Christology of Elizabeth Johnson, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Elizabeth Johnson is an outstanding figure in the modern theology due to her incomparable contribution to the understanding of God, of the figure of the Christ in both the ideological and the historical perspective as well as the rise of feminist theology. Starting her theological work as a CSJ sister she went much further than the paternalistic limits of religion allowed at the beginning of the second half of the 20^th century. Despite the threat of being distanced from the church due to very frivolous thoughts regarding religion that was indisputable for many centuries, Elizabeth A. Johnson still dared to ask questions and to dedicate her life to seeking the answers.

If Jesus Christ were to ask Elizabeth Johnson, “What is the image of God?”  I believe her response would summarize the following:

“Women are imago Dei in the exercise of stewardship over the earth and the capacity to rule as representatives of God, with ecological care; in their kinship by nature with holy mystery; in their rationality and intelligence and in their freedom capable of union with God; in their creativity, their sociality, their community with each other and with men, children, and the whole earth; in their bodylines, their destiny” (‘She Who Is’ 71).

From the present quotation we see that Johnson’s work of her whole life was to create the unity of God with women and children, to eliminate any discrimination and neglect from the side of those making a heavy emphasis in Christology on the masculine essence of Christ and to win the deserved place for a woman in religion. The search for the truth led Johnson to understanding the basic truths of the ecological theology, let her contribute to the feminist trend in Christianity and enabled her to balance the historical image of God with the faith confessions and images of people (Schrein 19).

No doubt, the path of Johnson was not easy, though she found many followers and supporters in her life and work; the main contribution with which Johnson may be credited is the struggle that she led concerning accepting the exquisite role of a woman in religion and in Christology. She believed that there was something feminine that was hidden beyond centuries of masculine approach to religion and Christology, and finally found the traces. But what is even more important in the works of Johnson is that she managed not to ruin the fragile boundaries between curiosity, research and blasphemy, which many of old-fashioned patriarchs could have called her work. She won fame and recognition due to her quest for knowledge, for the real origin, essence and identity of Christ as well as phenomenon that surrounded him and remained in the world history as such.

The question remains how do we account from the earliest historical teachings that Jesus is Christ, the anointed one is a male?  Why is there not a female image?  In many of Johnson’s writings she states that through the Holy Spirit the church community as a whole share in the Christhood by participating in the living and the dying and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Baptized women and men form one body that lives in Christ.  In order to conceptualize Johnson’s Christology and theology, we need to understand her nuances of her life.

The Life Path of Elizabeth Johnson. Theological and Spiritual Influences Johnson Experienced

There is little information about childhood and birth of Elizabeth A. Johnson because the main emphasis on her personality was done only as soon as she started her theological work – the only thing that can be said for sure is that she was born in 1941 in Brooklyn, NY (Daley 200). Johnson, a CSJ, is a religious sister in the Congregation of Saint Joseph in Brentwood, NY.  She began her study of theology in 1959 because of her fascination with the questions of human suffering in the context of God’s relationship in the world.  Her theology in college was influenced by Thomas Aquinas writings:

“By reading this text directly we largely avoided the ideas of the later commentators who gave such a substantialist twist to Thomas’ ideas. Strange to say, we never read the infamous question 92: women as defective males. I fell in love with the clarity and precision of Aquinas’ thought, with the way he entertained and answered objections, and with the cosmic sweep of his vision” (Zagano 122).

That said, Johnson acknowledges her views and writing is in the “context of a white, academic, middle-class, American culture” (Schrein 17).  She also is a second generation feminist, which was clearly felt in the initial directions stipulated by Johnson in her theological research.

She made final vows in 1965 however prior to making vows, she was on retreat and was provided with a draft of a councilor document to read.  The document later became Gaudium et Spes.  The words that intrigued Johnson in the document were:

“The joys and the hopes, the grief’s, and anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the grief’s and anxieties of Christ” (www.newadvent.org).

Johnson’s framework from college and postulant preparation for vowed life was an impetus for her pursuit of searching for the truth of God and who is God. The reasons for her retreat were further on sincerely revealed in her own speeches – Johnson explained that in fact she was too fascinated with the world to make the grand step that the vowed life demanded her to, and at the same time she was so obsessed by the path of searching for the truth of God that she finally decided not to change her mind. Nonetheless, Elizabeth Johnson still did not manage to get as detached from the real contemporary world as she tried, and she moved forward together with the requirements of the time in her search. She personally admits that she experienced much influence on the profile and direction of her religious activities, and still now feels the impact of new trends in theology.

