithful Trinitarian theology must be practical and include an understanding of our own personhood in relationship with God and each other, which she calls "Living God's life with one another". God for Us p411
LaCugna's doctrine of the Trinity has been challenged by theologians such as Nicholas Lash
and James William McClendon, Jr.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and author of God For Us. LaCugna's passion was to make the doctrine of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
relevant to the everyday life of modern Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.
LaCugna earned her Bachelor's degree at Seattle University
Seattle University
Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.SU is the largest independent university in the Northwest US, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools, and is one of 28 member...
, her Masters and Doctorate at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, and joined the faculty at University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in 1981. There, she taught systematic theology to graduate and undergraduate students, eventually holding the Nancy Reeves Dreux Chair of Theology at the University of Notre Dame.
Catherine LaCugna died at the age of 44, of cancer, and is buried in the Cedar Grove Cemetery on the Notre Dame campus.
Trinitarian theology
LaCugna, a Western Theologian, sought common ground with Eastern Christians through re-examining early Christian scholars or Church FathersChurch Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were early and influential theologians, eminent Christian teachers and great bishops. Their scholarly works were used as a precedent for centuries to come...
. She rejected modern individualist notions of personhood and emphasised the self-communication of God.
Building on the work of Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner, SJ was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century...
, LaCugna argued that the "demise of the doctrine of the Trinity" started when early church theologians had to respond to the teachings of Arius
Arius
Arius was a Christian presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt of Libyan origins. His teachings about the nature of the Godhead, which emphasized the Father's divinity over the Son , and his opposition to the Athanasian or Trinitarian Christology, made him a controversial figure in the First Council of...
, arch-heretic of the Christian church. Arius' doctrine required a response, and the Church Fathers' response began the theological trek into speculation on the inner, hidden life of God, commonly referred to as the immanent Trinity. Whereas before, theologians had concentrated on the nature of God as revealed in God's actions in history (commonly called the economic Trinity).
According to LaCugna, the church father Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
furthered this divide between economic and immanent Trinity with his psychological model of the Trinity, which described the inner life of God as being like a human's memory, intellect, and will. The real culprit in this matter, though, was Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, whose scholastic theology took theological speculation to a whole new level.
Against Rahner and Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
(in Church Dogmatics I/1, §9), LaCugna wished to retain the use of the word persons in relation to the three persons of the Trinity. Rahner's manners of subsisting and Barth's modes (or ways) of being she saw as too easily adopting the modern notion of individualistic personhood, instead of a relational and interdependent model.
LaCugna says that God is known ontologically only through God's self-revelation in the economy of salvation, and that "Theories about what God is apart from God's self-communication in salvation history remain unverifiable and ultimately untheological."God for Us p231 She says faithful Trinitarian theology must be practical and include an understanding of our own personhood in relationship with God and each other, which she calls "Living God's life with one another". God for Us p411
LaCugna's doctrine of the Trinity has been challenged by theologians such as Nicholas Lash
Nicholas Langrishe Alleyne Lash
Nicholas Langrishe Alleyne Lash is an English Roman Catholic theologian. After serving in the British Army, and working for a short while as a Roman Catholic priest, he held for twenty years the post of Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge from 1978 to 1999, succeeding...
and James William McClendon, Jr.
Writings by Catherine LaCugna
- God for Us: the Trinity and Christian Life ISBN 0-06-064913-5
- Freeing Theology : The Essentials of Theology in Feminist Perspective ISBN 0-06-064935-6