The first influence that she recollects is the document titled Gaudium et Spes that she was given to read before taking vows in 1965. The main impact that the document produced on Johnson was the call to eliminated any type of discrimination that was possible on the Earth and to live according to the principles of ultimate truth that would be undefeatable in their hearts. Further on she recollected the influence of biblical scholarship that flourished since the council and made a great contribution into Johnson’s perception of the word and identity of God (“Forging Theology: A Conversation with Colleagues” 91-123).

Further on Johnson felt the influence of American death of God theology – the theologian was so shocked by the events that took place in the modern theological thought that she felt the urgent necessity to make things change, and made this with her own work. In addition, Johnson recollects the impact of European Catholic theology (on the works of Rahner, Metz, and Schillebeeck), European Protestant theology (in particular Barth, Bonhoeffer, and Pannenberg – Johnson even produced her doctoral dissertation on the basis of their teachings) (“Forging Theology: A Conversation with Colleagues” 91-123).

Going further in the ideological and historical path of Johnson’s work, she experienced the influence of the Latin American liberation theology in addition to its South African discourse, surely the influence of feminist theology, with its diverse voices in (womanist, mujerista, Asian-American, and third-world women’s theologies), and admits that nowadays she encounters with “comparative theology, ecological theology, and postmodern thought especially as mediated through feminist theory” (“Forging Theology: A Conversation with Colleagues” 91-123).

Being so much influenced by those trends, Johnson could not help finding their revelation in her work, so the most effective trends such as the liberation theology, the feminist theology and the ecological concerns that entered the modern theology and took a place of significant importance in it. Here finds its reflection the idea of ‘personified wisdom’, the promotion of struggle against sexism in Christianity and many other thoughts that have enriched theology with the coming of Elizabeth A. Johnson.

Liberation Theology and Personified Wisdom

Looking back at the beginning of Johnson’s theological work and vowed life one can understand why she was so attracted by the liberation theology. Speaking about the world and the things it has to offer, Johnson expresses the ideas that surely found their support in liberation topics. Johnson was obsessed by finding the ideas that would fill the gap between the people of God and the whole community, that would unite the modernity with the eternal gospel and would show the global interconnection of the word of God:

“I thrilled to the idea that the church and the world should be in mutual relationship, each learning from the specific wisdom of the other – the gospel on the one hand, and science, humanities, and on the other. I resonated with its analysis of changed conditions in the modern… and the impact all of these conditions had on religion. Marriage and family, culture, socio-economic justice, political participation, war and peace, international cooperation: I stirred to the way these issues were addressed in the spirit of the gospel” (“Worth A Life” 203).

This opinion was voiced by Johnson while being a young and inexperienced sister, but further on she did not change her mind and really dedicated much of her effort to establishing the connections and to searching the ultimate truth that would be actual both in the historical context and in the modern period of time.

The liberation theology trend emerged in 1970s and 1980s signaling about the growing attention to the needs of the oppressed and the suffering in this world. It was initiated in Latin America and was guided by the experience of the oppressed people who would give a start for the unique methodology in theology. Johnson was an activist of that movement, to which she dedicated a part of her work Consider Jesus. On the pages of that work Johnson systematized the liberation approach to theology and outlined six main characteristics it possessed.

First of all, she stated that liberation theology should recognize the particular oppressed group as well as the reasons for that oppression to occur (“Consider Jesus” 85). As soon as this happens, it becomes possible to suppose existence of a certain shared experience of the group, which further on leads to possession of shared beliefs. As an inference from that point that Johnson makes, people who realize their oppressed status will pray for the unjust situation to be changed and will turn to the shared Christianity all together (Schrein 20).

The second characteristic trait is outlined by Johnson as praxis – a certain action associated with the realization of certain truths (“Consider Jesus” 85). This supposition means that the oppressed group, as soon as it understands its own position, has to be urged to taking certain actions to make the state of affairs different (Schrein 20).

The third trait concerns the social nature of human existence – the assumption of Johnson here supposes that no-one exists in isolation, so both sins and virtues of people are shared within the limits of the society (“Consider Jesus” 85). Such considerations lead her to the conclusion that an individual sin will always have a larger impact on the whole community (Schrein 21).

The fourth trait attacks the excessive use of social analysis (“Consider Jesus” 86). As an alternative, Johnson offers the multi-faceted approach that rests on the basis of economic, cultural, demographic and other kinds of analysis of oppression. The fifth characteristic is the need to change the unjust situation – according to the opinion of Johnson (“Consider Jesus” 86), all people have the inherent wish to long to liberty, which is actually done by them as soon as they are oppressed.

And the fifth trait is the most important from the point of view of Johnson’s Christology – she calls people to adopt a vision of “God, already arriving” (“Consider Jesus” 87). By this claim Johnson shows her belief in the coming of Christ, implementing the main belief of Christianity in her work, and calls people to create the community of faith (Schrein 21).

The liberation theology relies much on the theory of alternative wisdom that was of high appeal for Elizabeth Johnson. The Christological affirmation is Johnson sees God as Creator; both male and female.  She promotes human dignity for all, loving our neighbors better, and treating the universe, the cosmos with compassion.  In Shannon Schrein’s book, she states that her study of wisdom literature and its relationship to Jesus the Christ draws four conclusions:

“First, the saving significance of Jesus can be understood in wisdom categories.  The story of Jesus is the story of Sophia, the prophet and envoy of God who wills the wholeness of humanity.  Second. The ultimate identity of Jesus can be understood in wisdom categories.  Once the connection between Jesus and Sophia is made, the relationship of Father and Son that is most associated with God and Jesus can be expanded to include the image of Sophia-God and her child.  Third, the Christological title of wisdom can be given to Jesus…Jesus’ life, death, resurrection are associated with wisdom…Finally logos texts in the Scriptures can be read through the hermeneutic of wisdom categories” (Schrein 58-59).

According to Johnson the personified wisdom reaches a peak in the Wisdom of Solomon.  Sophia’s identity is evoked in a metaphor linked to thy mystery of God; a breath of the power of God; a pure emancipation of the Glory of the Almighty; a radiance of eternal light; a flawless mirror of the working of God; and an image of divine goodness (Schrein 55).

The Feminist Theology in the Works of Johnson

Johnson and other women biblical scholars continued to question “Who is God?”  What is God’s gender?  The women scholars were able to find many female images of God.  The women also learned how ingrained the world was with the male imagery through the centuries both in the world and in the Church. The quest of Johnson was to find the Word of God outside of patriarchal bias.  The task was not easy. However, the methodology that she adopted in her studies was to integrate the historical and critical approach to studying Scripture to acquire the proper understanding of the image of God (Schrein 19). This way she succeeded in her search much.

One example of a female image in the Hebrew Bible Johnson found was the word “mercy,” that is takes from the root word for womb, rechem.  When we pray for mercy, we are really asking God to have womb love, and to forgive us the way a mother does her child (“Quest for the Living God” 101).

The posture of Sophia assisted much for Johnson’s feministic inferences from her research. Johnson writes that prior to the gospel of John the Christian community had not found it difficult to associate Jesus Christ with Sophia including the historical Jesus.  The suppression of Sophia became a growth of sexism in the Christian communities. (“Consider Jesus” 98)  Johnson goes on to say that whoever believes in wisdom Christology is asserting that Jesus is the Sophia is the incarnation of God.  The Christology breaks andocentric thinking that entombs the maleness of Jesus Christ- speaking about the female. Johnson proves this point by giving out her findings in the work Consider Jesus: “In fact, in the Jewish scriptures, God is imaged in female form by some of the prophets in very moving and beautiful ways – as mother, as midwife, as nurse, as a mother bird spreading her wings over her chicks, as Sophia (Wisdom) (112).

In Johnson’s book She Who Is she writes of the many names and symbols for God that people have had through history.  As created beings the divine mystery is just that, a mystery, a sacrament of our experience of God. (118)  What Johnson along with other women biblical scholars is give voice to women’s experience in the Church and their relationship to God  Women need to feel affirmed and how to speak about the mystery of God from a feminist theological perspective in a patriarchal society.

However, to enhance full understanding of Johnson’s feminist perspective, we need to have a brief look at a male theologian’s perspective. Gerald O’Collins, a Jesuit Priest states the following:

“Reflection suggests a feminine dimension to presence.  Our primordial experience of presence showed it to be maternal, when we were all umbilically bonded to our mother who harbored and kept us.  After birth her presence continued to shelter us…Inasmuch as it creates a quiet ‘space’ in which to breathe and grow, human and divine presence wears a feminine face” (343).

O’Collins writes that presence has seven elements: relational, personal, free, creates communion, is mediated symbolically among humans, has infinite possibilities, and comes across primordially feminine (343). The Christology reflects openness to the mystery of God; female or male.  The love of Jesus Christ binds us together.  A Christology of presence ties faith in Jesus Christ to the mystery of the Trinity.  It provides a link from creation, to incarnation, the ministry of Jesus, his crucifixion, resurrection, the life of the Church, and the Holy Spirit within the Christian and non Christian communities, and the entire cosmos (317).

Another account of the male perspective of feminist theology can be taken from the example of Grenz speaking about the main challenges this sphere may face. He states that the main challenge coming to the fore when considering feminism in theology is to understand how the male savior could be of any benefit to women (Grenz 233). He underlines the exquisite role of Christ as follows:

“Most Christian feminist theologians regard Jesus Christ as a paradigm of true humanity – humanity freed of the evil of patriarchal attitudes and behavior patterns” (Grenz 233).

Veli-Matti Karkkainen also emphasizes a set of implications that always accompany the feminist vision of Christ analyzing the works of Johnson and pointing out that in her opinion the truly feminine envision of Christ is possible only under the condition of getting free from the subordination to patriarchic imaging of God. So the main question troubling the feminists in theology is of how a Son of God could be a Savior and at the same time representative of God’s sons and daughters (Karkkainen 181).

Ecological Concerns and Johnson’s Christology

The ecological perspective is an innovative trend in which Johnson works: it incorporates both the liberation and the feminist theology that Johnson has been pursuing in her life and theological work, and adds the considerations of the miserable environmental situation in the modern world that is seen by Johnson as another form of oppression and injustice (Schrein 25). Working on the problem, Johnson found the way to unite all directions in which she worked and promoted the use of gospel in the unified approach to the world as the God itself, uniting all species, human beings, plants and animals into a single divine entity that has to be safeguarded and restored.

The roots of the problems with the environmental protection as a form of oppression are seen by Johnson in the dualism that governs all spheres of human life and gives the groundless right to some groups of people give their preference to particular concepts over others, thus ruining the divine balance prescribed by Christ and creating the dominance of material things over spiritual ones etc. (Schrein 26).

Conclusion

Johnson’s trajectory of studying and understanding Christ surely deserves separate attention because of its comprehensive analysis of the Scriptures and inclusion of wisdom, symbolism and feminine figures in her analysis. There is no doubt that all directions in which she worked deserve their existence and make a significant contribution in the general theology though they sometimes cross the borders of patriarchic dogmas on which the whole study of God and the figure of Christ rests. A set of conclusions that Johnson has made and has communicated to us are of invaluable importance for all those who have connected their lives with theology as well as for those who want to lead the life according to their faith in God and the word of God showing them the directions in which they have to move. Johnson is in the constant search of the true essence of God, his or her nature and personality, thus giving all believers an additional opportunity to touch the ultimate religious truth that has been uniting people from the whole world for millenniums.

God is God; she is in us, from functional to an ontological trajectory.  Our every breath is part of the mystery of the Trinity. We as women are to grow in self-expression relating to the Divine.  We need to learn as females that words alone do not identify who God is; our relationships with one another, the cosmos, our spirituality, and our Christian community show us this wisdom every day.  Equality and mutuality has the possibility of evolving under the conditions that they will be aspired and accepted by both men and women, which is highly complicated in the society tied by the patriarchic dogmas in the chains of which Christianity has been from the creation of this religion. Which is also important to understand is that the negative effect of contemporary feminist Christology is forgetting the paternal loving relationship of God.

The contemporary Christology leads to empowering the love of God; finding who God is in our life and the world.  There is no new God; we are simply finding our God in new situations and are rediscovering the eternal truths about Him.  However, women in their struggle for equality in religion need to take it as a fact that they are created by God and have the divine likeness to God just as men do.

Works Cited

Grenz, Stanley, and Roger E. Olson. 20th-Century Theology: God and the World in a Transitional Age. InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Johnson, Elizabeth, A. Consider Jesus: Waves of Renewal in Christology. New York:  Crossword Publishing Company, 1990.

Johnson, Elizabeth A. “Forging Theology: A Conversation with Colleagues,” in Things New and Old: Essays on the Theology of Elizabeth A. Johnson, ed. Phyllis Zagano and Terrence W. Tilley, New York: Crossroad, 1999,  pp. 91-123.

Johnson, Elizabeth, A. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. New York: Crossword Publishing Company, 2007.

Johnson, Elizabeth, A. Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc, 2007.

Johnson, Elizabeth A. “Worth A Life,” in Vatican II: Forty Personal Stories, ed. William Madges and Michael Daley. Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Pub., 2003.

Karkkainen, Veli-Matti. Christology: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.

O’Collins, Gerald SJ. Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Schrein, Shannon. Quilting and Braiding. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998.